Getty
The Clippers will take on the Mavericks in the 2020 NBA playoffs.
The 2020 NBA Playoffs start on Monday, August 17 with the first-round matchups, but the Western Conference play-in tournament will tip-off on Saturday, August 15. The Magic clinched the No. 8 seed, so there will not be a play-in game for the final Eastern Conference spot. We will continue to update this with the specific schedule once it is announced by the NBA.
There will be four games each on the first two days of the playoffs broadcasted by ESPN and TNT. It will be a unique start to the postseason as the NBA playoffs typically begin on a Saturday but this has shifted to Monday in the NBA bubble.
The Blazers, Spurs, Suns and Grizzlies are all fighting for the two play-in spots with the eventual winner taking on the No. 1 Lakers in the first round. Aside from the Lakers’ opponent, the NBA playoff matchups have already been set. Here is a look at the upcoming NBA postseason series.
NBA Eastern Conference Playoff Matchups 2020
| MATCHUPS |
| No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 8 Orlando Magic |
| No. 2 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 7 Brooklyn Nets |
| No. 3 Boston Celtics vs. No. 6 Philadelphia 76ers |
| No. 4 Indiana Pacers vs. No. 5 Miami Heat |
NBA Western Conference Playoff Matchups 2020
| MATCHUPS |
| No. 1 L.A. Lakers vs. No. 8 Portland Trail Blazers |
| No. 2 L.A. Clippers vs. No. 7 Dallas Mavericks |
| No. 3 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 6 Utah Jazz |
| No. 4 Houston Rockets vs. No. 5 OKC Thunder |
NBA Play-In Game Schedule
*The second game will only happen if the No. 9 seed wins the first matchup.
| DATE |
GAME |
TIME(ET)/TV |
| Sat., August 15 |
Western Conference 8 vs.9 |
2:30 p.m. ABC |
| Sun., August 16 |
Western Conf. 8 vs. 9* |
4:30 p.m. ESPN |
NBA Playoffs 2020: First Round Schedule
Here is a look at the NBA playoff schedule so far. Games with an asterisk are if necessary.
| DATE |
GAME |
TIME(ET)/TV |
| Mon., August 17 |
Jazz vs. Nuggets Game 1 |
1:30 p.m. ESPN |
| Mon., August 17 |
Nets vs. Raptors Game 1 |
4 p.m. ESPN |
| Mon., August 17 |
Sixers vs. Celtics Game 1 |
6:30 p.m. ESPN |
| Mon., August 17 |
Mavs vs. Clippers Game 1 |
9 p.m. ESPN |
| DATE |
GAME |
TIME(ET)/TV |
| Tues., August 18 |
Magic vs. Bucks Game 1 |
1:30 p.m. TNT |
| Tues., August 18 |
Heat vs. Pacers Game 1 |
4 p.m. TNT |
| Tues., August 18 |
OKC vs. Houston Game 1 |
6:30 p.m. TNT |
| Tues., August 18 |
Lakers vs. Play-In Winner |
9 p.m. TNT |
| DATE |
GAME |
TIME(ET)/TV |
| Wed., August 19 |
Nets vs. Raptors Game 2 |
1:30 p.m. NBATV |
| Wed., August 19 |
Jazz vs. Nuggets Game 2 |
4 p.m. TNT |
| Wed., August 19 |
Celtics vs. Sixers Game 2 |
6:30 p.m. TNT |
| Wed., August 19 |
Clippers vs. Mavs Game 2 |
9 p.m. TNT |
| DATE |
GAME |
TIME(ET)/TV |
| Thurs., August 20 |
Heat vs. Pacers |
1 p.m. ESPN |
| Thurs., August 20 |
OKC vs. Houston |
