The 2024-2025 NBA season has been full of surprises. Between the blockbuster deal that sent Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors, the shocking trade with the LA Lakers and Dallas Mavericks that saw Luka Dončić and Lebron James team up and young teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Oklahoma Thunder becoming number one seeds in their respective conferences, this year in the league has provided plenty of must-watch moments for fans.
US: ABC, ESPN and TNT (live streaming services)
UK: NBA League Pass and TNT Sports
Watch abroad with a VPN
Now before the season nears its end, 20 teams compete to see who will walk away with a championship title. This kicks off first with the play-in tournament, which follows the 7-10 seeds in each conference to see which two teams in both the Eastern and Western Conferences will round out the 16 teams actually in contention for championship rings.
Here's what you need to know in order to watch the 2025 NBA playoffs.
How to watch the NBA playoffs in the US
The NBA playoffs air across ABC, ESPN and TNT. ABC is one of the four main broadcast networks that is available to anyone with a traditional pay-TV subscription or a TV antenna. If you've moved away from cable/satellite TV to a live TV streaming service, ABC is available on popular services such as Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV (in select markets) and YouTube TV. ESPN can also be streamed on these live TV streaming services, while TNT is available on all of them except Fubo; they both are also available via a cable/satellite TV package.
Additionally, games broadcasting on TNT will also be available to watch live on Max, provided you have a Max standard subscription or higher.
How to watch the NBA playoffs in the UK
For those interested in watching the NBA playoffs in the UK, it appears games leading up to the finals will air across TNT Sports and NBA League Pass. Both platforms require a subscription.
How to watch the NBA playoffs from anywhere
If you're going to be away from your normal TV setup but still want to watch the NBA playoffs, you might run into some problems. Thankfully, you can solve this exact issue with a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
A VPN lets you change your IP address to that of the area of what you want to watch, meaning you can tune in to your favorite events or other content even if you're not there. Our favorite is NordVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar.
How to use the VPN
- Download the app at NordVPN
- Choose the location of the streaming service you want to watch (UK, US, etc)
- Navigate to the streaming service and start watching!
NBA 2025 first-round playoff schedule
Asterisk signifies if game is necessary
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(1) Cleveland vs. (8) Miami
- Game 1: Cavaliers win
- Game 2: Heat at Cavaliers (Wednesday, April 23 at 7:30 pm ET/4:30 pm PT, NBA TV)
- Game 3: Cavaliers at Heat (Saturday, April 26 at 1 pm ET/10 am PT, TNT)
- Game 4: Cavaliers at Heat (Monday, April 28, TBD)
- Game 5: Heat at Cavaliers (Wednesday, April 30, TBD)*
- Game 6: Cavaliers at Heat (Friday, May 2, TBD)*
- Game 7: Heat at Cavaliers (Sunday, May 4, TBD)
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(2) Boston vs. (7) Orlando
- Game 1: Celtics win
- Game 2: Magic at Celtics (Wednesday, April 23 at 7 pm ET/4 pm PT, TNT)
- Game 3: Celtics at Magic (Friday, April 25 at 7 pm ET/4 pm PT, ESPN)
- Game 4: Celtics at Magic (Sunday, April 27 at 7 pm ET/4 pm PT, TNT)
- Game 5: Magic at Celtics (Tuesday, April 29 TBD)*
