2022 NBA playoffs

• The Phoenix Suns entered the postseason for the second consecutive season and also clinched the best record in the NBA for the first time since 2005.
• The Miami Heat entered the postseason for the third consecutive season and also clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2013.
• The Boston Celtics entered the postseason for the eighth consecutive season, currently the longest such streak in the NBA.
• The Utah Jazz and Milwaukee Bucks entered the postseason for the sixth consecutive season.
• The Philadelphia 76ers entered the postseason for the fifth consecutive season.
• The Brooklyn Nets and Denver Nuggets entered the postseason for the fourth consecutive season.
• The Dallas Mavericks entered the postseason for the third consecutive season.
• The Memphis Grizzlies and Atlanta Hawks entered the postseason for the second consecutive season.
• The Toronto Raptors entered the postseason for the first time since 2020.
• The Golden State Warriors entered the postseason for the first time since 2019.
• The Minnesota Timberwolves and New Orleans Pelicans entered the postseason for the first time since 2018.
• The Chicago Bulls entered the postseason for the first time since 2017.
• The Los Angeles Lakers missed the postseason for the first time in three years.
• The Los Angeles Clippers missed the postseason for the first time in four years.
• The Portland Trail Blazers missed the postseason for the first time in nine years.
• The Sacramento Kings missed the postseason once again, making their current postseason drought the longest in NBA history (originally starting from 2007 to 2022).

• No Los Angeles teams qualified for the playoffs. The last time this occurred was in 2018.
• This is the first time in which both 9-seeded teams managed to win both Play-In games to qualify for the eighth seed.[2]
• A team with a losing record in the Western Conference (Pelicans) qualified for the playoffs. This previously occurred in 2020.
• This is the first time neither the Los Angeles Lakers nor the San Antonio Spurs qualified since the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.
• The city of San Francisco hosted a playoff game for the first time since 1964.[3]
• For the first time in NBA playoff history, four players aged 22 or younger (Anthony Edwards, Ja Morant, Tyrese Maxey, and Jordan Poole) scored 30 or more points in the same postseason.[4]
• Anthony Edwards joined Derrick Rose, Tyler Herro, and Magic Johnson in scoring at least 35 points in a playoff game before turning 21.[5]
• The Utah Jazz became the 5th team in the last 10 postseasons to win a playoff game after trailing by 4+ points in the final 40 seconds. Teams were 4–701 in that span prior to the game.[6]
• The Boston Celtics swept the Brooklyn Nets, marking the 46th year in a row that a sweep occurred. The last time a sweep did not occur was in 1976.
• The Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors series became the first Eastern Conference First Round series to go to a Game 6 since 2018.
• The Memphis Grizzlies became the first team ever to have multiple comeback wins after trailing by double-digits going into the fourth quarter in a single playoff series.[7]
• The Dallas Mavericks won a playoff series for the first time since their championship run in 2011.
• Chris Paul set a playoff record for most consecutive field goals made in a game without a miss, going 14-of-14 from the field.[8]
• For the first time since 2011, no First Round matchup went to a Game 7.
• With a Game 3 win at Denver, the Golden State Warriors have won a road game in 24 consecutive playoff series, beating the previous record set by the Miami Heat with 23. This record has since been extended to 25 consecutive playoff series with their Game 1 win in Memphis.[9]
• Game 1 between the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies was the first game in playoff history where three players age 22 or younger (Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Jordan Poole) each had 30+ points.[10]

Cleveland (44–38) and Charlotte (43–39) also secured play-in berths but did not advance.[27][26]

The L.A. Clippers (42–40) and San Antonio (34–48) also secured play-in berths but did not advance.[40][39]

Duncan Robinson led the Heat in scoring with 27 points on 9-of-10 shooting, including going 8-of-9 from 3-point range. On the other hand, Atlanta's Trae Young struggled, shooting just 1-of-12, finishing the game with 8 points and 6 turnovers.

Jimmy Butler scored a playoff career-high 45 points, shooting 15-of-25 as well as committing zero turnovers en route to securing a 2–0 series lead. Trae Young also rebounded in Game 2, finishing the game with 25 points, but he committed a career-high 10 turnovers.

