NBA Playoff Schedule 2018: Known Dates, TV, Live-Stream Coverage for Postseason
April 12, 2018
Several teams were in limbo all the way until the final buzzer of the final game on the final night, but we finally have every matchup set for the 2018 NBA playoffs.
In the Eastern Conference, the top-seeded Toronto Raptors will take on the No. 8 Washington Wizards. The No. 2 Boston Celtics get the No. 7 Milwaukee Bucks. The 3-6 matchup will be between the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat. And the No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers will meet up with the No. 5 Indiana Pacers.
On the other side of the bracket, the Western Conference's No. 1 Houston Rockets will take on the No. 8 Minnesota Timberwolves. Defending champions and No. 2 Golden State Warriors will face the No. 7 San Antonio Spurs. The Portland Trail Blazers and New Orleans Pelicans are matched up for the 3-6 series. And the No. 4 Oklahoma City Thunder get the No. 5 Utah Jazz.
Schedules for each series are as follows:
| 2018 NBA Playoff Schedule | ||||||
| Day | Date | Time (ET) | Gm | Away | Home | TV/Stream |
| Sun | 4/15 | 9:00 p.m. | 1 | Minnesota | Houston | TNT |
| Wed | 4/18 | 9:30 p.m. | 2 | Minnesota | Houston | TNT |
| Sat | 4/21 | 7:30 p.m. | 3 | Houston | Minnesota | ESPN/WatchESPN |
| Mon | 4/23 | 8:00 p.m. | 4 | Houston | Minnesota | TNT |
| Wed | 4/25 | TBD | 5 | Minnesota | Houston | TBD |
| Fri | 4/27 | TBD | 6 | Houston | Minnesota | TBD |
| Sun | 4/29 | TBD | 7 | Minnesota | Houston | TBD |
| Day | Date | Time (ET) | Gm | Away | Home | TV/Stream |
| Sat | 4/14 | 5:30 p.m. | 1 | Washington | Toronto | ESPN/WatchESPN |
| Tue | 4/17 | 7:00 p.m. | 2 | Washington | Toronto | NBA TV |
| Fri | 4/20 | 8:00 p.m. | 3 | Toronto | Washington | ESPN2/WatchESPN |
| Sun | 4/22 | 6:00 p.m. | 4 | Toronto | Washington | TNT |
| Wed | 4/25 | TBD | 5 | Washington | Toronto | TBD |
| Fri | 4/27 | TBD | 6 | Toronto | Washington | TBD |
| Sun | 4/29 | TBD | 7 | Washington | Toronto | TBD |
| Day | Date | Time (ET) | Gm | Away | Home | TV/Stream |
| Sat | 4/14 | 3:00 p.m. | 1 | San Antonio | Golden State | ABC/WatchESPN |
| Mon | 4/16 | 10:30 p.m. | 2 | San Antonio | Golden State | TNT |
| Thu | 4/19 | 9:30 p.m. | 3 | Golden State | San Antonio | TNT |
| Sun | 4/22 | 3:30 p.m. | 4 | Golden State | San Antonio | ABC/WatchESPN |
| Tue | 4/24 | TBD | 5 | San Antonio | Golden State | TBD |
| Thu | 4/26 | TBD | 6 | Golden State | San Antonio | TBD |
| Sat | 4/28 | TBD | 7 | San Antonio | Golden State | TNT |
| Day | Date | Time (ET) | Gm | Away | Home | TV/Stream |
| Sun | 4/15 | 1:00 p.m. | 1 | Milwaukee | Boston | TNT |
| Tue | 4/17 | 8:00 p.m. | 2 | Milwaukee | Boston | TNT |
| Fri | 4/20 | 9:30 p.m. | 3 | Boston | Milwuakee | ESPN/WatchESPN |
| Sun | 4/22 | 1:00 p.m. | 4 | Boston | Milwuakee | ABC/WatchESPN |
| Tue | 4/24 | TBD | 5 | Milwaukee | Boston | TBD |
| Thu | 4/26 | TBD | 6 | Boston | Milwuakee | TBD |
| Sat | 4/28 | TBD | 7 | Milwaukee | Boston | TNT |
| Day | Date | Time (ET) | Gm | Away | Home | TV/Stream |
| Sat | 4/14 | 10:30 p.m. | 1 | New Orleans | Portland | ESPN/WatchESPN |
| Tue | 4/17 | 10:30 p.m. | 2 | New Orleans | Portland | TNT |
