Who’s Playing in the NBA Playoffs Tonight?

Keep track of all the action in the NBA Playoffs with our nightly scores and updates.

The Playoffs

The first round of the NBA playoffs begins tonight. There are four games on the schedule, all of which are Game 1s in each respective series. The first game of the night tips off at 6:30 p.m. ET and will feature the Milwaukee Bucks vs. the Miami Heat.

What is the NBA Playoffs?

The NBA Playoffs are a post-season tournament of sixteen teams that compete in a best-of-seven series to ultimately decide the NBA Champion. The teams that make the playoffs are seeded according to their regular season record, with the best teams receiving the higher seeds. In each round of the playoffs, the team with the better seed will have home court advantage, meaning they will play more games at home than on the road.

The NBA Playoffs begin in late April and conclude in early June. The first round is a best-of-seven series, followed by the conference semifinals (also best-of-seven), conference finals (best-of-seven), and finally the NBA Finals (best-of-seven).

The team that wins the NBA Finals is crowned the NBA Champion.

How do teams qualify for the playoffs?

In order to make the playoffs, a team must first have one of the best records in their conference. In the Eastern Conference, the top eight teams with the best record qualify for the playoffs. In the Western Conference, the top six teams qualify. From there, each conference has its own playoff bracket. The first round of playoffs is known as the Conference Semifinals, followed by the Conference Finals. The last two remaining teams from each conference then compete against each other in the NBA Finals to determine who will be crowned NBA champions.

The Teams

The 2019-2020 NBA season has come to an end and the playoffs are finally here. Who will come out on top and be crowned the NBA champion? Let’s take a look at the teams that are playing in the playoffs.

Who’s playing in the playoffs?

The playoffs are here and it’s time to find out who’s playing! Below is a list of the teams that made it to the playoffs this year.

-Boston Celtics
-Brooklyn Nets
-New York Knicks
-Philadelphia 76ers
-Toronto Raptors
-Chicago Bulls
-Cleveland Cavaliers
-Detroit Pistons
-Indiana Pacers
-Milwaukee Bucks
-Atlanta Hawks
-Charlotte Hornets
-Miami Heat
-Orlando Magic
-Washington Wizards
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Los Angeles Clippers Los Angeles Lakers Memphis Grizzlies Minnesota Timberwolves New Orleans Pelicans Oklahoma City Thunder Phoenix Suns Portland Trail Blazers Sacramento Kings San Antonio Spurs Utah Jazz

What are the seedings?

The National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs are a best-of-seven elimination tournament annually held after the NBA’s regular season to determine the league’s champion. The tournament was first held in 1947, and balls were provided by Spalding until 1983. The winner of the NBA Finals receives the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy, which replaced the Walter A. Brown Trophy in 1983.

The home-and-away format in each round is mostly used in the regular season as well; however, higher seeded teams win Games 1, 2 and 5 while lower seeded teams host Games 3 and 4, and Game 6 if necessary. The first round of playoffs is played between conference quarterfinalists and semifinals winners (the lowest-seeded survivors from wildcard weekend). The second round features conference semifinalists as well as divisional winners (the highest-seeded survivors from wildcard weekend). Conference finalists play in the third round. The NBA Finals rounds are played between the two Conference champions who emerge from this process.

Currently, seedings are determined by each team’s record within their respective conferences. If two teams have identical records, they will be given the higher seed by their head-to-head record; if they split their season series, they will be given the higher seed by their record against conference opponents with a winning record (a comparison of losses can also be used); finally, if they are still tied, they will be given the higher seed by their seasonal point differential.

The following is a list of ways how teams can enter playoffs:
1) By winning their division title – this guarantees them a top-4 seed
2) By having one of the best 8 records outside of division winners (this guarantees them a top-6 seed)
3) If two teams are tied with identical records at the end of the season then seeding will be decided by a number of tiebreakers listed on ESPN
4) Lastly, if three or more teams are tied with identical records then seeding will again be decided by ESPN’s tiebreaker rules

The Schedule

The 2020 NBA playoffs are underway and there are some great games happening tonight. The Los Angeles Lakers are taking on the Houston Rockets at 8:00 pm EST, and the Boston Celtics are playing the Toronto Raptors at 8:30 pm EST. Be sure to tune in!

When do the playoffs start?

The NBA playoffs are scheduled to begin on Saturday, April 15. The first round will be a best-of-seven series, followed by the conference semifinals, the conference finals and finally the NBA Finals.

What is the format of the playoffs?

The playoffs follow a tournament format and involve each of the top teams in each conference, with the winner of each series progressing to the next round. The first team from each conference to win four best-of-seven games in a series advances to the conference semifinals, where they face the winners of the two quarterfinal series.

In the second round of the playoffs, or conference semifinals, the four remaining teams in each conference compete in two best-of-seven series for a place in the conference finals. The two surviving teams from each conference’s semifinal round then advance to compete against each other in a best-of-seven series for that conference’s championship crown.

Lastly, the two conference champions face off against each other in the NBA Finals – also a best-of-seven series – with one team crowned as champion of the NBA and receiving possession of the coveted Larry O’Brien trophy.

The Finals

Tonight, the Toronto Raptors will be playing the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. This is the first time in franchise history that the Raptors have made it to the Finals. The Warriors are looking to win their third consecutive championship.

Who plays in the Finals?

The Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team with the most points in the regular season earns home-court advantage in the series. This means that if that team wins four games before their opponents, they win the championship. The current champions are the Golden State Warriors, who have won three of the last four NBA Finals.

When does the Finals start?

The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion.