Three of the four first-round series in the Eastern Conference are heading to a decisive Game 7 in the 2026 NBA playoffs. After the 76ers forced a Game 7 with a win over the Celtics on Thursday, the Pistons and Raptors followed suit on Friday.
The top-seeded Pistons overcame a 22-point halftime deficit to stun the Magic in Orlando. Detroit outscored the Magic 55-19 in the second half as Orlando endured a stretch of 23 straight missed shots in a historically inept offensive performance. Later Friday, RJ Barrett hit a dramatic 3-pointer -- a shot that included an improbably high bounce off the rim -- with 1.9 seconds left in overtime to lift the Raptors over the Cavaliers, 112-110.
The Knicks are the only team in the East that has advanced. They demolished the Hawks in Game 6 on Thursday night, outscoring Atlanta by 47 in the first half on the Hawks' home floor en route to a 51-point victory. The Knicks, who trailed 2-1 in the series before winning three straight games, are back in the second round for the fourth straight yearand await the winner of the Celtics-76ers series.
In the West, the Timberwolves are moving on and Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets are going home. The Wolves, missing Anthony Edwards and three other key rotation players, eliminated the Nuggets on Thursday night, winning Game 6 at home. It's the second time in three seasons that Minnesota has ended Denver's season, and the Wolves will face the Spurs in the second round as they look to make their third straight Western Conference finals.
One more Game 6 -- Lakers-Rockets -- remains on Friday night. If the Lakers win, they'll move on to face the Thunder. If Houston wins, the series will head to Game 7.
The postseason field was already trimmed from 20 teams to 16 as the Play-In Tournament wrapped up earlier this month. The Heat, Clippers, Hornets and Warriors were all knocked out during the play-in, while the 76ers, Magic, Trail Blazers and Suns made the playoff field.
Here's a look at the up-to-date 2026 NBA playoff bracket.
2026 NBA playoff bracket
2026 NBA playoffs schedule
All times Eastern. Games on ABC and ESPN are streaming on fubo (Try for free).
Friday, May 1
- Game 6: Pistons 93, Magic 79 (Series tied 3-3)
- Game 6: Raptors 112, Cavaliers 110 (Series tied 3-3)
- Game 6: Rockets vs. Lakers, 9:30 p.m., Prime (L.A. leads 3-2)
Saturday, May 2
- Game 7: Celtics vs. 76ers, 7:30 p.m., NBC (Series tied 3-3)
Sunday, May 3
- Game 7: Pistons vs. Magic, TBD
- Game 7: Cavaliers vs. Raptors, TBD
- *Game 7: Lakers vs. Rockets, TBD
First-round scores
Saturday, April 18
Sunday, April 19
- Game 1: No. 2 Celtics 123, No. 7 76ers 91
- Game 1: No. 1 Thunder 119, No. 8 Suns 84
- Game 1: No. 8 Magic 112, No. 1 Pistons 101
- Game 1: No. 2 Spurs 111, No. 7 Trail Blazers 98
Monday, April 20
- Game 2: Cavaliers 115, Raptors 105
- Game 2: Hawks 107, Knicks 106
- Game 2: Timberwolves 119, Nuggets 114
Tuesday, April 21
- Game 2: 76ers 111, Celtics 97
- Game 2: Trail Blazers 106, Spurs 103
- Game 2: Lakers 101, Rockets 94
Wednesday, April 22
- Game 2: Pistons 98, Magic 83
- Game 2: Thunder 120, Suns 107
Thursday, April 23
- Game 3: Hawks 109, Knicks 108
- Game 3: Raptors 126, Cavaliers 104
- Game 3: Timberwolves 113, Nuggets 96
Friday, April 24
- Game 3: Celtics 108, 76ers 100
- Game 3: Lakers 112, Rockets 108 (OT)
- Game 3: Spurs 120, Trail Blazers 108
Saturday, April 25
- Game 3: Magic 113, Pistons 105
- Game 3: Thunder 121, Suns 109
- Game 4: Knicks 114, Hawks 98
- Game 4: Timberwolves 112, Nuggets 96
Sunday, April 26
- Game 4: Raptors 93, Cavaliers 89
- Game 4: Spurs 114, Trail Blazers 93
- Game 4: Celtics 128, 76ers 96
- Game 4: Rockets 115, Lakers 96
Monday, April 27
- Game 4: Magic 94, Pistons 88
- Game 4: Thunder 131, Suns 122 (OKC wins 4-0)
- Game 5: Nuggets 125, Timberwolves 113
Tuesday, April 28
- Game 5: 76ers 113, Celtics 97
- Game 5: Knicks 126, Hawks 97
- Game 5: Spurs 114, Trail Blazers 95 (San Antonio wins 4-1)
Wednesday, April 29
- Game 5: Pistons 116, Magic 109
- Game 5: Cavaliers 125, Raptors 120
- Game 5: Rockets 99, Lakers 93
Thursday, April 30
- Game 6: Knicks 140, Hawks 89 (New York wins 4-2)
- Game 6: 76ers 106, Celtics 93
- Game 6: Timberwolves 110, Nuggets 98 (Minnesota wins 4-2)
Play-In Tournament schedule, scores
Tuesday, April 14
- No. 9 Hornets 127, No. 10 Heat 126 (OT) -- Miami is eliminated
- No. 8 Trail Blazers 114, No. 7 Suns 110 -- Portland wins West No. 7 seed
Wednesday, April 15
- No. 7 76ers 109, No. 8 Magic 97 -- Philadelphia wins East No. 7 seed
- No. 10 Warriors 126, No. 9 Clippers 121 -- Los Angeles is eliminated
Friday, April 17
- Magic 121, Hornets 90 -- Magic win East No. 8 seed, Hornets eliminated from postseason
- Suns 111, Warriors 96 -- Suns win West No. 8 seed, Warriors eliminated from postseason
2026 NBA playoffs key dates