3:30 p.m. ESPN |
| Thurs., August 20 |
Magic vs. Bucks |
6 p.m. ESPN |
| Thurs., August 20 |
NBA Draft Lottery |
8:30 p.m. ESPN |
| Thurs., August 20 |
Lakers vs. TBD |
9 p.m. ESPN |
| DATE |
GAME |
TIME(ET)/TV |
| Fri., August 21 |
Raptors vs. Nets |
1:30 p.m. NBATV |
| Fri., August 21 |
Jazz vs. Nuggets |
4 p.m. TNT |
| Fri., August 21 |
Celtics vs. Sixers |
6:30 p.m. TNT |
| Fri., August 21 |
Clippers vs. Mavericks |
9 p.m. TNT |
| DATE |
GAME |
TIME(ET)/TV |
| Sat., August 22 |
Magic vs. Bucks |
1:00 p.m. TNT |
| Sat., August 22 |
Heat vs. Pacers |
3:30 p.m TNT |
| Sat., August 22 |
Rockets vs. Thunder |
6 p.m. ESPN |
| Sat., August 22 |
Lakers vs. TBD |
8:30 p.m. ABC |
| DATE |
GAME |
TIME(ET)/TV |
| Sun., August 23 |
Celtics vs. Sixers |
1 p.m. ABC |
| Sun., August 23 |
Clippers vs. Mavericks |
3:30 p.m. ABC |
| Sun., August 23 |
Raptors vs. Nets |
6:30 p.m. TNT |
| Sun., August 23 |
Nuggets vs. Jazz |
9 p.m. TNT |
| DATE |
GAME |
TIME(ET)/TV |
| Mon., August 24 |
Bucks vs. Magic |
1:30 p.m. NBATV |
| Mon., August 24 |
Thunder vs. Rockets |
4 p.m. TNT |
| Mon., August 24 |
Heat vs. Pacers |
6:30 p.m. TNT |
| Mon., August 24 |
Lakers vs. TBD |
9 p.m. TNT |
| DATE |
GAME |
TIME(ET)/TV |
| Tues., August 25 |
Nets vs. Raptors* |
TBD |
| Tues., August 25 |
Sixers vs. Celtics* |
TBD |
| Tues., August 25 |
Jazz vs. Nuggets* |
TBD |
| Tues., August 25 |
Mavs vs. Clippers* |
TBD |
| DATE |
GAME |
TIME(ET)/TV |
| Wed., August 26 |
Heat vs. Pacers* |
TBD |
| Wed., August 26 |
Magic vs. Bucks* |
TBD |
| Wed., August 26 |
Thunder vs. Rockets* |
TBD |
| Wed., August 26 |
Lakers vs. TBD* |
TBD |
| DATE |
GAME |
TIME(ET)/TV |
| Thurs., August 27 |
Celtics vs. Sixers* |
TBD ESPN |
| Thurs., August 27 |
Nets vs. Raptors* |
TBD ESPN |
| Thurs., August 27 |
Nuggets vs. Jazz* |
TBD ESPN |
| Thurs., August 27 |
Clippers vs. Mavericks* |
TBD ESPN |
| DATE |
GAME |
TIME(ET)/TV |
| Fri., August 28 |
Heat vs. Pacers* |
TBD |
| Fri., August 28 |
Bucks vs. Magic* |
TBD |
| Fri., August 28 |
Thunder vs. Rockets* |
TBD |
| Fri., August 28 |
Lakers vs. TBD* |
TBD |
| DATE |
GAME |
TIME(ET)/TV |
| Sat., August 29 |
Sixers vs. Celtics* |
TNT |
| Sat., August 29 |
Jazz vs. Nuggets* |
TNT |
| Sat., August 29 |
Nets vs. Raptors* |
TNT |
| Sat., August 29 |
Mavericks vs. Clippers* |
TNT |
| DATE |
GAME |
TIME(ET)/TV |
| Sun., August 30 |
Heat vs. Pacers* |
TBD |
| Sun., August 30 |
Magic vs. Bucks* |
TBD |
| Sun., August 30 |
Thunder vs. Rockets* |
TBD |
| Sun., August 30 |
Lakers vs. TBD* |
TBD |
READ NEXT: NBA Bubble: How Many Courts Are There at Disney in Orlando?
Jonathan Adams is a veteran sports contributor covering the NFL, NBA and golf for Heavy.com. His work has been prominently featured on NFL.com, Yahoo Sports, Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and Sports Illustrated. More about Jonathan Adams
Comments
NBA Playoff Schedule 2020: Start Date, TV Times & First Round Games