Play‑In field set
- The NBA Play-In Tournament concluded, finalizing the playoff field for Round 1 matchups. - The 76ers, Magic, Trail Blazers and Suns advanced while the Heat, Clippers, Hornets and Warriors were eliminated. - The whole Play-In phase was held on Prime Video, and the bracket moved immediately into traditional playoff scheduling. ( )
The National Basketball Association play-in is over, and the 2026 playoff bracket is now fully set after four teams survived the last-chance round. (nba.com) Philadelphia locked up the East’s No. 7 seed, Orlando took No. 8, Portland claimed No. 7 in the West, and Phoenix grabbed No. 8. Miami, the Los Angeles Clippers, Charlotte and Golden State were eliminated. (cbssports.com) The play-in ran from April 14 to April 17, and the first round of the playoffs began the next day, April 18. The National Basketball Association’s official postseason calendar listed the play-in as a separate four-day event before the standard best-of-seven bracket opened. (nba.com) That format exists to decide the final two playoff spots in each conference. Teams that finish seventh through 10th in the regular-season standings enter a mini-tournament, with the winners advancing as the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds. (cbssports.com) This year’s results immediately shaped the first-round matchups. The 76ers drew the Boston Celtics, the Magic drew the Detroit Pistons, the Trail Blazers drew the San Antonio Spurs, and the Suns drew the Oklahoma City Thunder. (nba.com (nba.com) The 2026 play-in was also a clean broadcast handoff. The National Basketball Association said the entire SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament was carried exclusively on Prime Video, while first-round games shifted to outlets including ABC, ESPN, NBC and Prime Video. (nba.com) (sportingnews.com) By April 22, the bracket was no longer theoretical: first-round series were already underway, with Game 2s and Game 3s on the league schedule. The play-in’s job was finished as soon as the field was filled. (nba.com)
