ESPN and ABC's exclusive coverage of the 2025 NBA Playoffs presented by Google (Summer Series version) begins with live coverage of all eight First Round, Game 1 matchups, starting with the Pistons vs. Knicks game from Madison Square Garden on Saturday, September 27 at 1:00 PM (ET) on ESPN

A custom-made poster that shows ABC and ESPN's coverage plans for the opening day of the 2025 NBA Playoffs presented by Google on Saturday, September 27, with first-round coverage on both networks presented by Wendy's. (📸 Photo courtesy of Tamir Moore/Canva)

| ● Thursday, September 25, 2025

The 2025 NBA Playoffs presented by Google begin on Saturday, September 27, with a full day of coverage across ABC and ESPN. 

Pregame coverage gets underway at 12:00 PM ET on ESPN with a one-hour edition of "NBA Countdown presented by Allstate". Lead studio host Miles Johnson anchors the program alongside an esteemed group of analysts, including Hall of Famers Dwyane Wade and Rebecca Lobo, and 2025 NBA Champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Insider Chris Haynes joins the show to provide the latest news and information from around the league.

ESPN will broadcast a tripleheader beginning at 1:00 PM ET, as Jalen Duran and the Detroit Pistons (No. 6 seed) visit Karl-Anthony Towns (No. 3 seed) and the New York Knicks for Game 1 of this Eastern Conference best-of-seven opening round series. 🎤 Kate Scott will call the action with analyst and three-time WNBA champion Diana Taurasi and reporter Jorge Sedano.

At 3:30 PM ET on ESPN, Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves (No. 6 seed) start their playoff run against three-time MVP Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets (No. 3 seed). This is a rematch from last year's playoffs, where Minnesota ousted Denver in a seven-game semifinal series. 🎤 Michael Grady will be on the call with 2016 NBA Champion Richard Jefferson and reporter Jacob Hardie.

The opening day playoff action resumes at 6:00 PM ET on ESPN as James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers (No. 7 seed), fresh off their play-in win over the Mavericks on Tuesday night, play in Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the electrifying Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies (No. 2 seed). 🎤 Play-by-play commentator Jason Benetti will be joined by analyst and current NBA guard Quentin Grimes, fellow analyst and current Golden State Valkyries game analyst Morgan Ragan (making her Summer Series debut), and reporter Taryn Hatcher as the broadcast team.

NBA Countdown presented by Taco Bell will air a second time on Saturday night, broadcasting on ABC from 8:00 PM ET to 8:30 PM ET, leading into the primetime Magic vs. Celtics game. Johnson, Wade, Lobo, Gilgeous-Alexander, & Haynes will keep their on-air roles for the primetime broadcast program.

Saturday's coverage concludes in primetime on ABC at 8:30 PM ET as Wendell Carter Jr. and the Orlando Magic (No. 7 seed) take on Derrick White and the defending NBA: Summer Series champion Boston Celtics (No. 2 seed). David Moskowitz will provide commentary alongside Jermaine Samuels Jr., Robbie Hummel, and Lisa Salters.

NBA: After the Buzzer, presented by Visionworks, featuring the studio team of Johnson, Wade, Lobo, Gilgeous-Alexander, & Haynes, will wrap up Saturday's playoff action at 11:00 PM ET on ABC.

The 2025 NBA Playoffs, presented by Google, begin in the first round and continue on Sunday, September 28, with game broadcasts split between ABC (two games) and ESPN (two games).

NBA Countdown presented by Taco Bell sets the table for Sunday's playoff doubleheader on ABC, beginning at 12:30 PM ET, with Johnson, Wade, Lobo, Gilgeous-Alexander, & Haynes once again hanging out in the studio in Los Angeles. At 1:00 PM ET on ABC, an exciting first-round series gets underway from the Space City of Houston as LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers (No. 5 seed) battle Jalen Green and the Houston Rockets (No. 4 seed), who are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2020. 🎤 Curtis Stockley, Tim Legler, Doris Burke, and Michelle Kuc serve as the broadcast team for the game.

Later, beginning at 3:30 PM ET on ABC, Donovan Mitchell and the top seed in the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers (No. 1 seed), host Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat (No. 8 seed) for the first game of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. 🎤 Mike Breen, King McClure, Andraya Carter, and Susan Reutter will handle commentary for the Eastern Conference game.

NBA Countdown presented by Allstate returns for a second edition on ESPN later in the evening, beginning at 6:30 PM ET. The iconic cast of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kenny Smith, alongside with insider Stephanie Ready, preview Sunday's doubleheader of playoff action.

The primetime portion of Sunday's playoff games tips off at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN as Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks (No. 5 seed) collide with Myles Turner and the Indiana Pacers (No. 4 seed) for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round series. Last season, these clubs played in the first round also, where Indiana defeated Milwaukee four games to two. 🎤 Sedric Granger calls play-by-play for Bucks vs. Pacers Game 1 live from Indianapolis, with analyst and 12-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul & fellow analyst and three-time WNBA champion Candace Parker. Jared Greenberg reports from the sidelines.

The first weekend of the NBA Playoffs ends on Sunday night at 9:30 PM ET on ESPN as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the best team in the NBA, the Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 1 seed), begin their run through the playoffs against either DeMar DeRozan and the Sacramento Kings. 🎤 The Kings vs. Thunder broadcast team features play-by-play commentator Brian Anderson, analyst and Hall of Famer Grant Hill, and sideline reporter Jacob Moreno.

Following the conclusion of the Kings vs. Thunder game, ESPN will recap Sunday's action (and the first weekend of the playoffs) with "NBA: After the Buzzer presented by American Express" at 12:00 AM (ET), with the studio cast of Johnson, Barkley, O'Neal, Smith, & Ready.

The broadcast schedule and commentators for 2025 NBA Playoffs Presented by Google First Round, Game 1's (Subject to Change)

❐ Saturday, September 27, 2025 - First Round, Game 1:
See Poster Above

❐ Sunday, September 28, 2025 - First Round, Game 1:

. 12:30 PM (ET) - NBA Countdown presented by Taco Bell (Los Angeles) - ABC, ESPN App

Miles Johnson, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dwyane Wade, Rebecca Lobo, Chris Haynes

. 1:00 PM (ET) - Game 1: Los Angeles Lakers at Houston Rockets presented by Wendy's - ABC, ESPN App

Curtis Stockley, Tim Legler, Doris Burke, Michelle Kuc

. 3:30 PM (ET) - Game 1: Miami Heat at Cleveland Cavaliers presented by Wendy's - ABC, ESPN App

Mike Breen, King McClure, Andraya Carter, Susan Reutter

. 6:30 PM (ET) - NBA Countdown presented by Allstate (New York City) - ESPN, ESPN App

Ernie Johnson Jr., Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O'Neal, Stephanie Ready

. 7:00 PM (ET) - Game 1: Milwaukee Bucks at Indiana Pacers presented by Wendy's - ESPN, ESPN App

Sedric Granger, Chris Paul, Candace Parker, Jared Greenberg

. 9:30 PM (ET) - Game 1: Sacramento Kings at Oklahoma City Thunder presented by Wendy's - ESPN, ESPN App

Brian Anderson, Grant Hill, Jacob Moreno

. 12:00 AM (ET) - NBA: After the Buzzer presented by American Express - ESPN, ESPN App

Ernie Johnson Jr., Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O'Neal, Stephanie Ready

- Note: The next press release for the First Round will be published on Monday, September 29.

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