Play‑In starts Tuesday
The NBA’s Play‑In Tournament kicks off Tuesday, April 14, with the 7‑vs‑8 and 9‑vs‑10 games deciding the final playoff berths. (The 7‑8 winner locks the seventh seed while the 9‑10 winner plays an elimination game and then the loser of 7‑8 for the eighth spot.) (sports.yahoo.com)
The National Basketball Association’s Play-In Tournament opens Tuesday, April 14, with four teams in each conference still chasing the last two playoff spots. (nba.com) The format keeps the seventh- and eighth-place teams one win from the playoffs, while the ninth- and 10th-place teams have to survive two games. The No. 7 team hosts No. 8, and the winner takes the seventh seed; No. 9 hosts No. 10, and the loser is out. (nba.com) The Tuesday schedule starts in the East with the Charlotte Hornets hosting the Miami Heat at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time, then shifts West with the Phoenix Suns hosting the Portland Trail Blazers at 10 p.m. Eastern time. Wednesday brings the other two games: Orlando Magic at Philadelphia 76ers in the East and Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Clippers in the West. (nba.com) The winners of the No. 7-versus-No. 8 games move straight into the first round, which starts Saturday, April 18. The losers get one more chance on Friday, April 17, when they host the winners of the No. 9-versus-No. 10 games for the eighth seed. (nba.com) The tournament exists because the league expanded the postseason race in 2020 and made it permanent in 2022. It gives teams that finish seventh through 10th a path into the bracket without changing the six automatic playoff spots in each conference. (nba.com) This year’s field shows how tight the margins were at the bottom of both conferences. In the East, Philadelphia and Orlando both finished 45-37, while Charlotte went 44-38 and Miami 43-39; in the West, Phoenix finished 45-37, Portland 42-40, the Clippers 42-40 and the Warriors 37-45. (nba.com) The Play-In also sets the final first-round matchups already waiting at the top of the bracket. Detroit and Boston have locked up the top two seeds in the East, while Oklahoma City and San Antonio hold the top two spots in the West. (nba.com) All six Play-In games from April 14 through April 17 will stream exclusively on Prime Video, according to the league’s schedule page. By Friday night, the 16-team playoff field will be complete. (nba.com)
