Starting 5: History on Day 1: NBA Playoffs start today

The 2026 NBA Playoffs begin today, as 16 teams begin their chase for the the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.

16 teams.

With the field of 16 now locked in, one of the greatest journeys in sports starts today.

The NBA Playoffs are here.

Here’s what you gotta know.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

Rockets-Lakers: Leading Playoff squads, KD & LeBron add to their head-to-head history

Wolves-Nuggets: The next chapter in Ant & Joker’s thrilling rivalry

In The East: Brunson, Towns and Knicks host Hawks, Raptors face Harden & Mitchell for first time

Suns Secure 8-Seed: Jalen Green goes off to sink Steph and Warriors’ season

Magic Make Playoffs: Paolo leads Orlando to big win over Charlotte

BUT FIRST … ⏰

The road to the NBA Finals starts now…

The 2026 NBA Playoffs begin today with four First-Round Game 1’s:

• On Prime: The No. 5 Raptors and No. 4 Cavaliers get the action started (1 ET), followed by the No. 6 Wolves visiting the No. 3 Nuggets (3:30 ET), and the No. 3 Knicks hosting the No. 6 Hawks (6 ET)
• On ABC: Day 1 concludes with the No. 5 Rockets taking on the No. 4 Lakers (8:30 ET)

Four more Game 1’s arrive Sunday on ABC & NBC/Peacock:

• No. 7 Sixers at No. 2 Celtics (1 ET, ABC)
• No. 8 Suns at No. 1 Thunder (3:30 ET, ABC)
• No. 8 Magic at No. 1 Pistons (6:30 ET, NBC)
• No. 7 Blazers at No. 2 Spurs (9 ET, NBC)

1. SERIES PREVIEW: ROCKETS-LAKERS AND A PLAYOFF-FIRST FOR LEBRON AND KD

46 career head-to-head matchups.

2,607 points scored against each other’s teams.

Three championships decided between them.

Kevin Durant and LeBron James have a rivalry rich with history and consequence.

And today, for the first time in that history, they’ll meet in the Playoffs outside of the Finals.

Durant leads the No. 5 Rockets into Los Angeles (8:30 ET, ABC), where the No. 4 Lakers look to James, beginning his 19th Playoff campaign, without top scorers Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves.

• Head-To-Head: While LeBron owns the advantage in 32 regular-season matchups (22-11), KD has claimed nine of 14 Playoff showdowns, all in the Finals
• Classic Callback: The legendary pair hasn’t met in the Playoffs since the last of four straight Cavs-Warriors Finals, in 2017-18
• Ring Count: KD earned his two rings in that rivalry, for a 2-1 head-to-head championship edge over LeBron. James’ first career title came against Durant’s Thunder
• Lots More Hardware: The two have combined to claim five MVPs, six Finals MVPs, seven Gold Medals, five scoring titles and 38 All-Star selections
• And Points: Their series now will mark the highest combined career point total between two opponents in NBA Playoff history, at over 60,000

And after all that, both are still being asked to play significant roles for their playoff teams when it matters most.

• “We’re gonna need him to facilitate… score… defend and rebound,” JJ Redick said of LeBron, who had a string of four straight 20+ point, 10+ assist games before the regular-season finale. “He recognizes the task at hand.”
• KD The Closer: For a young Houston squad looking to take the next step, Durant has been the answer in winning time, sinking the 4th-most clutch points this season (146)
• “That’s part of the reason we got him, for the efficiency he brings and the closing,” Ime Udoka said of KD. “One of the best to do it and ultimate closers in the game.”
• X-Factors Elsewhere: Without Luka and Reaves, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson are the other duo to watch, each coming off career-best scoring seasons for their second Playoff run

For more on this matchup, check out John Schuhmann’s series preview.

2. SERIES PREVIEW: ANT & JOKER’S RIVALRY RENEWS IN WOLVES-NUGGETS

The 2025-26 regular season saw a few rivalries rise, hinting at the NBA’s next wave of great ones.

Now the 2026 Playoffs lead in with the next installment of a current classic: Anthony Edwards’ Wolves and Nikola Jokić’s Nuggets.

In 28 matchups over the last four regular seasons and Playoffs – tying the Pacers and Bucks for most meetings in that span – these familiar foes have given us some of the league’s highest highs:

• First Round, 2023: Ant’s breakout game, forcing OT with a clutch 3
• 2024 West Semis, Game 4: Jokić controlled with a 16-point 4th quarter on the road
• 2024 West Semis, Game 7: Ant lead a 20-point rally, the biggest Game 7 comeback of the play-by-play era
• April 1, 2025: The Wolves survived Joker’s 61-point night with 2s OT W to sweep the season series
• Christmas Day, 2025: Almost eight months later, Jokić returned the favor with his 56-point triple-double and another OT win

And if Ant and Joker’s achievements this regular season are any indication, expect this rivalry, and series, to keep building on past thrills.

Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images

• Mr. Triple-Double, Again: Jokić (27.7 ppg, 12.9 rpg, 10.7 apg) is now just the second player ever to average a triple-double in back-to-back seasons
• Escalating Edwards: Still only 25, Ant has increased his scoring by more than 1.0 ppg in each of his six seasons, reaching 28.8 ppg this season, 3rd-best in the league
• Offensive Opposites: While Edwards looks to score his way to a third straight West Finals, Jokić is the first player since 1969-70 to lead the league in both rebounds and assists per game
• Joker gets others going, as the Nuggets’ league-leading offense (122.1 ppg) had seven players average double figures this season
• Top Target: That includes Denver’s own top-12 scorer with a career-year in Jamal Murray, who logged highs in points per game (25.4) and 3-point shooting (43.5%)

“Nobody’s going to work harder than me this summer. I’ll tell you that much.” – That was Ant’s promise last offseason following a season-ending loss to OKC.

Now it’s time to see if that hard work will pay off on the path back to the West Finals and beyond.

Escalation can be contagious though, and Ant’s nemesis Nuggets rose up to be the highest scoring offense (122.1 ppg) in the league this season.

For more on this matchup, check out Jeff Zillgitt’s series preview.

3. IN THE EAST: KNICKS HOST HAWKS, RAPTORS FACE HARDEN’S CAVS

Joe Boatman + Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images

April 6. 5:28 left to play. Scored tied at 90-90.

New York was about to end Atlanta’s longest home win streak since 1996-97 (13) to take the season series 2-1.

But as James L. Edwards III for The Athletic and NBA.com writes, those five-plus minutes could also hold the keys to this next series, with more at stake:

“One of two things was going to happen:

The Knicks starters were either going to bring home a much-needed victory and end a monthlong winless drought against teams with winning records, or they were going to give doubters more ammo…

New York battled adversity in those final minutes, including a 5-point deficit. Conversely, it showed a resilience that has become a staple of this team since it was put together…

“…The final 5:28 in Atlanta may be a moment we look back at down the line if the Knicks are on the cusp of achieving their postseason aspirations.” | Read More

No. 6 Hawks at No. 3 Knicks (6 ET, Prime): Under head coach Mike Brown, New York is back to begin a Playoff push toward an elusive goal – its first Finals appearance since 1999. In its way first is an Atlanta team with one of the biggest turnarounds of the year.

• KAT Stands Out: Both Edwards III and Steve Aschburner, who wrote NBA.com’s preview for this series, note that no Hawks defender has had an answer for Karl-Anthony Towns this season (28.5 ppg, 63.0 FG%, 13.5 rpg in 2 gm)
• Clutch Co-Stars: Towns got 12 of his 21 points in the 4th quarter of that most recent meeting, following Jalen Brunson’s lead (30 pts), who poured in 17 in that 4th
• Atlanta’s Duo: Nickeil Alexander-Walker rose up as a key offensive option during that Hawks win streak that fed the 18-2 turnaround, averaging a career-high 20.8 ppg and complimenting triple-double threat Jalen Johnson

No. 5 Raptors at No. 4 Cavaliers (1 ET, Prime): The 2026 Playoffs tip off in Cleveland, where the Cavs closed with the league’s 6th-best record after adding former MVP James Harden, a wrinkle Toronto hasn’t faced yet.

• Instant Chemistry: In a career-year, Donovan Mitchell (27.9 ppg) excelled alongside Harden, leading the league in total 4th-quarter points (513)
• Still In His Bag: Harden didn’t regress in the relationship either, ranking second in the league in total isolation points (443), behind only SGA (522)
• Drive & Dish: Cleveland climbed to 8th in assists per game with Harden, who’s also helped the Cavs capitalize with assists on 11% of drives, the 4th-best rate in the NBA
• Dial Up Defense: Both teams call on defensive cornerstones, drafted back-to-back in 2022, in reigning DPOY Evan Mobley and Scottie Barnes, the only player in the top-10 for both blocks (116) and steals (114) this season

For more on this matchup, check out Shaun Powell’s series preview.

4. SUNS SNAG 8-SEED: JALEN GREEN GOES OFF AGAIN TO ELIMINATE DUBS

Eight made 3s to tie a Play-In game record.

