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NBA Playoffs 2019: Field set following regular-season finales

By Alex Butler
Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors have a first-round playoff matchup against the Orlando Magic, starting Saturday in Toronto. File Photo by Nicole Sweet/UPI
Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors have a first-round playoff matchup against the Orlando Magic, starting Saturday in Toronto. File Photo by Nicole Sweet/UPI | License Photo

April 11 (UPI) -- The NBA postseason field is locked in following the final games of the 2019 regular season.

The Detroit Pistons needed all 82 games to secure a spot, clinching the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference with a win against the New York Knicks on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

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But Detroit wasn't the only franchise to narrowly earn its spot in the playoffs. The Brooklyn Nets beat the Miami Heat on Wednesday in Brooklyn, claiming the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference. The Orlando Magic also won to earn the No. 7 seed.

The No. 3 seed Philadelphia 76ers tip-off against the Nets in the first game of the 2019 playoffs. That Eastern Conference clash begins at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

The second game of the 2019 postseason slate is a clash between the Magic and No. 2 seed Toronto Raptors. That game tips off at 5 p.m. Saturday in Toronto.

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Two first-round Western Conference games are scheduled for Saturday. The No. 1 seed Golden State Warriors host the No. 8 Los Angeles Clippers at 8 p.m. in Oakland. The No. 2 seed Denver Nuggets host the No. 7 San Antonio Spurs at 10:30 p.m. in Denver.

Four games are planned for Sunday. The No. 5 seed Indiana Pacers travel for a first-round Eastern Conference matchup against the No. 4 Boston Celtics at 1 p.m. in Boston. The No. 6 Oklahoma City Thunder battle the No. 3 Portland Trail Blazers in a first-round Western Conference matchup at 3:30 p.m. in Portland.

The No. 8 seed Detroit Pistons will have to deal with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in their first-round Eastern Conference series. The Bucks host the Pistons at 7 p.m. in Milwaukee. The No. 5 Utah Jazz battle James Harden and the No. 4 Houston Rockets in their first-round Western Conference clash, starting at 9:30 p.m. in Salt Lake City.

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