Philadelphia took advantage of its opportunities to rest players down the stretch, but the third-seeded 76ers still have some serious health concerns entering Game 1 of their best-of-seven first-round matchup with the visiting Brooklyn Nets on Saturday. After sitting out five of the final seven games of the regular season to rest his balky knee, Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid may need to sit out the series opener, according to general manager Elton Brand.

The Toronto Raptors have reached the Eastern Conference semifinals in each of the past three seasons and begin pursuit of another appearance on Saturday when they open the first-round series against the visiting Orlando Magic. Toronto harbors hopes of reaching the NBA Finals this time around behind All-Star small forward Kawhi Leonard.

The slog through an inconsistent and drama-filled regular season is over for the Golden State Warriors, who can finally get to the business of winning a third straight NBA championship and fourth in five seasons. The top-seeded Warriors will begin their quest by hosting the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs on Saturday.

The San Antonio Spurs are playoff regulars but the postseason represents new ground for this group of Denver Nuggets. The second-seeded Nuggets are ending a five-season playoff drought when they host the Spurs in Saturday's opener of the Western Conference first-round series.