| Thu | 4/19 | 9:00 p.m. | 3 | Portland | New Orleans | NBA TV |
| Sat | 4/21 | 5:00 p.m. | 4 | Portland | New Orleans | TNT |
| Tue | 4/24 | TBD | 5 | New Orleans | Portland | TBD |
| Thu | 4/26 | TBD | 6 | Portland | New Orleans | TBD |
| Sat | 4/28 | TBD | 7 | New Orleans | Portland | TNT |
| Day | Date | Time (ET) | Gm | Away | Home | TV/Stream |
| Sat | 4/14 | 8:00 p.m. | 1 | Miami | Philadelphia | ESPN/WatchESPN |
| Mon | 4/16 | 8:00 p.m. | 2 | Miami | Philadelphia | TNT |
| Thu | 4/19 | 7:00 p.m. | 3 | Philadelphia | Miami | TNT |
| Sat | 4/21 | 2:30 p.m. | 4 | Philadelphia | Miami | TNT |
| Tue | 4/24 | TBD | 5 | Miami | Philadelphia | TBD |
| Thu | 4/26 | TBD | 6 | Philadelphia | Miami | TBD |
| Sat | 4/28 | TBD | 7 | Miami | Philadelphia | TNT |
| Day | Date | Time (ET) | Gm | Away | Home | TV/Stream |
| Sun | 4/15 | 6:30 p.m. | 1 | Utah | Oklahoma City | TNT |
| Wed | 4/18 | 8:00 p.m. | 2 | Utah | Oklahoma City | NBA TV |
| Sat | 4/21 | 10:00 p.m. | 3 | Oklahoma City | Utah | ESPN/WatchESPN |
| Mon | 4/23 | 10:30 p.m. | 4 | Oklahoma City | Utah | TNT |
| Wed | 4/25 | TBD | 5 | Utah | Oklahoma City | TBD |
| Fri | 4/27 | TBD | 6 | Oklahoma City | Utah | TBD |
| Sun | 4/29 | TBD | 7 | Utah | Oklahoma City | TBD |
| Day | Date | Time (ET) | Gm | Away | Home | TV/Stream |
| Sun | 4/15 | 3:30 p.m. | 1 | Indiana | Cleveland | ABC/WatchESPN |
| Wed | 4/18 | 7:00 p.m. | 2 | Indiana | Cleveland | TNT |
| Fri | 4/20 | 7:00 p.m. | 3 | Cleveland | Indiana | ESPN/WatchESPN |
| Sun | 4/22 | 8:30 p.m. | 4 | Cleveland | Indiana | TNT |
| Wed | 4/25 | TBD | 5 | Indiana | Cleveland | TBD |
| Fri | 4/27 | TBD | 6 | Cleveland | Indiana | TBD |
| Sun | 4/29 | TBD | 7 | Indiana | Cleveland | TBD |
| NBA | ||||||
What to watch for on Saturday
Defending champions Golden State Warriors will open up the 2018 playoffs with a 3 p.m. ET showdown against the Spurs on ABC. Golden State will be without Stephen Curry, while San Antonio won't have Kawhi Leonard.
The absence of a megastar hurts the Spurs quite a bit more than the Warriors, who have three more All-Stars to fall back on. If San Antonio is going to keep this series competitive, LaMarcus Aldridge will have to play out of his mind.
Following the opener, the Wizards and Raptors will play at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. And it may not be your typical 1-8 matchup. Toronto was stellar all season and boasts the league's best bench, but the underachieving Wizards have plenty of talent at the top of the roster.
The backcourt battle of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan against John Wall and Bradley Beal may be worth the price of admission alone.
Next, the 76ers will host the Heat at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. According to The Athletic's Derek Bodner, Joel Embiid said "there's still a chance" he may play in Game 1.
Finally, the Blazers and Pelicans will close out the day at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. A battle between two potential First Team All-NBA selections, Damian Lillard and Anthony Davis, it may come down to which superstar gets the most help from his supporting cast.