Takeaways from each Game 1 on Saturday that officially kicked off the NBA playoffs.

The 2026 NBA playoffs tipped off Saturday, April 17, with the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder the heavy favorite to repeat. The experts at Sports Illustrated like the Nuggets and Celtics better Just more than half of the league’s

Here's what has stood out from the latest playoff games of the Western Conference's first round.

The better seeds are favored in seven of the eight first-round series, with the Rockets against the injured Lakers being the only exception.

LeBron can still be the engine. Even in the Lakers’ depleted state — with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves out indefinitely — the formula of surrounding LeBron James with floor

The SportsLine model and team of experts reveal top NBA props picks and NBA predictions for the NBA Playoffs on Saturday

Preview the Houston Rockets' NBA Playoffs Game 2 matchup with Los Angeles, including betting odds, tips, trends, and game information.

There are "early indications" that Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst will remain in charge amid Doc Rivers' departure and Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors, NBA insider <a href=" Fischer wrote for The Stein Line on Substack.

The NBA postseason is underway, and the full schedule for the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs is set. The playoffs tip off this Saturday (April 18) and the first round, with eight best-of-seven series, could run through May 3. The NBA announced the full schedule for the first round late on Tuesday night.

The Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic in the NBA’s play-in tournament. The winner gets the Eastern Conference’s No. 8 playoff seed and a first-round matchup with the Detroit Pistons. The loser’s season ends. The Hornets beat the Miami Heat in a thrilling OT game while the Magic lost to the Philadelphia 76ers to set up Friday’s game.