Play‑In field locked
The NBA Play‑In Tournament field is set and will decide the final four playoff spots under the familiar format — No. 7 hosts No. 8 for the 7‑seed, while No. 9 hosts No. 10 with that winner facing the loser of 7‑vs‑8 for the 8‑seed. (The league published the schedule and TV/streaming details as the regular season closed.) (nbcsportsphiladelphia.com) (sportingnews.com) (x.com)
The National Basketball Association’s Play-In Tournament field is set, with eight teams opening a four-day race for the last four playoff spots on April 14. (nba.com) In the Eastern Conference, the Charlotte Hornets host the Miami Heat on Tuesday, April 14, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time, and the Philadelphia 76ers host the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, April 15, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time. (nba.com) In the Western Conference, the Phoenix Suns host the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday, April 14, at 10 p.m. Eastern time, and the Los Angeles Clippers host the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, April 15, at 10 p.m. Eastern time. (nba.com) The format keeps the No. 7 and No. 8 finishers one loss away from the playoffs and puts the No. 9 and No. 10 teams in an elimination game first. The winner of each 7-versus-8 game claims the No. 7 seed, while the loser gets one more home game against the 9-versus-10 winner for the No. 8 seed. (nba.com) The tournament sits between the regular season and the first round, which begins Saturday, April 18. The league lists April 13 at 3 p.m. Eastern time as the deadline for playoff rosters and June 3 as the date for Game 1 of the National Basketball Association Finals. (nba.com) This year’s bracket was locked in after the regular season ended Sunday, April 12, with all 30 teams in action. National Basketball Association playoff pages show the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics at the top of the East bracket, and the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs at the top of the West bracket. (nba.com) The Play-In Tournament has used this 7-through-10 format since 2021 after a one-season trial in the 2020 restart at Walt Disney World. The league says the system determines the seventh and eighth seeds in each conference rather than the full playoff field. (nba.com) Every 2026 play-in game will stream exclusively on Prime Video, according to the league schedule and broadcast listings published as the bracket became official. (nba.com)
