With the Play-In games complete, the 2026 NBA Playoffs are now set, and the action begins on Saturday, April 18.

Here's the latest on what to expect in this year's postseason:

NBA Playoffs Preview

The 2026 NBA Playoffs open with Oklahoma City carrying the biggest target in the league, as the top-seeded Thunder try to turn last year’s title into a repeat against a loaded West field.

San Antonio is no longer just a fun young team either — the Spurs earned the No. 2 seed and have moved squarely into the contender tier behind Victor Wembanyama.

Boston remains one of the East’s defining storylines, with the Celtics entering the postseason as the No. 2 seed and leaning on Jayson Tatum’s return as they chase another deep run.

Add in a resurgent Detroit team as the East’s top seed and a dangerous mix of challengers like Denver, Houston, and the Los Angeles Lakers in the West, and this year’s bracket feels wide open even with OKC sitting in the favorite’s chair.

Here's a quick look at the NBA Playoffs Round 1 schedule, odds, and estimated tipoff times:

Toronto Raptors @ Cleveland Cavaliers (-8.5) — Saturday, 1:00 p.m. ET
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Denver Nuggets (-6.5) — Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET
Atlanta Hawks @ New York Knicks (-5.5) — Saturday, 6:00 p.m. ET
Houston Rockets @ Los Angeles Lakers (Rockets -5.0) — Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET
Philadelphia 76ers @ Boston Celtics (-12.5) — Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET
Phoenix Suns @ Oklahoma City Thunder (-13.5) — Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ET
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons (-8.5) — Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET
Portland Trail Blazers @ San Antonio Spurs (-11.0) — Sunday, 9:00 p.m. ET

NBA Playoffs Picks & Best Bets

While the betting opportunities are a bit limited for the NBA Playoffs as there are fewer daily games, there are still some solid chances to profit.

Whether you're looking for Expert Picks or other tips, advice and betting data, Pickwatch has several tools available. To unlock everything, you can claim a FREE 14-Day trial of our BetSmart subscription package today.

Expert Picks

If you're looking to see where some of our tracked Experts are leaning, our NBA Picks page features picks and consensus data from NBA Experts on the Moneylines, Point Spreads and Totals. Additionally, you can see where hundreds of Pickwatch users are leaning.

NBA Playoffs Series Prices

Here's the current series prices for Round 1 of the 2026 NBA Playoffs:

Cavaliers -550 / Raptors +400
Celtics -900 / 76ers +600
Knicks -290 / Hawks +230
Pistons -425 / Magic +340
Thunder -3000 / Suns +1300
Spurs -2000 / Trail Blazers +1000
Nuggets -550 / Timberwolves +280
Rockets -600 / Lakers +450

NBA Playoffs Arbitrage Bets

With most days featuring 3 to 4 games, the Arbitrage opportunities are limited, but there are still some chances available for risk-free, guaranteed profit.

The BetSmart Arbitrage Betting Tracker is currently identifying 22 NBA Arbitrage opportunities, but as always, this number will continue to fluctuate throughout the day. Below is a preview of what was available this morning.

While NBA Arbs are a bit light, keep in mind you still have dozens of Arbitrage betting opportunities in the MLB and NHL every day.

NBA Playoffs Middle Bets

The BetSmart Middle Betting Tracker is currently identifying 270 NBA Middle bet opportunities, some of which have been identified in our Most Profitable Markets Tool as trending markets.

NBA Playoffs Positive EV Bets

The BetSmart Positive EV Bet Finder is currently identifying 281 NBA Positive EV wager opportunities, some of which have also been identified as recently profitable markets, and several of which qualify as our Best Bets.

NBA Playoffs Prop Bets

If you're looking to bet on NBA Playoffs player props, the BetSmart Prop Finder Tool is currently providing data for over 2,500 NBA player prop bets.

This data includes our official Prop Rating, along with the best available odds, Recent Performance with success rate over the Last 5 Games, 10 Games, and the Full Season, and Opponent Rank against each prop.

FREE BetSmart 14-Day Trial

The BetSmart subscription package from Pickwatch has been helping bettors for months now, and you can still try it for FREE for 14 days.

Take advantage of the above sports betting tools, Expert Picks and much more. These valuable trackers and tools can help you with college basketball, MLB, NBA, NHL and more.