The NBA playoffs for the year 2025 have officially begun with the Warriors and Magic securing their spots in the postseason. Golden State and Orlando clinched the No. 7 seeds in the Western and Eastern conferences, respectively, after winning in the Play-In Tournament on Tuesday night. The playoff action continued with more play-in games on Wednesday as the Heat defeated the Bulls and the Mavericks took down the Kings. The first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs is set to kick off on Saturday.
In the first round, the Warriors will face the Rockets while the Magic will go head-to-head with the reigning champions, the Celtics, in a best-of-seven series. By Friday night, all eight first-round matchups will be determined, with four matchups already set from the regular season: Knicks vs. Pistons and Pacers vs. Bucks in the East, and Lakers vs. Timberwolves and Nuggets vs. Clippers in the West.
All eight first-round series will commence this weekend, and the first round is expected to run through May 4. The NBA Finals are scheduled to begin on June 5.
2025 NBA Playoff Bracket
East First-Round Matchups
No. 1 Cavaliers vs. No. 8 Hawks/Heat
No. 2 Celtics vs. No. 7 Magic
No. 3 Knicks vs. No. 6 Pistons
No. 4 Pacers vs. No. 5 Bucks
West First-Round Matchups
No. 1 Thunder vs. No. 8 Grizzlies/Mavericks
No. 2 Rockets vs. No. 7 Warriors
No. 3 Lakers vs. No. 6 Timberwolves
No. 4 Nuggets vs. No. 5 Clippers
2025 NBA Play-In Tournament Schedule and Scores
All times Eastern
Tuesday, April 15
Magic 120, Hawks 95
Warriors 121, Grizzlies 116
Wednesday, April 16
Heat 109, Bulls 90
Mavericks 120, Kings 106
Friday, April 18
Hawks vs. Heat, 7 p.m., TNT/Max
Grizzlies vs. Mavericks, 9:30 p.m., ESPN/fubo
2025 NBA Playoffs: First-Round Schedule and Scores
All times Eastern
Saturday, April 19
Game 1: Pacers vs. Bucks, 1 p.m., ESPN/fubo
Game 1: Nuggets vs. Clippers, 3:30 p.m., ESPN/fubo
Game 1: Knicks vs. Pistons, 6 p.m., ESPN/fubo
Game 1: Lakers vs. Timberwolves, 8:30 p.m., ABC/fubo
Sunday, April 20
Game 1: Cavaliers vs. TBD, Time/Channel TBD
Game 1: Celtics vs. Magic, Time/Channel TBD
Game 1: Thunder vs. TBD, Time/Channel TBD
Game 1: Rockets vs. Warriors, Time/Channel TBD
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