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NBA announces 1st-round playoff schedule complete with day games

With matchups all but set, the NBA released its playoff schedule Thursday afternoon.

There will be day games.

With 16 teams playing across three arenas inside the bubble, the NBA will pack games in all day during the first round of the playoffs, with games starting as early as 1 p.m. ET during the week. Instead of weekday games being reserved for prime time, the opening round will have more of a March Madness feel than the traditional NBA postseason slate.

Rocky Mountain matchup in Florida

Games tip on Monday with the Utah Jazz taking on the Denver Nuggets at 1:30 p.m. ET. They’ll be followed by the Brooklyn Nets vs. the Toronto Raptors and the Boston Celtics vs. the Philadelphia 76ers with the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers closing Monday’s schedule with a 9 p.m. ET tip.

Lakers’ opponent remains TBD

All of the matchups are set except for the No. 1/No. 8 matchup in the West. The top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers will take on the No. 8 seed starting Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET. The No. 8 seed will be determined by a play-in series slated for this weekend.

The Memphis Grizzlies clinched a spot in the play-in series earlier Thursday. They will face either the Portland Trail Blazers or the Phoenix Suns depending on the outcome of Portland’s Thursday night game against the Nets.

Kawhi Leonard guards Luka Doncic.
The Clippers and Mavericks will conclude the opening day of NBA playoffs. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, Pool)

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