Stephen Curry's 35-point play-in performance sealed the Warriors' spot against the Suns as all eight NBA Playoffs first-round matchups were confirmed on April 15.
Forty seconds. That was all Stephen Curry needed to send the Golden State Warriors to the NBA Playoffs for the eleventh time in fourteen years — and close out a genuinely tense Western Conference play-in tournament.
Curry's go-ahead three-pointer with 40 seconds left in the Warriors' 126-121 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on 15 April 2026 had the Chase Center at full volume before it arrived. The Clippers had no answer on the final possession. Golden State is in. Phoenix will be waiting.
NBA Playoffs 2026 · Golden State Warriors · Stephen Curry
On the Eastern side of the bracket, Tyrese Maxey posted 31 points to lead the Philadelphia 76ers past the Orlando Magic 109-97, securing the No. 7 seed and a first-round matchup against the Boston Celtics beginning 19 April in Boston. Joel Embiid missed the play-in with a foot issue — a familiar story for the 76ers center — and is listed as questionable for Game 1. The Celtics, who went 58-24 behind Jayson Tatum's MVP-caliber 27.4 points per game this season, are 7-point favorites.
“On the Eastern side of the bracket, Tyrese Maxey posted 31 points to lead the Philadelphia 76ers past the Orlando Magic 109-97, securing the No.”
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The full first-round bracket is set. In the West: Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (8); Houston Rockets (2) vs. Golden State Warriors (7); Denver Nuggets (3) vs. Dallas Mavericks (6); Minnesota Timberwolves (4) vs. Phoenix Suns (5). In the East: Cleveland Cavaliers (1) vs. Miami Heat (8); Boston Celtics (2) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (7); New York Knicks (3) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (6); Detroit Pistons (4) vs. Indiana Pacers (5).
Key Takeaways
→NBA Playoffs 2026: Warriors-Rockets and Mavericks-Nuggets begin 18 April 2026.
→Golden State Warriors: Warriors-Rockets and Mavericks-Nuggets begin 18 April 2026.
→Stephen Curry: Warriors-Rockets and Mavericks-Nuggets begin 18 April 2026.
→Philadelphia 76ers: Warriors-Rockets and Mavericks-Nuggets begin 18 April 2026.
The narrative threads are abundant. Oklahoma City is the youngest No. 1 seed in NBA history. Their top three scorers — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (30.1 points per game), Jalen Williams (22.7), and Chet Holmgren (18.4) — have a combined age of 76. Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA MVP frontrunner, turns 27 in July. The Thunder finished 61-21 and have not won a playoff series since 2016, a streak that Memphis — athletic, physical, and built for seven-game scraps — will try to extend.
NBA Playoffs 2026 · Golden State Warriors · Stephen Curry
Detroit's emergence as the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed is the most striking story of the regular season. The Pistons went 54-28 — their best record since the Larry Brown championship years — under second-year head coach JB Bickerstaff and Cade Cunningham, who averaged 25.8 points, 8.2 assists, and 5.5 rebounds. Detroit last won a playoff series in 2008. The Indiana Pacers, their first-round opponent, averaged 120.2 points per game — the highest in the NBA — and pushed Boston to Game 7 of last year's Eastern Conference Finals. The Pistons-Pacers series will be fast, physical, and decided in the fourth quarter.
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In the West, Houston's rise has been the quieter story. The Rockets went 52-30 in head coach Ime Udoka's second full season, led by Alperen Sengun's 22.1 points and 11.3 rebounds and Fred VanVleet's veteran playmaking. They face a Warrior team that has been to six Finals in twelve years, knows exactly how to win a playoff series against a younger opponent, and has Curry doing what Curry does in April.
The Mavs-Nuggets series deserves attention. Luka Dončić and Nikola Jokić have met in the postseason twice before, splitting series, and their individual numbers — Dončić's 32.1 points and 9.3 assists per game this season against Jokić's 28.2, 12.4 rebounds, and 9.1 assists — are a collision of two different arguments about what the best basketball player in the world looks like.
**The bigger picture**
The 2026 playoffs arrive with viewership numbers the league has not seen since the Curry-LeBron Finals era. The Warriors-Clippers play-in drew 8.3 million viewers on ESPN — the highest-rated play-in broadcast since the format was introduced in 2021. The Celtics-76ers first-round matchup, with Embiid's health status creating genuine uncertainty, is generating regional rivalry heat not seen since the Bird-Doctor J decade.
The Curry question gives the Western bracket an emotional center. He is 38, and this is widely expected to be his final postseason run. He scored 35 against the Clippers on a night when the Warriors needed every one of them. In Houston, the Rockets will try to prevent him from getting any more.
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Game 1 of the Warriors-Rockets and Mavericks-Nuggets series is scheduled for 18 April. All other first-round series begin 19 April.
#NBA Playoffs 2026#Golden State Warriors#Stephen Curry#Philadelphia 76ers#Boston Celtics#basketball playoffs#NBA first round#play-in tournament#Joel Embiid#Oklahoma City Thunder
When do the 2026 NBA Playoffs first-round series begin?
Warriors-Rockets and Mavericks-Nuggets begin 18 April 2026. All other first-round series open 19 April.
Who are the No. 1 seeds in each conference?
The Oklahoma City Thunder (61-21) hold the top seed in the Western Conference; the Cleveland Cavaliers are the No. 1 seed in the East.
Is Joel Embiid playing for the 76ers?
Embiid missed the play-in game against Orlando with a foot injury and is listed as questionable for Game 1 against the Boston Celtics on 19 April 2026.
How many points did Stephen Curry score in the Warriors' play-in win?
Curry scored 35 points, including a go-ahead three-pointer with 40 seconds remaining, to seal the Warriors' 126-121 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on 15 April 2026.
