MIAMI, April 15 (UPI) — The 2022 NBA playoffs, two dirt-track NASCAR races and a boxing title bout lead the weekend sports schedule.
The NHL, MLB and domestic soccer league regular seasons, and a PGA tournament will be among the other top sporting events on air Friday through Sunday.
But the start of the NBA postseason should demand the most attention this weekend. Two NBA play-in tournament games take place Friday night to determine the final two spots in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference brackets.
First-round playoff action tips off with four more games Saturday.
NBA playoffs
The 16-team NBA playoff bracket won’t be finalized until Friday night after the conclusion of the play-in tournament.
The No. 9 Atlanta Hawks face the No. 8 Cleveland Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. EDT in the first game. The winner will be the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference and face the No. 1 Miami Heat in the first round. The Hawks and Cavaliers face off on ESPN.
The No. 8 Los Angeles Clippers take on the No. 9 New Orleans Pelicans in the final play-in game at 10 p.m. on TNT. The winner will advance to face the No. 1 Phoenix Suns in a first-round Western Conference series.
The Dallas Mavericks host the Utah Jazz in the first official game of the NBA playoffs at 1 p.m. EDT Saturday on ESPN.
The Memphis Grizzlies face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the next game at 3:30 p.m. on the same network.
The Philadelphia 76ers then host the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 of that Eastern Conference series at 6 p.m. on ESPN.
The Golden State Warriors host the Denver Nuggets in Saturday’s nightcap at 8:30 p.m. on ABC.
Four more first-round games air Sunday. The Heat will host the Hawks or the Cavaliers in the first game at 1 p.m. EDT on TNT.
The Boston Celtics then host the Brooklyn Nets at 3:30 p.m. on ABC. The reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks host the Chicago Bulls in the third game at 6:30 p.m. on TNT.
The Suns will face the Clippers or Pelicans in the final NBA playoff game this weekend at 9 p.m. on TNT.
NASCAR on dirt
Elite NASCAR drivers will switch from asphalt to a dirt track this weekend for respective Cup Series and Truck Series races.
The Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt starts the slate at 8 p.m. EDT Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway. That race will air on FS1. The Cup Series Food City Dirt Race follows at 7 p.m. EDT Sunday in Bristol, Tenn., and airs on Fox.
Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott and William Byron are among the favorites in the event. Drivers will round a 0.533-mile track for 133 miles through clouds of dirt over 250 laps to determine the winner.
Truck Series and Cup Series drivers each will run in four, 15-lap qualifying heat races on Saturday to determine the starting lineup for their main events. Truck Series qualifiers start at 4 p.m. on FS2. Cup Series qualifiers start at 6 p.m. on the same network.
Logano won the short-track Cup Series event last season. Elliott leads the Cup Series standings. William Byron owns a series-best two victories.
Weekend schedule (all times EDT)
Friday
Soccer
Serie A: Inter Milan at Spezia at 1 p.m. on beIN Sports
La Liga: Real Betis at Real Sociedad at 3 p.m. on ESPN+
Golf
RBC Heritage: Second round from 3 to 6 p.m. on Golf Channel
MLB
Rays at White Sox at 7 p.m. on Apple TV+
Reds at Dodgers at 10 p.m. on Apple TV+
NHL
Islanders at Canadiens at 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Jets at Panthers at 7 p.m. on NHL Network
NBA
Play-in tournament: Hawks at Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
Play-in tournament: Pelicans at Clippers at 10 p.m. on TNT
Saturday
Soccer
Premier League: Brighton at Tottenham Hotspur at 7 a.m. on USA
Premier League: Norwich City at Manchester United at 9:30 a.m. on USA
Bundesliga: Wolfsburg at Borussia Dortmund at 9:30 a.m. on ESPN+
Premier League: Brentford at Watford at 10 a.m. on CNBC
Premier League: Arsenal at Southampton at 10 a.m. on Peacock Premium
FA Cup: Liverpool at Manchester City at 10:30 a.m. on ESPN+
Serie A: Bologna at Juventus at 12:30 p.m. on beIN Sports
MLS: Vancouver at Montreal at 3 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Nashville at San Jose at 3:30 p.m. on TUDN/Twitter
MLS: Cincinnati at Atlanta at 6 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Portland at Houston at 6 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Dallas at New York Red Bulls at 7 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Orlando at Columbus at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Austin at DC United at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Charlotte at New England at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Philadelphia at Toronto at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Los Angeles Galaxy at Chicago at 8 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Colorado at Minnesota at 8 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Miami at Seattle at 10 p.m. on FS1
NHL
Penguins at Bruins at 12:30 p.m. on NHL Network
Red Wings at Rangers at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN+
Blackhawks at Predators at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN+
Wild at Blues at 3 p.m. on ABC
Golden Knights at Oilers at 4 p.m. on ESPN+
Flyers at Sabres at 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Capitals at Canadiens at 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Maple Leafs at Senators at 7 p.m. on NHL Network
Jets at Lightning at 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Sharks at Stars at 8 p.m. on ESPN+
Hurricanes at Avalanche at 9 p.m. on ESPN+
Coyotes at Flames at 10 p.m. on ESPN+
Devils at Kraken at 10 p.m. on ESPN+
Blue Jackets at Kings at 10:30 p.m. on ESPN+
Golf
RBC Heritage: Third round from 1 to 3 p.m. on Golf Channel; From 3 to 6 p.m. on CBS
NBA
Playoffs: Jazz at Mavericks at 1 p.m. on ESPN
Playoffs: Timberwolves at Grizzlies at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
Playoffs: Raptors at 76ers at 6 p.m. on ESPN
Playoffs: Nuggets at Warriors at 8:30 p.m. on ABC
MLB
Braves at Padres at 4 p.m. on FS1
NASCAR
Truck Series Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt at 8 p.m. on FS1
Boxing
Errol Spence Jr. vs. Yordenis Ugas at 11 p.m. on Showtime pay-per-view
Sunday
Soccer
Premier League: Leicester City at Newcastle at 8 a.m. on USA
Bundesliga: Bayern Munich at Arminia Bielefeld at 9:30 a.m. on ESPN+
La Liga: Espanyol at Atletico at 10;15 a.m. on ESPN+
FA Cup: Crystal Palace at Chelsea at 11:30 a.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Salt Lake at NYCFC at 1 p.m. on ESPN+
Ligue 1: Marseille at PSG at 2:45 p.m. on beIN Sports
La Liga: Real Madrid at Sevilla at 3 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Kansas City at LAFC at 4 p.m. on ESPN
Golf
RBC Heritage: Final round from 1 to 3 p.m. on Golf Channel; From 3 to 6 p.m. on CBS
NBA
Playoffs: TBD at Heat at 1 p.m. on TNT
Playoffs: Nets at Celtics at 3:30 p.m. on ABC
Playoffs: Bulls at Bucks at 6:30 p.m. on TNT
Playoffs: TBD at Suns at 9 p.m. on TNT
NHL
Panthers at Red Wings at 1 p.m. on ESPN
Sabres at Flyers at 5 p.m. on ESPN+
Blues at Predators at 6 p.m. on NHL Network
Sharks at Wild at 6 p.m. on NHL Network
Islanders at Maple Leafs at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+
Blue Jackets at Ducks at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN+
MLB
Braves at Padres at 7 p.m. on ESPN
NASCAR
Cup Series Food City Dirt Race at 7 p.m. on Fox