Play‑In starts in two days

The National Basketball Association play-in tournament opens Tuesday, April 14, with eight teams chasing the last four playoff spots. (nba.com) The format is simple: the No. 7 seed hosts No. 8 for one playoff berth, and No. 9 hosts No. 10 in an elimination game. The winner of the 9-versus-10 game then plays the loser of the 7-versus-8 game for the No. 8 seed. (nbcsports.com) In the Eastern Conference, Orlando finished seventh at 45-36, Philadelphia finished eighth at 44-37, Charlotte finished ninth at 43-38, and Miami finished 10th at 42-39. In the Western Conference, Phoenix finished seventh at 44-37, Portland finished eighth at 41-40, Los Angeles Clippers finished ninth at 41-40, and Golden State finished 10th at 37-44. (basketball-reference.com) Tuesday’s games are Miami at Charlotte at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time and Portland at Phoenix at 10 p.m. Eastern time. Wednesday’s games are Orlando at Philadelphia at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time and Golden State at the Los Angeles Clippers at 10 p.m. Eastern time. (nbcsports.com) The Friday, April 17 games will decide the No. 8 seeds, with the 9-versus-10 winner traveling to face the 7-versus-8 loser in each conference. The first round of the playoffs starts Saturday, April 18. (nba.com) The bracket around the play-in is already set. The Eastern Conference No. 1 Detroit Pistons will face the East No. 8 qualifier, while the Boston Celtics will face the East No. 7 qualifier; in the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder draw the West No. 8 qualifier and the San Antonio Spurs draw the West No. 7 qualifier. (nba.com) The tournament was created to pull more teams into the postseason race and raise the cost of finishing seventh or eighth instead of sixth. National Basketball Association Commissioner Adam Silver pushed for the format, and NBC Sports noted that it also gives teams a stronger incentive to avoid the play-in entirely by finishing in the top six. (nbcsports.com) The play-in has also produced at least one deep run: the Miami Heat reached the 2023 National Basketball Association Finals after advancing through the tournament as the No. 8 seed. This year’s field includes former Most Valuable Players Stephen Curry and Joel Embiid, which gives the opening week of the postseason star power before the standard best-of-seven rounds begin. (nbcsports.com) By Friday night, the bracket will be complete and all 16 playoff matchups will be locked in. The first tipoff in that final scramble comes Tuesday, April 14. (nba.com)