Who's playing in the NBA Playoffs 2025 today? Times and TV schedule you need to know
The NBA starts today, April 19, with the playoffs, where the Boston Celtics will try to defend their previously title. Here's everything you need to know.
The NBA is about to getting start, today, April 19 will begin the playoffs 2025. Boston Celtics will try to defend their title, as new teams approach as candidates to win the season: Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks and more.
Sixteen teams will compete for a championship, as the first round of both conferences marking the start of the finals. Here's a look at each series in the first round, along with TV channels to watch the NBA games.
What are NBA playoff schedule games today?
The NBA playoffs games can be watched through streaming services via NBA League Pass, the official platform to the league.
Additionally, Fubo broadcasts games that are aired on ESPN, ABC, or NBA TV, while Max streams the games on TNT.
- Game 1: Bucks vs. Pacers (1:00 p.m/ET) — ESPN
- Game 1: Clippers vs. Nuggets (3:30 p.m/ET) — ESPN
- Game 1: Piston vs. Knicks (6:00 p.m/ET) — ESPN
- Game 1: Timberwolves vs. Lakers (8:30 p.m/ET) — ABC
For tomorrow, April 20, here are the games scheduled:
- Grizzlies vs. Thunder (1:00 p.m/ET) — ABC
- Celtics vs. Magic (3:30 p.m/ET) — ABC
- Miami Heat vs. Cavaliers (7:00 p.m/ET) — TNT
- Rockets vs. Warriors (9:30 p.m/ET) — TNT
How NBA play-off format schedule works?
This season, teams will need to advance through four rounds in order to claim the NBA title.
- First round (16 teams compete)
- Conference semi-finals (Eight teams compete)
- Conference finals (Four teams compete)
- NBA finals (Two teams compete)
Here are the start dates for every round of the 2025 NBA playoffs:
- Play-in tournament: April 15
- First round: April 19
- Conference semifinals: May 5-6 (Or May 3-4 if moved up due to previous series)
- Western Conference finals: May 20 (Or May 18 if moved up)
- Eastern Conference finals: May 21 (Or May 19 if moved up)
- NBA Finals: June 5
In every round, the team with the superior regular-season record will have home-court advantage, hosting games one, two, five, and seven.
The playoffs follow a best-of-seven format for each round. If a team wins the first four games, they advance to the next round. The total number of playoff games can range from 60 to 105.