Play‑in bracket shifts
The play‑in tournament reshaped the bracket: the 76ers secured the East’s No. 7 seed, the Hornets advanced after LaMelo Ball’s overtime game‑winning layup, and Portland locked the West’s No. 7 spot in earlier action ( ). Those results leave Golden State facing the Suns for the final West seed on Friday while other matchups fall into place ( ).
The National Basketball Association play-in round has narrowed the bracket to two win-and-in games on Friday, April 17: Orlando Magic at Charlotte Hornets in the East and Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns in the West. (nba.com) Philadelphia locked up the Eastern Conference’s No. 7 seed on Wednesday by beating Orlando and drawing a first-round series with the No. 2 Boston Celtics. Portland had already claimed the Western Conference’s No. 7 seed on Tuesday and will open against the No. 2 San Antonio Spurs. (cbssports.com) Charlotte stayed alive Tuesday when LaMelo Ball scored 30 points with 10 assists and hit the go-ahead layup with 4.7 seconds left in overtime of a 127-126 win over Miami Heat. The Hornets now host Orlando for the East’s final playoff berth. (nba.com) Portland reached the playoffs by beating Phoenix 114-110 in the 7-versus-8 game behind Deni Avdija’s 41 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds. That loss dropped the Suns into one more elimination game, this time at home against Golden State. (nba.com) Golden State extended its season on Wednesday by erasing a late deficit and beating the Los Angeles Clippers in the 9-versus-10 game. That result turned the Western Conference’s last spot into a Suns-Warriors matchup, with the winner advancing to face the No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder. (cbssports.com) The play-in format gives the seventh- and eighth-place teams two chances to reach the playoffs, while the ninth- and 10th-place teams must win twice. In practice, that means Phoenix and Orlando got a second game after losing, while Golden State and Charlotte had to survive elimination just to get to Friday. (nba.com) Six of the eight first-round series are already set before Friday’s games: Celtics versus 76ers, New York Knicks versus Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers versus Toronto Raptors, San Antonio Spurs versus Portland, Denver Nuggets versus Minnesota Timberwolves, and Los Angeles Lakers versus Houston Rockets. The top-seeded Detroit Pistons and Thunder are still waiting on the final play-in winners. (cbssports.com) The first round starts Saturday, April 18, one day after the play-in ends. By Friday night, the bracket that opened with 20 postseason teams will be down to the final 16. (nba.com)
