Tonight’s play‑in openers
The Play‑In tips off tonight with Miami Heat vs. Charlotte Hornets at 7:30 pm ET and Portland Trail Blazers vs. Phoenix Suns at 10:00 pm ET, the first step to claim the last playoff seeds (x.com) (sports.yahoo.com). These single‑game and two‑round matchups instantly alter who advances to the bracket once results land (x.com) (cbssports.com).
The National Basketball Association’s play-in round starts Tuesday, April 14, with two elimination games that will decide which teams stay alive for the final playoff spots. (nba.com) The Charlotte Hornets host the Miami Heat at Spectrum Center at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time in the Eastern Conference 9-versus-10 game. The Phoenix Suns host the Portland Trail Blazers at Mortgage Matchup Center at 10:00 p.m. Eastern time in the Western Conference 7-versus-8 game. (nba.com) (sports.yahoo.com) The stakes are different in the two slots. Miami or Charlotte is out with a loss, while Phoenix or Portland can still reach the playoffs with one more win after a loss Tuesday. (nba.com) (dispatch.com) The play-in uses the teams seeded seventh through 10th in each conference. The seventh-place team plays the eighth-place team for the No. 7 seed, and the ninth-place team plays the 10th-place team in a straight elimination game. (nba.com) The losers and winners cross over after that first night. The loser of the 7-versus-8 game hosts the winner of the 9-versus-10 game for the No. 8 seed on Friday, April 17. (nba.com) (cbssports.com) The rest of the bracket is already partly locked in. The first round of the National Basketball Association playoffs begins Saturday, April 18, one day after the play-in ends. (nba.com) In the East, Charlotte finished ninth at 44-38 and Miami finished 10th at 43-39, which gave the Hornets home court for Tuesday’s game. In the West, Phoenix finished seventh at 45-37 and Portland finished eighth at 42-40, which put the Suns in the less dangerous 7-versus-8 slot. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) All play-in games this year are scheduled to stream on Prime Video from April 14 through April 17. By the end of Friday night, the last four playoff seeds will be set and the full bracket will be final. (sports.yahoo.com) (nba.com)