- Game 6: Celtics at Magic (Thursday, May 1, TBD)*
- Game 7: Magic at Celtics (Saturday, May 3, TBD)*
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(3) New York vs. (6) Detroit
- Game 1: Knicks win
- Game 2: Pistons win
- Game 3: Knicks at Pistons (Thursday, April 24 at 7 pm ET/4 pm PT, TNT)
- Game 4: Knicks at Pistons (Sunday, April 27 at 1 pm ET/10 am PT, ABC)
- Game 5: Pistons at Knicks (Tuesday, April 29, TBD)
- Game 6: Knicks at Pistons (Thursday, May 1, TBD)*
- Game 7: Pistons at Knicks (Saturday, May 3, TBD)*
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(4) Indiana vs. (5) Milwaukee
- Game 1: Pacers win
- Game 2: Bucks at Pacers (Tuesday, April 22 at 7 pm ET/4 pm PT, NBA TV)
- Game 3: Pacers at Bucks (Friday, April 25 at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT, ESPNU/NBA TV)
- Game 4: Pacers at Bucks (Sunday, April 27 at 9:30 pm PT/6:30 pm PT, TNT)
- Game 5: Bucks at Pacers (Tuesday, April 29, TBD)*
- Game 6: Pacers at Bucks (Friday, May 2, TBD)*
- Game 7: Bucks at Pacers (Sunday, May 4, TBD)*
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(1) Oklahoma City vs. (8) Memphis
- Game 1: Thunder win
- Game 2: Grizzlies at Thunder (Tuesday, April 22 at 7:30 pm ET/4:30 pm PT, TNT)
- Game 3: Thunder at Grizzlies (Thursday, April 24 at 9:30 pm ET/6:30 pm PT, TNT)
- Game 4: Thunder at Grizzlies (Saturday, April 26 at 3:30 pm ET/12:30 pm PT, TNT)
- Game 5: Grizzlies at Thunder (Monday, April 28, TBD)*
- Game 6: Thunder at Grizzlies (Thursday, May 1, TBD)*
- Game 7: Grizzlies at Thunder (Saturday, May 3, TBD)*
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(2) Houston vs. (7) Golden State
- Game 1: Warriors win
- Game 2: Warriors at Rockets (Wednesday, April 23 at 9:30 pm ET/6:30 pm PT, TNT)
- Game 3: Rockets at Warriors (Saturday, April 26 at 8:30 pm ET/5:30 pm PT, ABC)
- Game 4: Rockets at Warriors (Monday, April 28 at 10 pm ET/7 pm PT, TNT)
- Game 5: Warriors at Rockets (Wednesday, April 30, TBD)*
- Game 6: Rockets at Warriors (Friday, May 2, TBD)*
- Game 7: Warriors at Rockets (Sunday, May 4, TBD)*
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(3) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (6) Minnesota
- Game 1: Timberwolves win
- Game 2: Timberwolves at Lakers (Tuesday, April 22 at 10 pm ET/7 pm PT, TNT)
- Game 3: Lakers at Timberwolves (Friday, April 25 at 9:30 pm ET/6:30 pm PT, ESPN)
- Game 4: Lakers at Timberwolves (Sunday, April 27 at 3:30 pm ET/12:30 pm PT, ABC)
- Game 5: Timberwolves at Lakers (Wednesday, April 30, TBD)*
- Game 6: Lakers at Timberwolves (Friday, May 2, TBD)*
- Game 7: Timberwolves at Lakers (Sunday, May 4, TBD)*
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(4) Denver vs. (5) LA Clippers
- Game 1: Nuggets win
- Game 2: Clippers win
- Game 3: Nuggets at Clippers (Thursday, April 24 at 10 pm ET/7 pm PT, NBA TV)
- Game 4: Nuggets at Clippers (Saturday, April 26 at 6 pm ET/3 pm PT, TNT)
- Game 5: Clippers at Nuggets (Tuesday, April 29, TBD)
- Game 6: Nuggets at Clippers (Thursday, May 1, TBD)*
- Game 7: Clippers at Nuggets (Saturday, May 3, TBD)*
What teams are in the 2025 NBA playoffs?
Western Conference:
(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs (8) Play-In Winner
(2) Houston Rockets vs (7) Play-In Winner
(3) Los Angeles Lakers vs (6) Minnesota Timberwolves
(4) Denver Nuggets vs (5) Los Angeles Clippers
Eastern Conference:
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs (8) Play-In Winner
(2) Boston Celtics vs (7) Play-In Winner
(3) New York Knicks vs (6) Detroit Pistons
(4) Indiana Pacers vs (5) Milwaukee Bucks
