The NBA playoffs continue Sunday, April 19, with four first-round games on national TV. Here’s the full schedule, including start times, TV channels and streaming options for every matchup.
| Time (ET) | Matchup | Venue | TV / Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:00 p.m. | Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics | TD Garden (Boston) | ABC |
| 3:30 p.m. | Phoenix Suns at Oklahoma City Thunder | Paycom Center (Oklahoma City) | ABC |
| 6:30 p.m. | Orlando Magic at Detroit Pistons | Little Caesars Arena (Detroit) | NBC / Peacock |
| 9:00 p.m. | Portland Trail Blazers at San Antonio Spurs | Frost Bank Center (San Antonio) | NBC / Peacock |
What to Expect From Sunday’s Eastern Conference Games
The top two seeded teams in each conference see action on Sunday, taking on the two play-in teams from the East and West, respectively. In the East, both of those top two were surprises. With the No. 1 seed, the Detroit Pistons rose from a disastrous 14-68 record just two seasons ago, with a 44-win season in 2024-25, to win 60 games and take the top seed in the conference.
The Pistons’ second-year coach, J.B. Bickerstaff, won the National Basketball Coaches Association award as Coach of the Year for guiding the Pistons to their extraordinary turnaround.
By way of their No. 1 seeding, the Pistons draw the No. 8-seeded team, the Orlando Magic. Needless to say, the Pistons are heavily favored. A panel of NBA experts assembled by The Athletic gives Orlando a 0% chance of winning the series. In fact, they gave the Magic no chance of even taking the Pistons to a seventh game, and only a 3% chance of extending the series to six games before losing.
The East’s No. 2 seed should have an easy road as well, at least according to the probabilities compiled by the The Athletic panel.
The Boston Celtics were predicted before the season to be in a “gap year,” expecting around 40 wins after losing a four-time All-NBA First Team player to an Achilles tear and being forced to unload contracts, thanks to the NBA collective bargaining agreement, of four other top players.
But even without Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford and Luke Kornet, all of whom played important roles in the Celtics’ 2023-24 championship, Boston won 56 games and the right to face the No. 7 seed in the first round.
In this case, that’s the Philadelphia 76ers, who are also given a 0% chance of winning the series or even getting to a Game 7 by The Athletic.
Western Conference Playoff Games Sunday
Also in action Sunday, the Western Conference No. 1 seed, the Oklahoma City Thunder, are also the defending NBA champions. They appear poised to win another after blowing through the conference to a 64-win season.
But hot on their heels, the five-time NBA champion San Antonio Spurs engineered another stunning turnaround, winning 62 games after just 34 wins last season and 22 the year before that.
The Spurs take on the No. 7-seeded Portland Trail Blazers, who return to the playoffs after a four-year drought. As for the defending NBA champions, they host the No. 8-seeded Phoenix Suns on Sunday to open their first-round playoff series.
NBA Playoffs on TV Sunday: Time, Channel, Streaming for All 4 Games