The schedules for the first round of the NBA playoffs are set. The No. 8 seed in the Eastern and Western Conferences took the last two games on Friday.
The Milwaukee Bucks got the #1 seed in the East and the Denver Nuggets got the #1 seed in the West.
The first round started with four matches 1 on Saturday and four matches 1 on Sunday. the The Philadelphia 76ers hosted the No. 3 seed and No. 6 seed Brooklyn Nets In the first game on Saturday, while The Nuggets hosted the No. 8 seed Minnesota Timberwolves in the final on Sunday night.
Most anticipated matches of the weekend: Golden State Warriors – Sacramento Kings on Saturday and Los Angeles Lakers – Memphis Grizzlies And Los Angeles Clippers Phoenix Suns Sunday.
Here are fixture schedules, televised information, storylines and predictions for each Round 1 series:
Buckle up! Chaos and uncertainty could be clear winners in the NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks vs No. 8 Miami Heat
First game, Sunday: Miami Heat 130, Milwaukee Bucks 117
Game two, April 19: Miami at Milwaukee, 9 p.m. EST, NBA TV
Game Three, April 22: Milwaukee at Miami, 7:30 p.m. ET, time and TV TBD
Game 4, April 24: Milwaukee at Miami, time and TV TBD
Game 5, April 26: Miami at Milwaukee, time and TV TBD,
Game 6, April 28: Milwaukee at Miami, time and TV TBD
Game 7, April 30: Miami at Milwaukee, time and TV TBD
Season series: tied, 2-2
Main story: The Heat had the #25 offense and #27 3-point shooting team, and that would be a problem against the #4 Milwaukee defense. The Bucks offense, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, would make the Heat pay for those missed shots..
Zilgit expected: five bucks
No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 Atlanta Hawks
First game on Saturday: Boston Celtics 112, Atlanta Hawks 99
Game Two, Tuesday: Atlanta at Boston, 7 p.m. ET, NBA TV
Game Three, April 21: Boston at Atlanta, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game Four, April 23: Boston at Atlanta, 7 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5, April 25: Atlanta at Boston, Time & TV TBD
Game 6, April 27: Boston at Atlanta, TBD time and TV
Game seven, April 29: Atlanta at Boston, TBD, TNT
Season series: The Celtics won, 3-0
Main story: He has helped Hawks coach Quinn Snyder improve the dangerous offense (Tray Young, DeGaunt Murray, Bogdan Bogdanovic) since taking over on Feb. 26, but the defense still has issues and that will be a problem against Jaylen Brown, Jason Tatum, or the Celtics. 2. a crime.
Zilgit expected: Celtics in five
more: Celtics-Hawks Betting Promos & Bonuses for Game 1 NBA Playoffs Round 1
No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 6 Brooklyn Nets
First game on Saturday: Philadelphia 76ers 121, Brooklyn Nets 101
Game two, Monday: Brooklyn at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m., TNT
Game Three, April 20: Philadelphia at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m., TNT
Game four, April 22: Philadelphia at Brooklyn, 1 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5, April 24: Brooklyn at Philadelphia, time and TV TBD
Game 6, April 27: Philadelphia at Brooklyn, Time & TV TBD
Game seven, April 29: Brooklyn at Philadelphia, time TBD, TNT
Season series: The 76ers won, 4-0
Main story: The Nets have managed to thrive under turbulent circumstances, but stopping Joel Embiid, James Harden and the Sixers offense is tough for the Nets in a seven-game series.
Zilgit expected: Six by five
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 5th-ranked New York Knicks
First game on Saturday: New York Knicks 101, Cleveland Cavaliers 97
Game two, Tuesday: New York at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game Three, April 21: Cleveland at New York, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Game Four, April 23: Cleveland at New York, 1 p.m. EST, ABC
Game 5, April 26: New York at Cleveland, Time and TV TBD
Game 6, April 28: Cleveland at New York, Time and TV TBD
Game 7, April 30: New York at Cleveland, Time and TV TBD
Season series: The Knicks won, 3-1
Main story: The Knicks need to find a way to score on Cleveland’s top-rated defense, and the Cavs, only 20-21 on the road, likely need a win at Madison Square Garden, which means they need Donovan Mitchell to score efficiently.
