Round 1 Saturday Score
6 / 8
Opening Weekend Jersey Aesthetic Grade
NBA LockerVision just released the jersey matchups for Round 1 of the 2026 NBA Playoffs. We're grading every single opening weekend matchup. Saturday's four games are locked in and breakdowns are below. Sunday's four games are pending the Friday Play-In results and will be added to this post once LockerVision releases them. This is your complete Round 1 tracker.
Our scoring philosophy stays the same. Home team wears white. Road team wears color. That's the playoff standard. We score each matchup on a 2-point scale with half-point credit for close calls like throwbacks and classic editions that still carry the right vibe.
- 2 points if both teams make the right jersey choice
- 1.5 points if one team gets it right and the other makes a close but not perfect call
- 1 point if only one team gets it right
- 0.5 points if both teams make justifiable non-traditional choices
- 0 points if both teams get it wrong
Let's get into Saturday.
Saturday Game 1: Atlanta Hawks at New York Knicks
via NBA LockerVision
The Knicks are doing it right. Home whites at Madison Square Garden for Game 1 of the Playoffs is exactly what postseason basketball should look like. MSG is going to be loud, the crowd is going to be in Knicks blue and orange, and the white jerseys on the floor will complete the visual. Full point for New York.
The Hawks are going with their Statement Edition black jersey as their away look. It's technically an alternate road jersey, which is why we can't give full credit on the other side of this matchup. We'll see how the blacks look on the floor against the Knicks whites, but on paper we would have preferred Atlanta in their standard Icon Edition red or their City alternate. Half point for the Hawks.
Score: 1.5 / 2
Saturday Game 2: Toronto Raptors at Cleveland Cavaliers
via NBA LockerVision
The Cavs are going with their Classic Edition throwback blues at home. That's the old-school LeBron-era look, and we're fine with it. The throwback blue jersey carries enough history and visual equity in Cleveland that we're willing to give credit even though it isn't the traditional home white. Half point for the Cavs for the throwback value.
The Raptors are in their Icon Edition red on the road. We would have preferred they go white, but at least they're in color and not fighting Cleveland's blue throwbacks. Red jerseys on the road against throwback Cavs blues should make for a visually distinct matchup on broadcast. Credit for the Raptors for picking a color that works with the Cavs' palette.
Score: 1.5 / 2
Saturday Game 3: Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets
via NBA LockerVision
This is the best-looking Saturday matchup on paper. The Nuggets are going with their Association Edition whites at home. That's the right call. Ball Arena in Denver gold, the team in clean whites, and you've got the classic playoff look we want to see every time.
The Timberwolves are going with their Statement Edition on the road. This is the same alternate away look they wore a lot during last year's postseason, including some big moments against the Lakers. It's become a weekend playoff signature for Minnesota at this point, but we're going to dock a half point here. When a road team has the chance to wear their primary away jersey in the playoffs and chooses an alternate instead, that costs them. The Nuggets get their full point. Minnesota gets half.
Score: 1.5 / 2
Saturday Game 4: Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers
via NBA LockerVision
The Lakers are doing what the Lakers should do. Icon Edition gold at home at Crypto.com Arena. That's the iconic look. Purple is coming, but for Game 1 in LA the golds are exactly the right visual. Full point for LA. The only concern going forward is that the Lakers might pivot to their black City Edition jersey and the black court later in the series, which would be a worse visual. For Saturday we're in the clear.
The Rockets are in their Statement Edition black road alternate. We would have preferred they go with their Icon Edition red, which is one of the cleanest road looks in the league and would have paired beautifully against the Lakers gold. The black alternate just doesn't pop on broadcast the same way. Half point for Houston.
Score: 1.5 / 2
Saturday Round 1 Scorecard
Saturday's slate gets a 6 out of 8. That's significantly better than the Play-In Tournament, which finished at 5 out of 12. The Nuggets and Knicks are the only home teams wearing their traditional whites on Saturday, and three of the four road teams are bypassing their primary away jerseys for alternates. Every matchup has at least one team making the right call, but nobody is running a perfect 2/2 on opening Saturday.
