NBA Play‑In begins tonight
The NBA Play‑In Tournament starts April 14 with eight teams competing for the last four playoff slots — No.7 hosts No.8 for the No.7 seed, No.9 hosts No.10, and that winner faces the 7/8 loser for the No.8 spot ( ). The wider bracket is locked and the full first‑round playoffs begin April 18, so tonight’s outcomes only finalize seeding and matchups (cbssports.com).
The National Basketball Association Play-In Tournament opens Tuesday, April 14, with four teams trying to lock up the No. 7 seeds before the bracket moves on. (nba.com) In the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers host the Orlando Magic in the No. 7 versus No. 8 game, and the Charlotte Hornets host the Miami Heat in the No. 9 versus No. 10 game. In the Western Conference, the Phoenix Suns host the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Los Angeles Clippers host the Golden State Warriors. (nba.com) The format gives the No. 7 and No. 8 teams two chances to reach the playoffs. Tuesday’s 7-versus-8 winners become the No. 7 seeds, while the 9-versus-10 losers are eliminated and the winners move on to a final game for the No. 8 seeds. (nba.com) Those last two games are scheduled for Friday, April 17, after the Tuesday winners and losers are sorted. The full first round of the National Basketball Association playoffs starts Saturday, April 18. (nba.com, cbssports.com) The rest of the playoff field is already set because the top six teams in each conference avoided the play-in. The Detroit Pistons and Oklahoma City Thunder enter as No. 1 seeds, and the play-in only decides who takes the seventh and eighth spots. (nba.com, cbssports.com) That leaves several first-round pairings waiting on this week’s results. In the East, the Pistons will face the eventual No. 8 seed and the Boston Celtics will face the No. 7 seed; in the West, the Thunder will draw the No. 8 seed and the San Antonio Spurs will get the No. 7 seed. (nba.com) The tournament was created to extend postseason races beyond the top eight and give teams finishing seventh through 10th a path into the bracket. National Basketball Association rules now make it a four-day bridge between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs. (nba.com, nbcsports.com) By Friday night, four teams will be in the playoffs and four will be done for the season. By Saturday, April 18, the postseason bracket will be complete and every first-round matchup will be on the board. (sports.yahoo.com, cbssports.com)
