NBA First Round 2027

The 2027 NBA First Round: From Apr 18, 2027 (Game 7s, if needed, in early May). Eight best-of-seven series open the playoffs, four in each conference. The higher seed has home court; Games 5, 6 and 7 are played only if needed.

First Round Schedule and Scores

Matchups will appear here as soon as the playoff field is set.

Projected First Round matchups

East

8Cleveland Cavaliersat1Toronto Raptors

East

5Charlotte Hornetsat4Atlanta Hawks

East

6Philadelphia 76ersat3Detroit Pistons

East

7Indiana Pacersat2Washington Wizards

West

8Denver Nuggetsat1Portland Trail Blazers

West

5Houston Rocketsat4Memphis Grizzlies

West

6Oklahoma City Thunderat3Los Angeles Lakers

West

7Minnesota Timberwolvesat2Los Angeles Clippers

How the First Round Works

Eight best-of-seven series open the playoffs, four in each conference. The higher seed has home court; Games 5, 6 and 7 are played only if needed.

How to Watch

First Round games are split between ESPN and ABC, NBC and Peacock, and Prime Video, with each game's channel listed in the schedule above. ESPN games stream on the ESPN app, NBC games on Peacock and Prime Video games in the Prime Video app; ABC and NBC are free over the air.

Where This Round Sits

Everything on this First Round page updates automatically: matchups when they are set, scores while games are on, results when they end. The full bracket shows how this round connects to the rest of the 2027 NBA playoffs.