The first round of the NBA playoffs is far from finished, but some teams are already looking ahead to the conference semifinals.
The Philadelphia 76ers earned the lone sweep of the first round, dispatching the Brooklyn Nets in four games. Then out West, two teams completed gentlemen’s sweeps to pit a fresh matchup, and the schedule is beginning to come together as the playoff field shrinks to eight.
Here is a look at the second-round schedule:
What are the 2023 NBA second-round playoff matchups?
So far, only one second-round matchup is set in stone.
In the West, the No. 1 Denver Nuggets eliminated the No. 8 Minnesota Timberwolves in five games to advance to the second round on Tuesday. Then the No. 4 Phoenix Suns punched their ticket to play Denver after eliminating the No. 5-seeded Los Angeles Clippers afterwards, also in five games.
What is the schedule for the second round of the 2023 NBA playoffs?
Here is a look at the schedule for the Nuggets-Suns series:
No. 1 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 4 Phoenix Suns
- Game 1: Saturday, April 29
- Game 2: Monday, May 1
- Game 3: Friday, May 5
- Game 4: Sunday, May 7
- Game 5: Tuesday, May 9
- Game 6: Thursday May 11
- Game 7: Sunday, May 14
Which second-round series have yet to be determined?
With the Nuggets-Suns series set, the next to be determined could come from the East. The No. 2 Boston Celtics could’ve punched their ticket on Tuesday to face the No. 3 76ers, but they blew a double-digit lead late at home to the No. 7-seeded Atlanta Hawks. Boston leads the series 3-2 with Game 6 on Thursday in Atlanta.
Related: NBA playoffs: Here’s the full first-round schedule
After Boston-Philadelphia could be another heavyweight showdown between two Eastern cities. The No. 5 New York Knicks will have a chance to close out the No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers and the No. 8 Miami Heat will have a chance to close out the No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday. Both lower seeds are on the road for their respective Game 5s, and Game 6 for each of those matchups will take place on Friday if necessary.
Returning to the West, the final second-round series won’t be set in stone until Friday at the earliest. The No. 3 Sacramento Kings and No. 6 Golden State Warriors are in the only first-round series that was knotted at 2-2 after four games. The soonest that series could end is Friday with Game 6 in San Francisco and a possible Game 7 set for Sunday, April 30, in Sacramento.
The winner of Kings-Warriors will meet the winner of the series between the No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers and No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies. The Lakers took a 3-1 series advantage with an overtime victory in Game 4 and have a chance to send the Grizzlies packing with Wednesday’s Game 5 in Memphis
