2026 NBA Playoffs: Eastern Conference First-Round Schedule, Tipoff Times and TV Channels

The NBA Eastern Conference playoff schedule is out, with dates, venues, and broadcast details set for key first-round matchups.

by Yagya Bhargava

Athlon Sports

Apr 15, 2026

Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris and Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown

Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The 2026 NBA Playoffs are here. Things get going Saturday and will run all the way through mid-June, with the Finals scheduled to begin June 3.

Friday's play-in tournament closes out the pre-playoff action, and then the real business starts the very next day with four games on the board. Eight teams from each conference punch into the first round, and from there it's best-of-seven all the way through.

Home-court advantage belongs to the team that finished with the better regular-season record. The format runs 2-2-1-1-1, meaning Games 1, 2, 5, and 7 go to the higher seed.

The Eastern Conference first-round matchups are locked in, with dates, venues, and broadcast info confirmed across all four series.

Eastern Conference

Reggie Miller hands the trophy to Indiana Pacers owner Herb Simon after game six of the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks for the 2025 NBA Playoffs

Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

#1 Detroit Pistons vs. #8 East (Play-In)

Game 1: April 19, 6:30 P.M. – Little Caesars Arena (NBC)
Game 2: April 22, 7:00 P.M. – Little Caesars Arena (ESPN)
Game 3: April 25, 1:00 P.M. – TBD (Peacock)
Game 4: April 27, TBD – TBD (TBD)
Game 5: April 29, TBD – Little Caesars Arena (TBD)
Game 6: May 1, TBD – TBD (TBD)
Game 7: May 3, TBD – Little Caesars Arena (TBD)

#2 Boston Celtics vs. #7 East (Play-In)

Game 1: April 19, 1:00 P.M. – TD Garden (ABC)
Game 2: April 21, 7:00 P.M. – TD Garden (Peacock)
Game 3: April 24, 7:00 P.M. – TBD (Prime Video)
Game 4: April 26, 7:00 P.M. – TBD (NBC)
Game 5: April 28, TBD – TD Garden (TBD)
Game 6: April 30, TBD – TBD (TBD)
Game 7: May 1, TBD – TD Garden (TBD)

#3 New York Knicks vs. #6 Atlanta Hawks

Game 1: April 18, 6:00 P.M. – Madison Square Garden (Prime Video)
Game 2: April 20, 8:00 P.M. – Madison Square Garden (NBC)
Game 3: April 23, 7:00 P.M. – State Farm Arena (Prime Video)
Game 4: April 25, 6:00 P.M. – State Farm Arena (NBC)
Game 5: April 28, TBD – Madison Square Garden (TBD)
Game 6: April 30, TBD – State Farm Arena (TBD)
Game 7: May 2, TBD – Madison Square Garden (TBD)

#4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. #5 Toronto Raptors

Game 1: April 18, 1:00 P.M. – Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (Prime Video)
Game 2: April 20, 7:00 P.M. – Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (Peacock)
Game 3: April 23, 8:00 P.M. – Scotiabank Arena (Prime Video)
Game 4: April 26, 1:00 P.M. – Scotiabank Arena (ESPN)
Game 5: April 29, TBD – Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (TBD)
Game 6: May 1, TBD – Scotiabank Arena (TBD)
Game 7: May 3, TBD – Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (TBD)