The Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans returned to the playoffs after missing the postseason the previous year. The Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers entered the playoffs for the first time since 2020. The Sacramento Kings missed the playoffs after making the postseason the previous year.

Both conferences conduct the playoffs in the traditional bracket format. All rounds are best-of-seven series. Series are played in the 2–2–1–1–1 format, meaning the team with home-court advantage hosts games 1, 2, 5, and 7, while their opponent hosts games 3, 4, and 6, with games 5, 6 and 7 being played if needed.

Each team must win their best-of-7 series to advance. All four rounds of the NBA playoffs are best-of-7, and teams are not reseeded after each round. The team with the better regular-season record in each series will have home court advantage for that series.