Play‑In tournament opens
The NBA Play‑In Tournament begins tonight, with eight teams squaring off for the final two playoff seeds in each conference. (CBS Sports) The schedule features headline matchups like Stephen Curry’s Warriors vs. Kawhi Leonard’s Clippers in the West, the 7/8 East game of the 76ers vs. the Magic, and a 9/10 elimination game with Miami visiting Charlotte — the 7/8 winner becomes the No. 7 seed while the 9/10 loser is out. ( ) (Covers has betting context for Heat at Hornets). (covers.com)
The National Basketball Association’s play-in round starts Tuesday, April 14, with four teams in each conference chasing the last two playoff spots. (nba.com) The format is simple: the No. 7 and No. 8 teams play for the No. 7 seed, the No. 9 and No. 10 teams play an elimination game, and the remaining teams meet for the No. 8 seed. (nbcsports.com) In the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic both finished 45-37 and meet Wednesday for the No. 7 seed, while the Charlotte Hornets host the Miami Heat on Tuesday in the 9-versus-10 game. (nba.com, nbcsports.com) In the Western Conference, the Phoenix Suns host the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday in the 7-versus-8 game, and the Los Angeles Clippers host the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday in the 9-versus-10 game. (nba.com, nbcsports.com) The winners on Tuesday and Wednesday do not all advance the same way. Phoenix or Portland would lock up the West’s No. 7 seed immediately, and Philadelphia or Orlando will do the same in the East on Wednesday; Charlotte-Miami and Clippers-Warriors are straight survival games. (nbcsports.com, nba.com) The stakes are larger than one extra game because the bracket is already waiting. The East’s No. 7 seed will face the Boston Celtics, the East’s No. 8 seed will face the Detroit Pistons, the West’s No. 7 seed will face the San Antonio Spurs, and the West’s No. 8 seed will face the Oklahoma City Thunder. (nba.com) The play-in was created under Commissioner Adam Silver and has become a regular part of the league calendar, with the league and its television partners using it to extend postseason races beyond the top six seeds. NBC Sports notes the league originally sold it as a way to reduce tanking and give more teams a reason to keep pushing late in the season. (nbcsports.com) This year’s field mixes established stars with teams trying to turn a late surge into a series. NBC Sports highlighted Stephen Curry and Joel Embiid among the biggest names in the bracket, while NBA.com pointed to Charlotte’s jump from 11-23 two days into 2026 to a 44-win finish. (nbcsports.com, nba.com) There is one recent example of a play-in team turning this detour into a deep run. NBC Sports notes the 2023 Miami Heat lost their first play-in game, grabbed the No. 8 seed in the second, and then reached the National Basketball Association Finals. (nbcsports.com) By Friday night, four of these eight teams will be done and four will be in the bracket. The first round of the playoffs begins Saturday, April 18. (nba.com, nba.com)
