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The NBA playoffs will begin with a first-round series in the Eastern and Western Conferences on Saturday, April 15. One to three matches will be covered by ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV.
Starting May 1-2, the NBA semifinal round tips off. ABC, ESPN and TNT will televise one or two games on national TV.
On May 16-17, the conference finals will start and will once again be covered by ABC, ESPN and TNT.
The Atlanta Hawks and the Miami Heat are the last two teams to join the top six teams from the Eastern Conference. From the West, the LA Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves emerged from the tough play-in tournament.
With all 16 playoff teams ready, the NBA playoffs will begin on Saturday night.
NBA First Round Schedule
April 15
The Brooklyn Nets will take on the Philadelphia 76ers at 1:00 p.m. ET. ESPN will feature the game live on national TV. NBC Sports Philadelphia and WWOR will handle local coverage.
The Atlanta Hawks, after surviving the play-in Tournament, will visit the reigning Eastern Conference champs, the Boston Celtics. ESPN will nationally televise the game at 3:30 PM ET, while NBC Sports Boston and Bally Sports Atlanta will locally cover the matchup.
The series between the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers will start at 6:00 PM ET. This will be the third straight game that ESPN will cover nationally. Bally Sports Ohio and MSG Network will take care of local coverage.
Julius Randle is questionable heading into Saturday night's game due to a left ankle sprain. It remains to be seen if he can suit up for Game 1 on the road against the Cavaliers.
At 8:30 p.m. ET, the Golden State Warriors, the defending NBA champs, will host the surprising Sacramento Kings. ABC handles national TV coverage.
Andrew Wiggins, who kept himself sidelined for personal reasons for nearly two months, is now available to play.
April 16
The seventh-seeded LA Lakers will square off against the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies on national TV via ABC at 3:00 p.m. ET. One of the NBA’s most highly-anticipated matchups will not be available on any local channel, though.
Big men Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke are out with season-ending injuries. Their unavailability could be a big factor down the stretch of this series.
The Miami Heat begin their tough task of getting back to the Eastern Conference Finals with a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks. TNT will cover the game on national TV at 5:30 p.m. ET, while Bally Sports Wisconsin and Bally Sports Sun will handle local coverage.
The LA Clippers vs Phoenix Suns series starts at 8:00 p.m. ET in Phoenix. TNT will cover the game live on national TV while Bally Sports Arizona, BSSC and ClipperVision will simulcast the game on local channels.
Paul George is the biggest name on this series' injury report. "PG13" sprained his right knee against the OKC Thunder on March 23. The Clippers are hoping he can return versus the loaded Phoenix Suns.
The Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets are the last pairing of the first-round series to commence. They take on each other at 10:30 p.m. on Sunday on national TV via TNT. ALT and BSN will cover the game locally.
