Which teams are playing in the 2021 NBA Playoffs?
Later today, the third seed from the NBA Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks will take on the fifth-seeded Miami Heat to kick off the 2021 NBA playoffs. The play-in tournament ended on a surprising note as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors to clinch the number 8 seed of the West, the final playoff berth that was to be decided.
The Warriors had earlier lost their first play-in game to the LA Lakers, as the Boston Celtics and the Washington Wizards also had to fight their way to the 2021 NBA playoffs. Now, with all the playoff seeds for this year decided, let's take a look at the first-round matchups.
Which teams are playing in the 2021 NBA Playoffs?
NBA MVP contender Joel Embiid, along with All-Star Ben Simmons, were the chief architects behind the Philadelphia 76ers’s 1st place finish in the Eastern Conference. In the West, it was the Utah Jazz, led by Rudy Gobert and the mercurial Donovan Mitchell that surprised everybody and clinched the top seed.
The playoff seed is mentioned next to team names along with the schedule and channel on which the individual games will be telecast.
Eastern Conference
Milwaukee Bucks (3) vs Miami Heat (6)
Game 1: Saturday, May 22 | 2 ET, ESPN
Brooklyn Nets (2) vs Boston Celtics (7)
Game 1: Saturday, May 22 | 8 ET, ABC
Philadelphia 76ers (1) vs Washington Wizards (8)
Game 1: Sunday, May 23 | 1 PM ET, TNT
New York Knicks (4) vs Atlanta Hawks (5)
Game 1: Sunday, May 23 | 7 PM ET, TNT
Western Conference
LA Clippers (4) vs Dallas Mavericks (5)
Game 1: Saturday, May 22 | 4:30 ET, ESPN
Denver Nuggets (3) vs Portland Trail Blazers (6)
Game 1: Saturday, May 22 | 10:30 ET, ESPN
Phoenix Suns (2) vs LA Lakers (7)
Game 1: Sunday, May 23 | 3 30 PM ET, ABC
Utah Jazz (1) vs Memphis Grizzlies (8)
Game 1: Sunday, May 23 | 9:30 PM ET, TNT