Sunday Round 1 Matchups (Updating Soon)
Sunday Games
Pending Play-In Results
The final 8-seeds in each conference are decided Friday night. We'll update this section with the Sunday LockerVision jersey matchups and grades as soon as they're released.
Two more Play-In games tip off Friday to decide the 8-seeds in both conferences. The Hornets and Magic play in the East, and the Warriors and Suns play in the West. Once those 8-seeds are finalized, NBA LockerVision will release the Sunday Round 1 jersey matchups and we'll add full breakdowns here with updated scoring.
Home Team White Jersey Tracker (Saturday Only)
Saturday is an improvement on the Play-In with 2 out of 4 home teams wearing actual whites. The Cavs get throwback credit and the Lakers get iconic-alternate credit, but only the Knicks and Nuggets are in traditional home whites. We'll update this chart once Sunday's matchups come in.
2026 NBA Playoffs Jersey Coverage
For the running Play-In Tournament jersey tracker, see our Play-In jersey matchups post. For the aesthetic review of Night 2 Play-In games, check out our Magic vs Sixers and Warriors vs Clippers jersey review. For more on how the broadcasts will look this postseason, see our NBA Playoffs broadcast networks guide and our broadcast teams ranking.
Frequently Asked Questions About the 2026 NBA Playoffs Round 1 Uniforms
What jerseys are the NBA teams wearing in Round 1 of the 2026 Playoffs?
NBA LockerVision has released the Saturday Round 1 jersey matchups. The Knicks are wearing home whites against the Hawks in black Statement Edition. The Cavaliers are wearing Classic Edition throwback blues at home against the Raptors in Icon Edition red. The Nuggets are wearing home whites against the Timberwolves in Statement Edition. The Lakers are wearing Icon Edition gold at home against the Rockets in Statement Edition black. Sunday matchups are pending the Friday Play-In results.
When does Round 1 of the 2026 NBA Playoffs start?
Round 1 of the 2026 NBA Playoffs tips off Saturday, April 18, with four games. The first game is Raptors at Cavaliers at 1:00 PM EST, followed by Timberwolves at Nuggets at 3:30 PM, Hawks at Knicks at 6:00 PM, and Rockets at Lakers at 8:30 PM.
Are the Lakers wearing gold in Round 1?
Yes. The Los Angeles Lakers are wearing their Icon Edition gold jersey at home for Game 1 of their Round 1 series against the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday night.
Are the Knicks wearing white in Round 1?
Yes. The New York Knicks are wearing their Association Edition white home jersey against the Atlanta Hawks for Game 1 of their Round 1 series at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.
What is the best-looking Round 1 Saturday matchup?
No Saturday matchup earned a perfect 2 out of 2. Three of the four games tied at 1.5 out of 2: Hawks at Knicks, Raptors at Cavaliers, Timberwolves at Nuggets, and Rockets at Lakers. The Nuggets and Knicks are the only home teams in traditional white, and most road teams chose alternate jerseys over their primary aways.
How does the NBA decide which jerseys teams wear in the playoffs?
The home team selects their jersey first, and then the visiting team picks a jersey that provides enough visual contrast. Traditional playoff etiquette is home whites at home, but many teams in 2026 are choosing Statement, Icon, or Classic Edition alternates at home instead. LockerVision releases the official jersey matchups before each playoff game.
Will you update this post with the Sunday Round 1 games?
Yes. We'll update this tracker with the Sunday Round 1 matchups as soon as the Friday Play-In games are decided and NBA LockerVision releases the jersey assignments. The full 8-game Round 1 opening weekend will be graded by Saturday morning.
Jersey matchups updated as released by NBA LockerVision. We'll grade every game through the 2026 NBA Playoffs.