In danger of going down 0–3 in the series, Trae Young hit a game-winning floater in the lane with 4.4 seconds left as the Hawks overcame a 16-point deficit in the second half.

After losing Kyle Lowry in Game 3 with a hamstring strain, the Heat dominated the Hawks down the stretch, outscoring Atlanta in the final three quarters 85–60. Jimmy Butler scored 13 of his 36 points in the second quarter along with 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Trae Young scored only nine points with five assists and five turnovers as he was held to single digit points by Miami's defense for the second time in four games.

Without Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry, the Heat were able to hold off the Hawks thanks to a 23-point performance from Victor Oladipo. De'Andre Hunter shined for Atlanta in the loss, scoring a career-high 35 points, as well as the most points scored by a Hawks' player in the series.

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Hawks winning the first two meetings.[42]

The Celtics lost a 15-point third quarter lead but went on to win Game 1 on Jayson Tatum's layup at the buzzer.

The Nets had a 17-point lead late in the first half, but lost the game due to a huge fourth quarter by the Celtics. Kevin Durant notably struggled in the second half, going 0–10 from the floor and committing 4 turnovers as Boston outscored Brooklyn 59–42 in the final two quarters.

Despite a stellar night from Bruce Brown, who had 26 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field, the Nets were unable to overcome poor performances from Durant and Irving, who only scored 16 points apiece, as well as a 39-point explosion from Jayson Tatum. The Celtics led by as many as 15 in the final quarter before holding off the Nets to take a commanding 3–0 series lead.

Despite Jayson Tatum fouling out late in the fourth quarter, the Celtics were able to hold off the Nets to complete the sweep. Kevin Durant had his best game of the series with 39 points, helping Brooklyn trim the deficit to 1-point with 3:29 to play in the fourth quarter, but thanks to Tatum's 29 points, Boston never trailed. Nic Claxton struggled at the free throw line, missing his first 10 attempts, and finishing 1-of-11. This was the eighth playoff sweep in Celtics' franchise history, as Boston swept its first-round series for the third time in four years.

This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, and the second since the New Jersey Nets relocated to Brooklyn in 2012, with the Nets winning the first three meetings.[43]

Despite finishing the game with 21 turnovers and blowing a 16-point lead, the Bucks outlasted the Bulls 93–86. Giannis Antetokounmpo finished the game with 27 points and 16 rebounds. The Bulls struggled on offense, shooting a season-low 32.3% from the floor, with DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine shooting a combined 12-of-44 (27.3%).

While the Bulls were leading by as much as 18 in the third quarter, they withstood two furious rallies in both the third and fourth quarters by the Bucks, with DeMar DeRozan scoring a playoff career-high 41 points. This was the Bulls first playoff victory since Game 2 of the 2017 Eastern Conference First Round against the Boston Celtics. Two Bucks players suffered injuries during the game: Bobby Portis left mid-game after suffering a "right eye abrasion" and Khris Middleton suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee.

Despite Chicago hosting their first playoff game in 5 years, Milwaukee dominated throughout the game. Grayson Allen came off the bench and led the Bucks in points with 22, along with Bobby Portis collecting 16 rebounds, tying a career-high. The loss was also the largest playoff loss at home in Bulls' history.

Grayson Allen set playoff career highs with 27 points and six 3-pointers, along with Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the team with 32 points and 17 rebounds as the Bucks cruised to a second straight win on the road. With the loss, the Bulls have been outscored by a combined 54 points over the past two games, both of which were at home.

Despite being without Khris Middleton the last three games, Milwaukee won all three by an average margin of 23.3 points. DeMar DeRozan was scoreless in the first 26 minutes of the game and attempted just one shot in the first quarter, where Chicago was outscored 34–18. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points and nine rebounds as the Bucks won their first round matchup for the fourth consecutive season.

This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning two out of the first four meetings.[44]

In his first playoff game as a starter, Tyrese Maxey scored 38 points, with 21 of his 38 points coming in the third quarter. Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes had 15 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists prior to exiting the game with an ankle injury.

