2022 NBA Playoffs Are Here: What to Know & When to Watch

By Laura BlancoNBA, News

The 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament just wrapped up, although playoff-caliber basketball has been played over the past several weeks. 

Before we get to playoff schedules and matchups this NBA postseason, the Play-In Tournament is an important place to start. Making its return this year for the second time, the Play-In was used to determine the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in the playoffs for both the NBA’s East and Western Conferences with the 7th through 10th most winning teams in each conference playing.

In the East, the Brooklyn Nets secured the No. 7 seed after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday 115-108. This came after Kyrie Irving’s nearly perfect game with 34 points, 12 assists, and three rebounds on 12-15 FG. The Nets will face the No. 2 Boston Celtics in the first round.

The Minnesota Timberwolves will play the No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies after winning their play-in game versus the Los Angeles Clippers to clinch the seventh spot. Second-year star Anthony Edwards and the team came alive late to lead the Wolves to a 109-104 win after a wild game. 

The following day, the No. 9 and No. 10 seeds played a must-win game. No. 9 Atlanta Hawks beat the No. 10 Charlotte Hornets of the East on Wednesday night 132-103 sending Charlotte home.

Later Wednesday night, the No. 9 New Orleans Pelicans and No. 10 San Antonio Spurs played to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Pelicans won 113-108 with CJ McCollum scoring 32 points, seven assists, and six rebounds.

Atlanta and the Cavaliers then played last night for their final chance at this year’s playoffs. At the start, the Cavs were on fire going into halftime with a lead of 10 points. But, the Trae Young-led Hawks took back the game in the third quarter and ultimately won 107-101. Atlanta will face the No. 1 Miami Heat tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. ET.

The Pelicans met the Clippers last night as well. Brandon Ingram scored 16 points in the first quarter alone and finished with 30 points, six rebounds, and six assists to lead the Pelicans to a 105-101 win. New Orleans will face the No. 1 Phoenix Suns tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Now that the playoff brackets are officially set, keep reading for the first-round series matchups and times to watch!

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Miami Heat (1) vs. Atlanta Hawks (8)

  • Game 1: Atlanta vs. Miami | Sunday, April 17 at 1 p.m. ET on TNT
  • Game 2: Atlanta vs. Miami | Tuesday, April 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT
  • Game 3: Miami vs. Atlanta | Friday, April 22 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN
  • Game 4: Miami vs. Atlanta | Sunday, April 24 at 7 p.m. ET on TNT
  • Game 5*: Atlanta vs. Miami | Tuesday, April 26 at TBD on TBD
  • Game 6*: Miami vs. Atlanta | Thursday, April 28 at TBD on TBD
  • Game 7*: Atlanta vs. Miami | Saturday, April 30 at TBD on TNT

Boston Celtics (2) vs. Brooklyn Nets (7)

  • Game 1: Brooklyn vs. Boston | Sunday, April 17 at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC
  • Game 2: Brooklyn vs. Boston | Wednesday, April 20 at 7 p.m. ET on TNT
  • Game 3: Boston vs. Brooklyn | Saturday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
  • Game 4: Boston vs. Brooklyn | Monday, April 25 at TBD on TBD
  • Game 5*: Brooklyn vs. Boston | Wednesday, April 27 at TBD on TBD
  • Game 6*: Boston vs. Brooklyn | Friday, April 30 at TBD on TBD
  • Game 7*: Brooklyn vs Boston | Sunday, May 1 at TBD on TBD

Milwaukee Bucks (3) vs. Chicago Bulls (6)

  • Game 1: Chicago vs. Milwaukee | Sunday, April 17 at 6:30 p.m. ET on TNT
  • Game 2: Chicago vs. Milwaukee | Wednesday, April 20 at 9:30 p.m. ET on TNT
  • Game 3: Milwaukee vs. Chicago | Friday, April 22 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC
  • Game 4: Milwaukee vs. Chicago | Sunday, April 24 at 1 p.m. ET on ABC
  • Game 5*: Chicago vs. Milwaukee | Wednesday, April 27 at TBD on TBD
  • Game 6*: Milwaukee vs. Chicago | Friday, April 29 at TBD on TBD
  • Game 7*: Chicago vs. Milwaukee | Sunday, May 1 at TBD on TBD

