Everything you need to know for the 2021 NBA Playoffs

The 2021 NBA Playoffs officially get underway on Saturday, May 22 following the play-in tournament. The final two seeds in each conference will be decided from May 18-21 before the first round gets going. It was a mad dash to the finish line with the seeding in both the East and West not being decided until the final day of the regular season on Sunday, May 16.

It feels like for the first time in a while, the NBA Playoffs may be as unpredictable as ever. The defending champion Lakers aren’t even a top 4 seed in the Western Conference after injuries plagued LeBron James and Anthony Davis. As a result, we have a bunch of new contenders in the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets.

Out East, things are a bit more cut-and-dry but we do see one team floating down past the top 3 of Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks. The defending Eastern Conference Champion Miami Heat were able to finish the season strong and secure better positioning for another run to the Finals. It’s still to be seen if anyone can compete with the Big 3 of Brooklyn in Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden.

Here we’ll be tracking all the latest news and injuries surrounding the NBA playoffs, as well as updating you with results from the play-in tournament and each series. You can also find information on championship odds and series odds, plus picks and fantasy basketball analysis.

Play-in Tournament schedule, results

Eastern Conference

No. 10 Charlotte Hornets at No. 9 Indiana Pacers
No. 8 Washington Wizards at No. 7 Boston Celtics

Western Conference

No. 10 San Antonio Spurs at No. 9 Memphis Grizzlies
No. 8 Golden State Warriors at No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers

First round schedule, results (dates, times TBD)

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 8 Washington Wizards

Game 1: Sixers 125, Wizards 118

No. 4 New York Knicks vs. No. 5 Atlanta Hawks

Game 1: Hawks 107, Knicks 105

No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 Miami Heat

Game 1: Bucks 109, Heat 107
Game 2: Bucks 132, Heat 98

No. 2 Brooklyn Nets vs. No. 7 Boston Celtics

Game 1: Nets 104, Celtics 93

Western Conference

No. 1 Utah Jazz vs. No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies

Game 1: Grizzlies 112, Jazz 109

No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 5 Dallas Mavericks

Game 1: Mavericks 113, Clippers 103

No. 3 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 6 Portland Trail Blazers

Game 1: Trail Blazers 123, Nuggets 109
Game 2: Nuggets 128, Trail Blazers 109

No. 2 Phoenix Suns vs. No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers

Game 1: Suns 99, Lakers 90