One weekend into the 2026 NBA playoffs and the separation between the haves and have-nots seems pretty clear.
Seven of the eight Game 1s played on Saturday and Sunday were won by the home team, with the No. 8-seeded Magic’s upset of the Pistons standing out as the only real stunning result. (The Lakers were a mild home underdog to the Rockets but Kevin Durant’s absence made L.A.’s win far from surprising). All seven of those home teams covered the spread in their games, highlighted by the Celtics and Thunder demolishing the 76ers and Suns, respectively, to open their series.
Saturday and Sunday’s games did not give the impression that many of these series will be close, but as we’ve seen all year, things can change on a dime in the NBA. The Timberwolves gave the Nuggets a closer run than the final score of 116–105 would indicate. If Durant makes his return for Houston on Tuesday, it could completely change the tenor of their series with the Lakers. And Orlando’s strong showing against Detroit in Game 1 shouldn’t be undersold; the list of No. 8 seeds to knock off No. 1 teams is quite short.
Combining what we know of these teams from the regular season, the history between the franchises facing off in the first round and the results of the first games of each series, here’s how Sports Illustrated ranks the watchability of each first-round series of the NBA playoffs.
8. Celtics vs. 76ers
Jayson Tatum helped power the Celtics to a blowout Game 1 win over the 76ers. | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
The Celtics made easy work of the 76ers Sunday, winning Game 1 at home 123–91. Philadelphia defeated Orlando in the play-in tournament to clinch the No. 7 seed in the East and set up a fun rivalry series with Boston. The Celtics are certainly the stronger bunch, especially as the Sixers continue to play without Joel Embiid who’s out with appendicitis. He may return at some point early in the series, but if Game 1 was any indicator, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum can take care of the 76ers easily.
7. Thunder vs. Suns
The Suns eliminated Steph Curry and the Warriors for the right to take on the NBA-best Thunder in the first round. Oklahoma City clearly outmatches Phoenix, just like it does against most other opponents across the league. The Thunder proved that to be the case in Game 1, absolutely dominating Devin Booker and the Suns in a 119–84 win.
It’s difficult to find a formidable first-round opponent for the Thunder, but if it’s going to be anyone, it’s fun to have Dillon Brooks doing what he does to muck things up. Jalen Green had a great showing in the play-in tournament, but scoring enough to topple an NBA giant is a totally different beast. Phoenix did win two games against Oklahoma City in the regular season, so maybe the Suns can make the Thunder work somewhat. Game 1 wasn’t a great indicator of that happening, though.
6. Cavaliers vs. Raptors
Donovan Mitchell led the way for the explosive Cavaliers with 32 points in their Game 1 win against the Raptors. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
The Raptors suddenly found themselves as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference after the Magic lost to the Celtics’ reserves on the final day of the regular season. The last-minute shuffling pitted Toronto against the Cavaliers as Cleveland’s new duo of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden hopes to make some noise in its first season together.
Mitchell and Harden did just that in Game 1, combining for 54 points in a 126–113 win for the Cavs. The Raptors were able to hang around at the start of the game, but Cleveland’s high-powered offense quickly created separation as Toronto struggled to keep up. Toronto missed Immanuel Quickley’s three-point shooting; the point guard was ruled out just before the game with a hamstring strain. Brandon Ingram struggled to find clean looks as RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes led the way for the Raptors. Jamal Shead had a nice game in Quickley’s absence, knocking down five of his six three-point attempts. But Toronto needs to make adjustments quickly should it want to keep up with the Cavs and make this series interesting.
5. Spurs vs. Trail Blazers
The Spurs are rightfully heavy favorites in this series and looked the part in their decisive Game 1 win, but it also marks the first postseason run for Victor Wembanyama, giving this a little more juice than your average No. 2 vs. 7 matchup. If Wemby isn’t the best player in the NBA at the young age of 22, he is one of the most enchanting to watch, with his unbelievable combination of guard skills with preternatural height, and the instincts that have him locked in as the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year.