A 7-0 personal 4th-quarter flurry to seal the win.

A second consecutive 35+ point performance to join Steph Curry alone in Play-In history.

With the West’s No. 8 seed on the line, Curry-like numbers won the night – but they all belonged to Jalen Green, as the Suns stifled the Warriors.

Suns 111, Warriors 96: Green (36 pts, 6 reb, 3 blk) caught fire again and Devin Booker (6 reb, 8 ast) added 20 points to help clinch the 8-seed for Phoenix and send them on to face the defending champs in OKC in a best-of-seven series starting Sunday (3:30 ET, ABC).

Brandin Podziemski (23 pts, 10 reb) led Golden State’s efforts, with 17 points from Curry in a season-ending loss. | Recap

• Jumping out to a 13-2 start, Phoenix’s defense settled in, limiting Golden State to 1-of-9 shooting from distance in a 33-15 1st-quarter
• Jordan Goodwin (19 pts, 9 reb, 4 3s) hounded Curry and the Dubs for a Play-In record six steals, as Steph was held to 4-of-16 from the field
• Curry got loose early in the 4th with two of three Warriors 3s in the first 2:30, cutting the lead to 85-78. That’s when Green closed the contest
• Jalen rattled off a layup, a trey and a running floater, unanswered, in under two minutes to push the lead back to 14 and keep Phoenix ahead by double digits for good

“I believe in my squad. I think we can do anything we put our minds to,” Green said postgame. “We lock in, we come out and play hard, trust each other, the sky’s the limit for us.”

• Green and Curry (2021) are the only players in Play-In Tournament history to log back-to-back 35+ point games
• The Suns guard’s 71 total points are the 2nd-most in any Play-In Tournament run, behind Steph’s 76 from that 2021 hot streak
• “He was just telling me ‘Go handle business in OKC,’” Green said of Curry’s message to him postgame. “Coming from Steph, it means a lot.”
• Steph also shared a moment with Draymond Green and Steve Kerr, as the Warriors turned their attention to next season

5. MAGIC MOVE ON: EARLY ERUPTION ENDS HORNETS’ RUN

Midway through the 1st quarter, 4-point game.

A loose rebound off a Charlotte miss bounced out between Brandon Miller’s legs.

It rolled to Jalen Suggs, alone at midcourt.

Suggs swished a transition long-ball (foot on the line), unknowingly igniting Orlando’s final run to the East’s 8-seed.

Magic 121, Hornets 90: Surging on to take that opening period 38-16, Orlando led by double-digits the rest of the way to punch its ticket to a third straight Playoff appearance and a First-Round date with No. 1 Detroit. Paolo Banchero (25 pts) led all scorers.

LaMelo Ball’s 23 points paced the Hornets, who are now eliminated from postseason contention, last making the Playoffs in 2016. | Recap

• Fast Fire: Suggs’ (12 pts, 6 ast) transition make was followed by back-to-back Wendell Carter Jr. triples, and then five consecutive Banchero points, in a 13-0 burst
• Decisive Quarter: It spurred Orlando to close the final 6:07 of the 1st on a 24-6 run, for its 4th-highest scoring opening quarter (38 pts) of the season
• Carter Jr. finished the frame with 10 of his 16 points, connecting with Paolo on his second triple, who powered his way to 12 points in the period
• While shooting 61% in the 1st half, the Magic’s defense leveled up to hold the Hornets to their 2nd-lowest 1st-quarter (16 pts) and 1st-half (37 pts) totals this season

Orlando’s 31-point halftime lead was its largest in any game this season, and the largest in Play-In Tournament history.

• The Magic protected their 1st-half work with physical play, allowing only 12 points in the paint before halftime while blocking five shots and doubling Charlotte on the boards
• “If we were gonna be able to win the game, it was gonna have to be by being extra physical and setting the tone with the physicality,” Banchero said
• Bane Dives, Cain Flies: When LaMelo’s 21 3rd-quarter points started chipping away at the gap, Bane dived to save a loose ball, setting up a game-sealing Jamal Cain oop
• “Gamechanger,” coach Jamahl Mosley said of Bane’s physicality. “He’s just finding ways to win… He sets the tone in a lot of ways for us.”

Orlando will look to match that physicality with No. 1 Detroit as their series begins Sunday (6:30 ET, NBC/Peacock). The Magic split four games with the East leaders this season.

“We know that’s gonna be a dog fight,” Banchero said of Detroit. “We’ve seen them plenty of times, so we know what’s on the way.”