What are the first-round matchups?

The first round of the playoffs is under way. The second round of the playoffs will begin May 1, though it could be moved up to as early as April 29 if first-round matchups are settled quickly. Similarly, the conference finals are set to begin May 16 but could be moved up to as early as May 14. All NBA playoff series are best-of-seven and use the 2-2-1-1-1 format for home games. EASTERN CONFERENCE No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 8 Miami Heat (second play-in winner) Miami leads series, 2-1 Game 1: Miami 130, Milwaukee 117 Game 2: Milwaukee 138, Miami 122 Game 3: Miami 121, Milwaukee 99 Game 4: Monday at Miami. 7:30 p.m., TNT Game 5: Wednesday at Milwaukee, 9:30 p.m., NBA TV Game 6: Friday at Miami (if necessary) Game 7: April 30 at Milwaukee (if necessary) No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 Atlanta Hawks Boston lead series, 3-1 Game 1: Boston 112, Atlanta 99 Game 2: Boston 119, Atlanta 106 Game 3: Atlanta 130, Boston 122 Game 4: Boston 129, Atlanta 121 Game 5: Tuesday at Boston, 7:30 p.m., TNT Game 6: Thursday at Atlanta (if necessary) Game 7: Saturday at Boston (if necessary) No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 6 Brooklyn Nets Philadelphia wins series, 4-0 Game 1: Philadelphia 121, Brooklyn 101 Game 2: Philadelphia 96, Brooklyn 84 Game 3: Philadelphia 102, Brooklyn 97 Game 4: Philadelphia 96, Brooklyn 88 No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 New York Knicks New York leads series, 3-1 Game 1: New York 101, Cleveland 97 Game 2: Cleveland 107, New York 90 Game 3: New York 99, Cleveland 79 Game 4: New York 102, Cleveland 93 Game 5: Wednesday at Cleveland, 7 p.m., NBA TV Game 6: Friday at New York (if necessary) Game 7: April 30 at Cleveland (if necessary) WESTERN CONFERENCE No. 1 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 8 seed Minnesota Timberwolves Denver leads series, 3-1 Game 1: Denver 109, Minnesota 80 Game 2: Denver 122, Minnesota 113 Game 3: Denver 120, Minnesota 111 Game 4: Minnesota 114, Denver 108 (OT) Game 5: Tuesday at Denver, 9 p.m., NBA TV Game 6: Thursday at Minnesota (if necessary) Game 7: Saturday at Denver, TNT (if necessary) No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies vs. No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles leads series, 2-1 Game 1: Los Angeles 128, Memphis 112 Game 2: Memphis 103, Los Angeles 93 Game 3: Los Angeles 111, Memphis 101 Game 4: Monday at Los Angeles, 10 p.m., TNT Game 5: Wednesday at Memphis, 7:30 p.m., TNT Game 6: Friday at Los Angeles (if necessary) Game 7: April 30 at Memphis (if necessary) No. 3 Sacramento Kings vs. No. 6 Golden State Warriors Series tied, 2-2 Game 1: Sacramento 126, Golden State 123 Game 2: Sacramento 114, Golden State 106 Game 3: Golden State 114, Sacramento 97 Game 4: Golden State 126, Sacramento 125 Game 5: Wednesday at Sacramento, 10 p.m., TNT Game 6: Friday at Golden State (if necessary) Game 7: April 30 at Sacramento (if necessary) No. 4 Phoenix Suns vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers Phoenix leads series, 3-1 Game 1: Los Angeles 115, Phoenix 110 Game 2: Phoenix 123, Los Angeles 109 Game 3: Phoenix 129, Los Angeles 124 Game 4: Phoenix 112, Los Angeles 100 Game 5: Tuesday at Phoenix, 10 p.m., TNT Game 6: Thursday at Los Angeles (if necessary) Game 7: Saturday at Phoenix (if necessary)

What happened in the play-in tournament?

The play-in tournament took place from April 11 to April 14, in between the last day of the regular season Sunday and the first day of the playoffs. April 11 Eastern Conference: No. 8 Atlanta Hawks 116, No. 7 Miami Heat 105 Western Conference: No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers 108, No. 8 Minnesota Timberwolves 102 (OT) April 12 Eastern Conference: No. 10 Chicago Bulls 109, No. 9 Toronto Raptors 105 Western Conference: No. 10 Oklahoma City Thunder 123, No. 9 New Orleans 118 April 14 Eastern Conference: No. 7 Miami Heat 102, No. 10 Chicago Bulls 91 Western Conference: No. 8 Minnesota Timberwolves 120, No. 10 Oklahoma City Thunder 95

Who are this year’s title favorites?

This season marked the first time since 2000-01 that no team managed to win at least 60 games in an 82-game season, and that parity has created a more wide-open title field than usual. That group starts with the last four teams to reach the Finals. The Warriors and Celtics return all of their key players after squaring off in the 2022 Finals , and both have played at high levels through stretches of the regular season. Aside from Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, who recently cut his hand, all of the stars from both teams enter the postseason healthy. Brown’s injury isn’t expected to be serious. The Milwaukee Bucks and Suns, who reached the 2021 Finals , are also leading contenders. Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee to the NBA’s best record, while a blockbuster midseason trade teamed Durant with Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton in Phoenix. Other aspiring contenders include Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets, Joel Embiid’s Philadelphia 76ers and Ja Morant’s Memphis Grizzlies.

What injuries might impact the postseason?

LeBron James and Durant recently returned from long-term absences, and other major stars such as Curry, Antetokounmpo, Jokic, Embiid, Jayson Tatum and Kawhi Leonard are good to go.

Why didn’t the Dallas Mavericks make the play-in tournament?

In a new twist this season, the slumping Mavericks evidently concluded that making the play-in tournament and having an opportunity to compete in the playoffs wasn’t an organizational priority. Facing the possibility of owing their protected first-round pick to the New York Knicks in a trade, the Mavericks chose to sit out multiple key players during a Friday loss to the Chicago Bulls. At the time of that decision, Dallas hadn’t been mathematically eliminated from the play-in tournament, though its chances were slim and reliant upon Oklahoma City dropping in the standings. The NBA fined the Mavericks $750,000 for conduct detrimental to the league on Friday after concluding that the team had violated league rules and “undermined the integrity of the sport” for its decision to rest several key players during an April 7 loss to the Chicago Bulls. All told, Dallas lost nine of its last 11 games and finished in the 10th spot in the draft lottery order.

When are the NBA Finals?

Game 1 of the NBA Finals will be held June 1. Game 7 (if necessary) will take place June 18.

What to know about the 2023 NBA playoffs (scores and schedule)

By Ben Golliver

Updated April 24, 2023 at 4:08 a.m. EDT|Published April 9, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. EDT

Stephen Curry and Draymond Green led the Golden State Warriors to a win over the Sacramento Kings in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

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When the NBA’s 2022-23 regular season opened in October, crises involving Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver, Boston Celtics Coach Ime Udoka and Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green dominated headlines and shaped title forecasts.

Much had changed by the time the 82-game slate concluded: The Suns had a new owner (Mat Ishbia) and a new superstar forward (Kevin Durant); the Celtics had a new coach (Joe Mazzulla) and the league’s best point differential; and the defending champion Warriors had moved past Green’s preseason punch of teammate Jordan Poole and survived multiple Stephen Curry injuries to remain in the hunt.

Here’s a primer that covers the who, what, when, where and why of the 2023 postseason.

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