Play‑In shakeup: two clinch
The Miami Heat beat the Philadelphia 76ers 109–90 to secure the Eastern No. 7 seed and a first‑round date with the Boston Celtics, while the Phoenix Suns defeated the Golden State Warriors 108–101 to grab the Western No. 7 and a matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves ( ). The play‑in now shifts into sudden‑death mode, with 9‑vs‑10 elimination games scheduled for Wednesday and final win‑or‑go‑home bouts on Friday as the last four playoff berths are decided (sportingnews.com).
Miami and Phoenix grabbed the first two play-in prizes Tuesday night, moving straight into the National Basketball Association playoffs as the No. 7 seeds. (nba.com, sportingnews.com) The play-in is a four-team bracket in each conference for seeds seven through 10. The No. 7 and No. 8 teams meet for the No. 7 seed, while the No. 9 and No. 10 teams play an elimination game for the right to face that loser for No. 8. (sportingnews.com, nba.com) That format means Tuesday’s winners avoided the most dangerous part of the week: a second win-or-go-home game on Friday, April 17. The National Basketball Association says the play-in runs from April 14 through April 17, with the full first round starting April 18. (nba.com, sportingnews.com) In the East, that leaves one path for the last berth: the loser of Orlando Magic at Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, April 15, will host the winner of Miami Heat at Charlotte Hornets on Friday. The winner of that Friday game becomes the No. 8 seed and opens against the Detroit Pistons. (nba.com, nba.com, sportingnews.com) In the West, the same structure applies. The loser of Portland Trail Blazers at Phoenix Suns on Tuesday moves into Friday’s final play-in game against the winner of Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, with the survivor drawing the Oklahoma City Thunder. (nba.com, sportingnews.com) The bracket also shapes the top of each conference. The No. 2 seeds wait for the Tuesday winners, while the No. 1 seeds wait for the Friday survivors, so Boston and San Antonio could lock in opponents before Detroit and Oklahoma City do. (nba.com, sportingnews.com) All six play-in games are streaming exclusively on Prime Video under the league’s new media-rights deal. Wednesday’s games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Eastern for the East and 10 p.m. Eastern for the West, with the same times set for Friday. (sportingnews.com, nba.com) By Friday night, the bracket will be complete: eight playoff teams in the East, eight in the West, and no more safety net for anyone still standing. (nba.com, sportingnews.com)