After the Raptors took a one-point lead into the second quarter, the 76ers dominated for the rest of the game. Philadelphia outscored Toronto 80–64 in the final three quarters, with Joel Embiid finishing the game with 31 points and 11 rebounds.

With 0.9 seconds on the shot clock and 2.6 seconds remaining in overtime, Joel Embiid hit a game-winning 3-point shot to secure a commanding 3–0 series lead after overcoming a 17-point deficit and never leading in regulation.

Scottie Barnes made his return to the lineup for Game 4 after missing the previous two games, leading the team with 11 rebounds. Raptors' Pascal Siakam scored 34 points while the 76ers' James Harden scored 22 points. In the second quarter, Fred VanVleet exited the game due to a hip injury and did not return. Despite this, the Raptors staved off elimination with an 110–102 win to send the series back to Philadelphia.

Despite being without Fred VanVleet, the Raptors, with the help of Pascal Siakam's 23 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists led almost the entire game and staved off elimination again to send the series back to Toronto for Game 6. The 76ers had their own share of issues: while Joel Embiid scored 20 points with 11 rebounds, and James Harden had seven assists; the 76ers' bench scored only five points.

The 76ers completed a 35-point rout of the Raptors to eliminate them from the playoffs. Joel Embiid had 33 points and 10 rebounds, and teammate Tyrese Maxey scored 25. The Raptors' Pascal Siakam scored 24 points in the loss, while Chris Boucher came off the bench and had 25 points and 10 rebounds.

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series.[45]

The Pelicans started off slow but chipped away at a 23-point deficit to eventually trail 79–71 by the end of the third. However, Chris Paul took over late in the game by scoring 19 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter.

After scoring 31 points in the first half, Devin Booker left the game in the third quarter after suffering a "mild hamstring strain" and did not return to the game. Meanwhile, Brandon Ingram finished the game with 37 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists, leading the Pelicans to their first playoff win since 2018.

Without Devin Booker, the Suns outlasted the Pelicans on the road, with Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton combining for 56 points. Paul scored 15 of Phoenix's first 23 points of the final quarter, along with committing zero turnovers, his second straight game doing so.

Brandon Ingram scored 16 of his 30 points in the third quarter, his third straight game with 30+ points. Jonas Valančiūnas also contributed with 26 points and 15 rebounds, along with scoring ten points in a 3:34 span in the fourth quarter to help the Pelicans pull away. Chris Paul struggled for the Suns, scoring just four points and three turnovers after previously having just two turnovers in the first three games.

With the series back in Phoenix, Mikal Bridges helped the Suns take a 3–2 series lead thanks to a playoff career-high 31 points and four blocks, all while playing 47 minutes in the game. Chris Paul rebounded in Game 5 as well, tallying 22 points and 11 assists. Phoenix never trailed in the game.

In Devin Booker's return from the hamstring injury that had kept him out the previous three games, Chris Paul scored 33 points on a perfect 14-for-14 from the field (including one three-pointer) and 4-for-4 from the free throw line as the Suns advanced. Paul's 14-for-14 shooting set a record for most field goals made in a playoff game without a miss, and the first player to make 13+ shots in a playoff game without a miss.

This was the first playoff meeting between the two teams.[47]

In his playoff debut, Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves in scoring with 36, joining Derrick Rose, Tyler Herro, and Magic Johnson in scoring at least 35 points in a playoff game before turning 21. The win was also the Timberwolves' first playoff opener they have won since 2004.

Ja Morant and the Grizzlies rebounded in Game 2, with Morant being one rebound shy of his first career playoff triple-double. The win was also the largest margin of victory in the Grizzlies' playoff history.

Despite trailing by 25+ points on two separate occasions, the Grizzlies battled back late in the game, including going on a 42–12 run in the final 13 minutes of the game to secure their first lead of the series. Ja Morant also became the first player in the Grizzlies' playoff history to record a triple-double.

Karl-Anthony Towns and the Timberwolves were able to rebound after their Game 3 collapse, with Towns putting up a career playoff-best 33 points and 14 rebounds. Desmond Bane also had a career night, hitting eight three-pointers and leading the Grizzlies with 34 points, tying a career-high.

