The NBA play-offs begin this week with the league’s top teams set to battle it out across four knockout rounds to crown this season’s champion.
After the play-offs were moved to a bubble in Orlando, Florida last season, home-court advantage returns this year with teams back in their own stadiums and fans permitted in a limited capacity.
All eyes will be on the Brooklyn Nets to see whether the superstar trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving can lead the team to its first NBA title.
The Nets missed out on securing the number one seed in the East, however, with the Philadelphia 76ers taking top spot. In the West, meanwhile, The Utah Jazz clinched the top seed on their way to earning the NBA’s best regular season record (52-20).
LeBron James and his defending champion Los Angeles Lakers will have to make it through the NBA’s play-in tournament to secure their spot, along with a number of other teams who are yet to book their place.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the start of the play-offs this week.
When do they start?
The first round of the play-offs begin on Saturday 21 May.
How can I watch?
All matches can be streamed live via the NBA’s League Pass, which is available from £24.99 per month.
Alternatively, selected matches will be aired across Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Arena and Sky Sports Mix. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content.
Who is in?
Eastern Conference
1st seed: Philadelphia 76ers
2nd seed: Brooklyn Nets
3rd seed: Milwaukee Bucks
4th seed: New York Knicks
5th seed: Atlanta Hawks
6th seed: Miami Heat
7th seed: Boston Celtics
8th seed: Indiana Pacers / Washington Wizards – to be decided via play-in tournament
Western Conference
1st seed: Utah Jazz
2nd seed: Phoenix Suns
3rd seed: Denver Nuggets
4th seed: LA Clippers
5th seed: Dallas Mavericks
6th seed: Portland Trail Blazers
7th seed: LA Lakers / Golden State Warriors – to be decided via play-in tournament
8th seed: LA Lakers / Golden State Warriors / Memphis Grizzlies / San Antonio Spurs – to be decided via play-in tournament
Who are the favourites?
Brooklyn Nets – 12/5
LA Lakers – 19/4
LA Clippers – 9/2
Utah Jazz – 13/2
Milwaukee Bucks – 15/2
Philadelphia 76ers – 8/1
Phoenix Suns – 14/1
Miami Heat – 25/1
Denver Nuggets – 25/1
Source: Read Full Article
