Play‑in starts today
The NBA Play‑In Tournament kicked off today as the postseason moved from seeding math to do‑or‑die games. (espn.com) Broad coverage now focuses on questions like whether the Thunder can repeat and whether top stars such as Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander and LeBron James will carry their teams under playoff pressure. (espn.com)
The National Basketball Association postseason shifted into elimination mode on Wednesday, April 15, with two play-in games deciding one East berth and one West knockout. (nba.com) Orlando Magic, the East No. 8 seed, play the No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time, and the winner claims the conference’s No. 7 playoff seed. In the West, the No. 9 Los Angeles Clippers face the No. 10 Golden State Warriors at 10 p.m. Eastern time, with the loser eliminated that night. (nba.com) Tuesday’s opening play-in results already changed the bracket. Charlotte beat Miami 127-126 in overtime to stay alive in the East, and Portland beat Phoenix 114-110 to lock up the West’s No. 7 seed. (nba.com) The format gives teams that finish seventh through 10th one extra route into the playoffs. The No. 7 and No. 8 teams play for the No. 7 seed, while the No. 9 and No. 10 teams play an elimination game; the remaining two teams then meet Friday for the No. 8 seed. (sports.yahoo.com) This year’s final standings made the play-in field unusually tight in the East and more uneven in the West. Philadelphia and Orlando both finished 45-37, Charlotte finished 44-38, and Miami finished 43-39, while Portland finished 42-40, Phoenix and the Clippers both finished 45-37, and Golden State finished 37-45. (espn.com) The first-round bracket is partly set before the last two play-in spots are filled. New York opens against Atlanta, Cleveland opens against Toronto, and top-seeded Detroit and Boston are waiting on the East play-in winners; in the West, Oklahoma City waits for the No. 8 seed, while Portland is already slotted to face San Antonio. (nba.com) Oklahoma City enters as the West’s No. 1 seed at 64-18 after winning the conference by two games over San Antonio. Detroit finished 60-22 to lead the East, four games ahead of Boston. (espn.com) The star focus shifts with the bracket. ESPN’s postseason impact ranking published Wednesday put play-in players such as Stephen Curry lower than their usual stature because teams in this round can be out by Friday, while top contenders are led by names including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, LeBron James and Victor Wembanyama. (espn.com) The play-in ends Friday, April 17, and the first round starts Saturday, April 18. By then, the standings math is over, and every remaining team will have an opponent, a seed and a series to survive. (nba.com)