After the Grizzlies erased a 13-point fourth quarter lead by the Timberwolves, the game would come down to the wire from that point on. At the eight-second mark, Ja Morant would make two clutch free throws. After Minnesota used their last timeout, Anthony Edwards would hit a clutch three-pointer to tie the game at 109 with 3.7 seconds left. After Memphis called a timeout, Morant hit a game-winning layup with one second left. This was the Grizzlies' 2nd double-digit comeback victory of the series.

The Grizzlies' rallied from a double-digit deficit entering the fourth quarter for the third time in the series, winning their first playoff series for the first time in seven years. Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks each scored 23 points, with Bane going 27-of-56 on 3-pointers in the series.

This was the first playoff meeting between the two teams.[48]

In his playoff debut, Jordan Poole led the Warriors in points with 30, shooting 9-of-13. Stephen Curry also came off the bench to contribute 16 points in 21 minutes after missing exactly a month with a sprained ligament in his left foot. This was also the Warriors' first playoff win since Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals.

Stephen Curry came off the bench for a second straight game, dropping 34 points in 23 minutes to lead the Warriors to a 2–0 advantage in the series. Nikola Jokić also led the Nuggets with 26 points and 11 rebounds before being ejected with seven minutes left in the game.

The Warriors finished the game on a 9–2 run to hand the Nuggets their seventh consecutive loss in the playoffs. Stephen Curry and Jordan Poole combined for 54 points, along with Klay Thompson shooting six three-pointers en route to a 3–0 series lead.

The Nuggets finished the game on a 9–5 run, snapping their seven-game losing streak in the playoffs, dating back to the 2021 postseason. Nikola Jokić led all scorers with 37 points and assisted on a Will Barton 3-pointer from the left corner with 8.3 seconds left, effectively putting the game away.

The Warriors advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals for the first time since the 2019 NBA playoffs. Stephen Curry scored 20 points in the second half, leading the Warriors with 30 points. Gary Payton II also scored 10 of his 15 points in the 4th quarter. Nikola Jokić scored 12 of his 30 points in the final 3:46 of the fourth quarter, finishing the game with 19 rebounds and eight assists as the Nuggets lost their eighth game in their last nine playoff games.

This was the second playoff meeting between the two teams, with the Warriors winning the first meeting.[49]

Scoring just 2 points in the first half, Donovan Mitchell erupted in the second half with 30 points, leading the Jazz to a Game 1 win on the road. This was also the first time the Mavericks started the playoffs at home since their championship run in 2011.

Down 0–1 in the series and without their star Luka Dončić, the Mavericks won thanks to a career-high 41 points from Jalen Brunson, along with the franchise record of fewest turnovers ever in a postseason game, with 3.

Despite Donovan Mitchell putting up 28 points in the second half, the Mavericks took their first lead of the series, with the Dallas bench outscoring the Utah bench 49–24. The Jazz had previously won 11 straight against the Mavericks at home coming into the game.

Luka Dončić made his return after missing the first 3 games of the series due to a "calf strain" and scored a double-double with 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists. Despite this, however, the game came down to the wire. With 30 seconds left in the game with the Mavericks up 1, Dwight Powell was fouled but missed 2 crucial free throws, then Donovan Mitchell lobbed the ball to Rudy Gobert for an alley-oop, giving the Jazz the lead with 11 seconds to go. Dallas had one more shot, but the potential game-winning 3-pointer fell short as Utah tied the series at 2. The Jazz also became the 5th team since 2013 to win after trailing by 4+ points in the final 40 seconds. Teams were 4–701 in that span coming into the game.

After the first four games were decided by eight points or less, the Mavericks routed the Jazz at home 102–77 to retake the series lead. Luka Dončić once again led the Mavericks in points (33), rebounds (13), and assists (5) for the second straight game. Donovan Mitchell, who averaged 30 points in the first four games, scored just nine and missed all seven of his 3-pointers before leaving with a left hamstring injury in the fourth quarter.

