NBA Playoff Bracket 2026, Updated Picture, Schedule After April 18
The 2026 NBA playoffs are officially underway.
The Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers got things started Saturday with a matinee Game 1 of their first-round series.
Here's a look at today's results and the upcoming schedule for the 2026 NBA playoffs.
Saturday Round 1 Results, Schedule
Cleveland Cavaliers 126, Toronto Raptors 113 (Cavaliers lead series 1-0)
Denver Nuggets 116, Minnesota Timberwolves 105 (Nuggets lead series 1-0)
New York Knicks 113, Atlanta Hawks 102 (Knicks lead series 1-0)
Los Angeles Lakers 107, Houston Rockets 98 (Lakers lead series 1-0)
Sunday Round 1 Schedule
Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics, Game 1: 1 p.m. ET
Phoenix Suns at Oklahoma City Thunder, Game 1: 3:30 p.m. ET
Orlando Magic at Detroit Pistons, Game 1: 6:30 p.m. ET
Portland Trail Blazers at San Antonio Spurs, Game 1: 9 p.m. ET
Saturday Highlights
Cavaliers 126, Raptors 113
The Cavaliers led at halftime, then pulled further ahead after outscoring the Raptors 36-22 in the third quarter.
Max Strus led the Cavs on that late surge on his way to posting 24 points in 24 minutes off the bench.
Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs with 32 points, making him the first player in NBA history to record at least 30 points in nine straight Game 1s. James Harden added another 22 points and 10 assists.
RJ Barrett led the Raptors with 24 points in the loss, while Scottie Barnies contributed 21 points and seven assists.
The Raptors will seek redemption in Cleveland on Monday evening before the series swings to Toronto this Thursday.
Nuggets 116, Timberwolves 105
The Timberwolves started Game 1 by climbing out to an early 12-point advantage before the Nuggets climbed back to tie the game by the half.
The Nuggets outscored the Timberwolves 29-17 in the third quarter to climb out to a commanding lead.
The Timberwolves were unable to recover in the fourth. The visitors finished the game having outshot the Nuggets from the field but drawing fewer fouls and making just 74 percent of their opportunities from the foul line.
Jamal Murray closed out the win with a game-high 30 points as Nikola Jokić racked up a triple-double with 25 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 22 points in the loss.
This series will continue Monday as the Timberwolves look to get a win on the road before the series arrives in Minnesota on Thursday.
Knicks 113, Hawks 102
Neither team was able to gain much separation throughout the first two quarters of the contest, as the Knicks held a narrow 57-55 lead at halftime.
New York finally started to take control of the game in the third, outscoring Atlanta 26-19 in the period.
The Knicks eventually pushed their lead to 19 points in the middle of the fourth quarter.
While the Hawks cut the deficit to eight points multiple times before the game came to an end, they weren't able to complete a late comeback.
Knicks stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 28 points and 25 points, respectively. OG Anunoby also chipped in with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting for New York.
CJ McCollum scored 26 points and shot 11-of-20 from the field for Atlanta, but it wasn't enough to emerge victorious.
Lakers 107, Rockets 98
Both teams were attempting to make up for the absences of key players due to injuries in Saturday's final playoff clash, as the Rockets were missing Kevin Durant while the Lakers were without Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves.
Los Angeles opened Game 1 with a 17-9 lead, although Houston quickly responded with a 5-0 run to keep the contest from getting out of reach.
The Lakers led 33-29 at the end of the first quarter before extending their advantage to 40-31 early in the second.
Los Angeles held a 50-48 edge at halftime, but Houston took an early one-point lead in the third quarter.
The excitement was short-lived for the Rockets, though.
They were outscored by the Lakers 25-18 in the third quarter, as Los Angeles eventually led by as many as 16 points in the middle of the fourth.
Houston couldn't pull to within single digits until just over two minutes remained in the game, leading to the Lakers ultimately holding on for the win.
Luke Kennard stepped up for Los Angeles, scoring a game-high 27 points while shooting 9-of-13 from the field.
LeBron James also made his presence felt with 19 points, 13 assists, eight rebounds, two steals and one block. James shot 9-of-15 on field goals and 1-of-2 on triples.
