NBA Playoffs 2020: Known Schedule, Bracket Picture Before Final Games of Season

Facing long odds to sneak into the NBA playoffs, the Phoenix Suns were the hottest team in the league at a perfect 8-0 after the season restarted. But it wasn't enough for them to make up the large deficit they faced two weeks ago.

The Portland Trail Blazers and Memphis Grizzlies both won Thursday, securing the Nos. 8 and 9 spots in the Western Conference. They'll now go head-to-head in a play-in game on Saturday. If Portland wins, it will advance to the playoffs; if Memphis wins, the two teams will play again Sunday in a winner-take-all contest.

That leaves the No. 1-seeded Los Angeles Lakers as the only team that doesn't know its first-round playoff opponent. The other seven opening-round series are already set. And while the seeding could change for the No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchups for each conference, it won't matter too much with no crowds.

Here's a look at the upcoming postseason schedule, this year's playoff bracket and a preview of Saturday's Western Conference play-in game.

NBA Playoffs Schedule

Aug. 15: Western Conference play-in game (Portland Trail Blazers vs. Memphis Grizzlies), 2:30 p.m. ET on ABC

Aug. 16: Potential second Western Conference play-in game, 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN (if Memphis wins Saturday)

Aug. 17: Start of first round of playoffs

Aug. 31: Conference semifinals target date

Sept. 15: Conference finals target date

Sept. 30: NBA Finals target date

Oct. 13: Last possible date for final game of NBA Finals

NBA Playoffs Bracket

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 8 Orlando Magic

No. 2 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 7 Brooklyn Nets

No. 3 Boston Celtics vs. No. 6 Philadelphia 76ers

No. 4/5 Miami Heat vs. No. 4/5 Indiana Pacers

Western Conference

No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 8 Portland Trail Blazers/Memphis Grizzlies

No. 2 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 7 Dallas Mavericks

No. 3 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 6 Utah Jazz

No. 4/5 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 4/5 Houston Rockets

Western Conference Play-In Preview

Damian Lillard is an All-Star and one of the top scoring guards in the NBA, but he took his game to another level to get the Trail Blazers into the Western Conference play-in game.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, the 30-year-old is the first player in NBA history to finish the regular season with three consecutive 40-point games, and the 154 total points he scored during that span were the most by a player in the final three games of the regular season. He had 51 points against the 76ers on Sunday, then 61 points against the Mavericks on Tuesday.

On Thursday, Lillard had 42 points and 12 assists while helping Portland beat Brooklyn 134-133. In the final seconds, Nets shooting guard Caris LeVert put up a potential game-winning jumper that would have eliminated the Trail Blazers and seen the Suns advance to play the Grizzlies.

But LeVert missed the shot, and the Trail Blazers secured the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference.

"The urgency, the energy, the pace, everything, just felt like something was on the line," Lillard said, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN).

The win capped a strong showing by Portland during its seeding games. The Trail Blazers went 6-2 in the NBA bubble to improve their regular-season record to 35-39. Their only losses came against the Celtics and Clippers, and they finished strong with three consecutive wins.

Things did not go as smoothly for the Grizzlies. They were in the No. 8 spot when the season resumed and were in control of their own destiny. But Memphis lost six of its first seven seeding games, which had it in jeopardy of not even reaching the play-in game on Thursday.

But the Grizzlies won when they needed to, notching a 119-106 win over the Bucks. They're still in the No. 9 spot, though, so they'll need to beat the Trail Blazers on both Saturday and Sunday if they want to advance to the first round of the playoffs.

"I'm happy that we responded," Memphis center Jonas Valanciunas said, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "We showed character. We're not going home. We're going to fight until the last second."

This won't be the first time the Trail Blazers and Grizzlies have played since arriving at the NBA bubble. They went head-to-head in their first seeding game, a matchup that Portland won 140-135 in overtime. But this time, the stakes will be far higher.

The Trail Blazers are looking to reach the playoffs for the seventh straight year, while the Grizzlies hope to make it for the first time since 2017.