Wemby isn’t going to battle alone in San Antonio, either. With an impressive supporting cast featuring De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell and Dylan Harper, the Spurs have one of the deeper rotations in the NBA. And the Trail Blazers bring a physical defense that’s been one of the NBA’s best down the stretch, and a dynamic scorer in Deni Avdija who made his mark in the play-in round. We’ll see if they can prove to be a better test for Wembanyama & Co. than they were on Sunday.
4. Knicks vs. Hawks
Karl-Anthony Towns brought it on both ends of the floor for the Knicks against the Hawks Saturday. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Any playoff series the Knicks are in brings some juice. Madison Square Garden is one of, if not the best playoff environments in the NBA. This series has even more buzz as New York battles one of the best teams in the NBA after the All-Star break in the Hawks.
Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and the Knicks made a statement in Game 1 with an 11-point win over Atlanta. Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, CJ McCollum and Onyeka Okongwu scored 85 of the Hawks’ 102 points Saturday. Quin Snyder’s group needs more out of the supporting cast to strike in the series, but the Hawks won’t just roll over if their play after the Trae Young trade told us anything.
There’s a lot at stake for the Knicks this series as New York hopes to at least match its finish of an Eastern Conference finals berth from a season ago. The franchise parted with Tom Thibodeau and brought in Mike Brown over the offseason in an effort to take the next step. One of the NBA’s most intriguing young teams stands in the way in the first round.
3. Lakers vs. Rockets
On paper, this series is naturally compelling. The Lakers are the Lakers, with LeBron James leading a ragtag supporting cast to try and stay afloat until his talented co-stars Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves can return. The Kevin Durant-led Rockets threaten to end James’s season, and potentially even his career if he does opt to hang up his sneakers at season’s end.
Of course, that compelling storyline requires Durant to see the floor. In Saturday’s opener, he was a surprise absence due to a knee injury suffered mid-week that did not respond well enough to treatment for him to go in Game 1. Without him, the Rockets offense was putrid, and leaves some serious questions about just how watchable this series will really be. Hopefully KD is good to go on Tuesday, and this legend vs. legend series gets back on track.
2. Pistons vs. Magic
Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 23 points in their Game 1 upset of the Pistons. Jalen Suggs and the rest of the starting lineup scored at least 16 points each. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
We may have a series in this battle between the No. 1 and No. 8 teams in the East. The Magic had an impressive wire-to-wire win over the top-seeded Pistons Sunday, which gave us the first upset of the NBA playoffs. Orlando has flipped a switch in the matter of two games, coming up with a huge win after it eliminated the red-hot Hornets in the play-in tournament. While Detroit won 60 games and was the best team in the East all season, the young squad appears vulnerable as it has yet to find postseason success. Still, the Pistons have the best players in the series in Cade Cunningham and should bounce back after they got punched in the mouth in Game 1.
The Magic and the Pistons are two physical teams and Orlando got the upper hand in Game 1. Detroit will certainly make adjustments to minimize the Magic’s balanced scoring attack moving ahead. But, even if we didn’t think so initially, we have a series here.
1. Nuggets vs. Timberwolves
The Nuggets began their championship run with a win over the Timberwolves in five games in the first round of the 2023 playoffs. That series wound up looking one-sided, but only a blowout win for Denver in Game 1 was decided by double digits. Minnesota got its revenge the following postseason, ending the Nuggets’ hopes of a repeat championship in a seven-game conference semifinals classic.
Denver had a solid edge in the regular season this year, taking three of four from the T’Wolves—including a Christmas Day classic. Nikola Jokić put together a virtuoso performance, scoring 56 points with 16 rebounds and 15 assists in a 142–138 overtime victory despite a 44-point outburst from Anthony Edwards.
Minnesota came out hot in Game 1, but Denver took control down the stretch, with Jokić and Jamal Murray outdueling Edwards once again. There are few bigger stars in the league than Ant and Joker. That is reason enough to tune in, the growing history between these two sides is a cherry on top.
More NBA Playoffs From Sports Illustrated
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