Zilgit expected: Caves in seven
Western Conference
No. 1 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 8 Minnesota Timberwolves
Game one, Sunday: Minnesota at Denver, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game two, Wednesday: Minnesota at Denver, 10 p.m. ET, TNT
Game Three, April 21: Denver at Minnesota, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game four, April 23: Denver at Minnesota, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5, April 25: Minnesota at Denver, time and TV TBD
Game 6, April 27: Denver at Minnesota, time and TV TBD
Game seven, April 29: Minnesota at Denver, by time TBD, TNT
Season series: tied, 2-2.
Main story: Minnesota quarterback Rudy Gobert, who came off a one-game suspension for punching teammate Kyle Anderson at the end of the season, has a bad back. This puts a lot of pressure on Karl-Anthony Towns and the Timberwolves to stop two-time MVP Nikola Jokic.
Zilgit expected: nuggets in six
No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies vs. No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers
First game, Sunday: Los Angeles Lakers 128, Memphis Grizzlies 112
Game two, April 19: Los Angeles at Memphis, 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game three, April 22: Memphis at LA, 10 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 4, April 24: Memphis at Los Angeles, Time & TV TBD
Game 5, April 26: Los Angeles at Memphis, Time & TV TBD
Game 6, April 28: Memphis at Los Angeles, Time & TV TBD
Game 7, April 30: Los Angeles at Memphis, Time and TBD
Season series: Lakers won 2-1
Main story: The new guard (Memphis, Ja Morant, Jaryn Jackson Jr. and Desmond Payne) faces a strong challenge from the old guard (Lakers, LeBron James and Anthony Davis). This is an atypical 2-7 series with compression on both sides.
Zilgit expected: grizzly at seven
No. 3 Sacramento Kings vs. No. 6 Golden State Warriors
First game on Saturday: Sacramento Kings 126, Golden State 123
Game two, Monday: Golden State at Sacramento, 10 p.m. ET, TNT
Game three, April 20: Sacramento at Golden State, 10 p.m. EST, TNT
Game four, April 23: Sacramento at Golden State, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Game Five, April 26: Golden State at Sacramento, Time and TV TBD
Game 6, April 28: Sacramento at Golden State, Time and TV TBD
Game 7, April 30: Golden State at Sacramento, Time and TV TBD
Season series: The Warriors won, 3-1
Main story: Can the Kings, making their first playoff appearance since 2006 behind the solid play of Domantas Sabonis and Diaron Fox, handle the pressure of playing defending champions Steve Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green? Both defenses have their hands full of the other team’s offensive movement.
Zilgit expected: warriors in six
No. 4 Phoenix Suns vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers
Game one, Sunday: Los Angeles at Phoenix, 8 p.m. ET, TNT
Game two, Tuesday: Los Angeles at Phoenix, 10 p.m. ET, TNT
Game Three, April 20: Phoenix at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. EST, NBA TV
Game four, April 22: Phoenix at Los Angeles, 3:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game Five, April 25: Los Angeles at Phoenix, Time & TV TBD
Game 6, April 27: Phoenix at Los Angeles, Time and TV TBD
Game seven, April 29: Los Angeles at Phoenix, TBD, TNT
Season series: tied, 2-2
Main story: There’s no Paul George to start the series for the Clippers, and Kawhi Leonard might not be enough against a Suns squad loaded with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton that have outdone themselves in the short time since Durant’s acquisition.
Zilgit expected: Suns in six
Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zilgit on Twitter @employee
This article originally appeared in the USA TODAY: NBA Playoffs: First Round results, schedules, fixtures and TV info