Philadelphia 76ers (4) vs. Toronto Raptors (5)

  • Game 1: Toronto vs. Philadelphia | Saturday, April 16 at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN
  • Game 2: Toronto vs. Philadelphia | Monday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT
  • Game 3: Philadelphia vs. Toronto | Wednesday, April 20 at 8 p.m. ET on NBA TV
  • Game 4: Philadelphia vs. Toronto | Saturday, April 23 at 2 p.m. ET on TNT
  • Game 5*: Toronto vs. Philadelphia | Monday, April 25 at TBD on TBD
  • Game 6*: Philadelphia vs. Toronto | Thursday, April 28 at TBD on TBD
  • Game 7*: Toronto vs. Philadelphia | Saturday, April 30 at TBD on TNT

 

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Phoenix Suns (1) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (8)

  • Game 1: New Orleans vs. Phoenix | Sunday, April 17 at 9 p.m. ET on TNT
  • Game 2: New Orleans vs. Phoenix | Tuesday, April 19 at 10 p.m. ET on TNT
  • Game 3: Phoenix vs. New Orleans | Friday, April 22 at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
  • Game 4: Phoenix vs. New Orleans | Sunday, April 24 at 9:30 p.m. ET  on TNT
  • Game 5*: New Orleans vs. Phoenix | Tuesday, April 26 at TBD on TBD
  • Game 6*: Phoenix vs. New Orleans | Thursday, April 28 at TBD on TBD
  • Game 7*: New Orleans vs. Phoenix | Saturday, April 30 at TBD on TNT

Memphis Grizzlies (2) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (7)

  • Game 1: Minnesota vs. Memphis | Saturday, April 16 at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
  • Game 2: Minnesota vs. Memphis | Tuesday, April 19 at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV
  • Game 3: Memphis vs. Minnesota | Thursday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT
  • Game 4: Memphis vs. Minnesota | Saturday, April 23 at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN
  • Game 5*: Minnesota vs. Memphis | Tuesday, April 26 at TBD on TBD
  • Game 6*: Memphis vs. Minnesota | Friday, April 29 at TBD on TBD
  • Game 7*: Minnesota vs. Memphis | Sunday, May 1 at TBD on TBD

Golden State Warriors (3) vs. Denver Nuggets (6)

  • Game 1: Denver vs. Golden State | Saturday, April 16 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC
  • Game 2: Denver vs. Golden State | Monday, April 18 at 10 p.m. ET on TNT
  • Game 3: Golden State vs. Denver | Thursday, April 21 at 10 p.m. ET at TNT
  • Game 4: Golden State vs. Denver | Sunday, April 24 at 3:30 p.m. ET at ABC
  • Game 5*: Denver vs. Golden State | Wednesday, April 27 at TBD on TBD
  • Game 6*: Golden State vs. Denver | Friday, April 29 at TBD on TBD
  • Game 7*: Denver vs. Golden State | Sunday, May 1 at TBD on TBD

Dallas Mavericks (4) vs. Utah Jazz (5)

  • Game 1: Utah vs. Dallas | Saturday, April 16 at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN
  • Game 2: Utah vs. Dallas | Monday, April 18 at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV
  • Game 3: Dallas vs. Utah | Thursday, April 21 at 9 p.m. ET on NBA TV
  • Game 4: Dallas vs. Utah | Saturday, April 23 at 4:30 p.m. ET on TNT
  • Game 5*: Utah vs. Dallas | Monday, April 25 at TBD on TBD
  • Game 6*: Dallas vs. Utah | Thursday, April 28 at TBD on TBD
  • Game 7*: Utah vs. Dallas | Saturday, April 30 at TBD on TBD

*if necessary

Best of luck to your team!

Laura Blanco