Though the Jazz had a 12-point lead at halftime, the Mavericks stormed back to take the lead in the final few minutes. Rudy Gobert made a layup with 35 seconds to go to reduce the deficit to just 1 point. However, after a Mike Conley turnover, Jalen Brunson doubled the Mavericks' lead by scoring a free throw at 4.3 seconds. Bojan Bogdanović then missed a game-winning 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds left on the clock to hand the Mavericks their first series win since their championship run in 2011. Donovan Mitchell recovered from the injury he sustained in the previous game, and had 23 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists. Brunson and Luka Dončić each scored 24 points for Dallas, and Spencer Dinwiddie scored 19 points.

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Mavericks winning the first two meetings.[50]

Without Joel Embiid, who suffered an orbital fracture and concussion in the final minutes of Game 6 against Toronto, the 76ers were unable to overcome missing their star player, with Philadelphia shooting 17.6% from beyond the arc, their second-worst percentage of the season. Tyler Herro scored 25 points — the second-most he's ever had in a playoff game — while Bam Adebayo finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds as the top-seeded Heat outscored the 76ers 56–41 in the second half.

This is the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series.[51]

The Bucks won their fourth consecutive playoff game thanks to Giannis Antetokounmpo's second career playoff triple-double, along with Jrue Holiday leading the team with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Jayson Tatum scored 21 and Jaylen Brown had 12 points, but combined to shoot 10-for-31 in the game.

This is the eighth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning five of the first seven meetings.[52]

After jumping to a 9–0 lead in the opening minutes, the Suns never trailed in the game as they beat the Mavericks for the 10th straight time, dating back to 2019. All five Suns starters scored in double figures, with Deandre Ayton leading the way with 25 points. Luka Dončić led the Mavericks with 45 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, but no other Mavericks starter scored more than 15 points.

This is the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series.[53]

Klay Thompson hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 36 seconds left, and the Warriors overcame Draymond Green's first-half ejection to edge the Grizzlies 117–116. Jordan Poole led the Warriors with a career-high 31 points off the bench, hitting a playoff-best 5-of-10 3-pointers. Jaren Jackson Jr. matched his season high with six 3-pointers and had a playoff career-high 33 points. Ja Morant also led the team with 34 points and 10 assists, but missed the potential go-ahead layup as time expired.

This is the second playoff meeting between the two teams, with the Warriors winning the first meeting.[54]

ESPN, ABC, TNT, and NBA TV broadcast the playoffs nationally in the United States. During the first three rounds, games are primarily split by ESPN, ABC, and TNT. TNT primarily airs games on Sunday through Wednesday nights (with the exception of a game 1 airing on a Sunday afternoon on the 1st weekend of the playoffs), while ESPN televises Friday night doubleheaders and 1 Sunday afternoon game (in place of ABC due to F1 coverage). ABC broadcasts 1 Friday night in the first round and Sunday afternoon doubleheader games in the first and second round (with the exception of the opening weekend in which it only airs 1 game). NBA TV also televised selected Monday through Thursday night games in the first round and will serve as the overflow of any games televised on TNT (except when games on are NBA TV and TNT at the same time in which TBS will serve as the overflow broadcaster). For Thursday night games, TNT airs them in the first round and ESPN in the second round. For Saturday games ESPN/TNT/ABC will spilt the games in the first round (with TNT only airing 2 games due to no game 7's in the round and ESPN 5 games and ABC 1 game during that round) and ABC will air them exclusively in the second round. Regional sports networks affiliated with teams will also broadcast first-round games, except for those weekend games televised on ABC.[lower-alpha 4][55]ESPN/ABC will have exclusive coverage of the Eastern Conference Finals while TNT will have exclusive coverage of the Western Conference Finals. ABC will have exclusive coverage of the NBA Finals for the 20th straight year.

In Canada, the home market of the Toronto Raptors, national broadcast rights are split approximately equally between the Sportsnet and TSN groups of channels. Under those rights, the two broadcasters are allowed to produce separate Canadian feeds for all games involving the Raptors regardless of round or U.S. broadcaster. Sportsnet and TSN general simulcasts the ABC, ESPN, TNT or NBA TV feed for all other series.