NBA playoffs 2021: Series start times, full schedule

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The 2021 NBA Play-In Tournament was a nice prelude to playoff basketball.

The No. 9 seed Memphis Grizzlies closed out the tournament with a thrilling overtime win over the No. 8 seed Golden State Warriors on Friday to claim the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

It was the second of two crushing play-in losses for the now-eliminated Dubs after they failed to beat the Los Angeles Lakers for the seventh seed on Wednesday.

In the East, the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards made it out of the play-in as the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds, respectively, the same spots they finished the regular season in.

Now with the Play-In Tournament over, the 2021 NBA playoffs are finally here.

From series schedules to NBA Finals odds, here’s everything you need to know for the first round.

When do the 2021 NBA playoffs start?

The first round of the playoffs begins on Saturday, May 22, the day after the Play-In Tournament ends. In a rematch from last year’s playoffs, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s third-seeded Milwaukee Bucks host Jimmy Butler’s sixth-seeded Miami Heat to kick off a four-game slate on Saturday. The Bucks will be out for revenge after being upset by the eventual Eastern Conference-champion Heat in 2020.

The postseason will run as late as July 22, which is when Game 7 of the NBA Finals is scheduled for. The Finals start on July 8.

Will the 2021 NBA playoffs be in a bubble?

Unlike last year, when the entire postseason was played at Disney World in Orlando, the 2021 playoffs won’t be held in a bubble. Teams will host playoff games at their respective home arenas just as they did throughout the 2020-21 regular season.

What is the 2021 NBA playoff schedule?

Here is the updated playoff bracket and full first-round series schedule:

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

Philadelphia wins 4-1

Game 1: Sixers 125, Wizards 118

Game 2: Sixers 120, Wizards 95

Game 3: Sixers 132, Wizards 103

Game 4: Wizards 122, Sixers 114

Game 5: Sixers 129, Wizards 112

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

Atlanta wins 4-1

Game 1: Hawks 107, Knicks 105

Game 2: Knicks 101, Hawks 92

Game 3: Hawks 105, Knicks 94

Game 4: Hawks 113, Knicks 96

Game 5: Hawks 103, Knicks 89

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

Milwaukee wins 4-0

Game 1: Bucks 109, Heat 107 (OT)

Game 2: Bucks 132, Heat 98

Game 3: Bucks 113, Heat 84

Game 4: Bucks 120, Heat 103

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

Brooklyn wins 4-1

Game 1: Nets 104, Celtics 93

Game 2: Nets 130, Celtics 108

Game 3: Celtics 125, Nets 119

Game 4: Nets 141, Celtics 126

Game 5: Nets 123, Celtics 109

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

Utah wins 4-1

Game 1: Grizzlies 112, Jazz 109

Game 2: Jazz 141, Grizzlies 129

Game 3: Jazz 121, Grizzlies 111

Game 4: Jazz 120, Grizzlies 113

Game 5: Jazz 126, Grizzlies 110

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

Los Angeles wins 4-3

Game 1: Mavericks 113, Clippers 103

Game 2: Mavericks 127, Clippers 121

Game 3: Clippers 118, Mavericks 108

Game 4: Clippers 106, Mavericks 81

Game 5: Mavericks 105, Clippers 100

Game 6: Clippers 104, Mavericks 97

Game 7: Clippers 126, Mavericks 111

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

Denver wins 4-2

Game 1: Blazers 123, Nuggets 109

Game 2: Nuggets 128, Blazers 109

Game 3: Nuggets 120, Blazers 115

Game 4: Blazers 115, Nuggets 95

Game 5: Nuggets 147, Blazers 140 (2OT)

Game 6: Nuggets 126, Blazers 115

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

Phoenix wins 4-2

Game 1: Suns 99, Lakers 90

Game 2: Lakers 109, Suns 102

Game 3: Lakers 109, Suns 95

Game 4: Suns 100, Lakers 92

Game 5: Suns 115, Lakers 85

Game 6: Suns 113, Lakers 100

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