It's playoff time in the NBA. The postseason field is being finalized on Sunday, and seeding is set in the Eastern Conference. Plenty still needs to be determined in the Western Conference (follow along live). As we begin to learn the first-round and Play-In Tournament matchups, we're also learning the 2024 NBA playoff schedule.
The Play-In Tournament will begin on Tuesday, April 16, and run through Friday, April 19. A reminder on how the play-in tournament works: No. 7 will play No. 8 in each conference, and No. 9 will play No. 10. The winner of the 7-8 game gets the No. 7 seed, while the loser will face the winner of the 9-10 game for the No. 8 seed.
There will be a twist in the Play-In Tournament schedule this year, too. Both Western Conference games will take place on Tuesday before we get 76ers vs. Heat and Bulls vs. Hawks in the East on Wednesday. Typically, Tuesday sees the No. 7 vs. No. 8 in both conferences, but the 76ers are not able to host a game on Tuesday night due to a scheduling conflict with the NHL's Flyers.
The only two first-round series set in stone right now are Bucks-Pacers and Cavaliers-Magic. Those series will get started either on Saturday, April 20 or Sunday, April 21. More of the NBA postseason schedule should be unveiled in the coming days.
All NBA playoff games airing on ABC, ESPN and NBA TV will be streaming on fubo (try for free).
Play-In Tournament schedule
Tuesday, April 16
- West No. 7 vs. West No. 8, Time TBD, TNT
- West No. 9 vs. West No. 10, Time TBD, TNT
Wednesday, April 17
- No. 7 76ers vs. No. 8 Heat, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN/fubo
- No. 9 Bulls vs. No. 10 Hawks, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/fubo
Friday, April 19
- East No. 7/8 vs. East No. 9/10, Time TBD, ESPN/fubo
- West No. 7/8 vs. West No. 9/10, Time TBD, TNT
2024 NBA playoff dates
- April 20-21: Start of first round
- May 4-7: Start of second round
- May 19-22: Start of Conference Finals
- June 6: NBA Finals Game 1
- June 23: NBA Finals Game 7 (if necessary)
