Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY SportsThe NBA's introduction of a play-in tournament in the 2022-23 season creates an intriguing dynamic in the final stretch of the regular season and the beginning of the playoffs. The teams already had less incentive to purposely lose games towards the end of the season, owing to the flattened lottery odds put in place in 2019. With the top 10 teams in the standings now having a shot at making the playoffs, more teams will remain in contention for longer periods. While some players, like LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks, have voiced their discontent with the play-in tournament, we can anticipate fierce battles as teams compete for the final playoff spots in each conference, as we've seen in previous seasons. This guide provides all the information necessary about the 2023 play-in tournament, including the schedule, locations, matchups, and procedures.
Here's an overview of the current projected play-in matchups for both conferences, as of April 6th:
Eastern Conference
No. 9 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 10 Chicago Bulls
No. 7 Miami Heat vs. No. 8 Atlanta Hawks
These teams are currently in the play-in tournament standings in the Eastern Conference:
- Brooklyn Nets - 44-36 (1.5 games ahead of 7th)
- Miami Heat - 43-37
- Atlanta Hawks - 41-39
- Toronto Raptors - 40-40
- Chicago Bulls - 38-42
The Raptors, Hawks, and Bulls are guaranteed a spot in the play-in tournament, while the Pacers, Wizards, Magic, Hornets, and Pistons have been eliminated from postseason contention.
Western Conference
No. 9 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 10 Oklahoma City Thunder
No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 8 New Orleans Pelicans
These teams are currently in the play-in tournament standings in the Western Conference:
- LA Clippers - 42-38 (1 game ahead of 7th)
- Golden State Warriors - 42-38
- Los Angeles Lakers - 41-39
- New Orleans Pelicans - 41-39
- Minnesota Timberwolves - 40-40
- Oklahoma City Thunder - 39-42
- Dallas Mavericks - 38-42 (Thunder hold the tiebreaker over the Mavericks)
The Jazz, Blazers, Spurs, and Rockets have been eliminated from postseason contention.
NBA Play-In Tournament: An Explanation of How It Works
The NBA play-in tournament involves six games played by eight teams, which are split between the two conferences. The top six teams in each conference automatically secure playoff spots, while the teams ranked 7th to 10th enter the play-in tournament. Any team ranked lower than 10th will participate in the NBA draft lottery.
The games will be played in three rounds. The first round, or Game 1s, will be held on April 11, with the No. 7 and No. 8 teams from each conference competing. The winners will earn the No. 7 seed in the playoffs, while the losers will have another chance in Game 3s.
Game 2s will take place on April 12, featuring the No. 9 and No. 10 teams from each conference. The winners will advance to Game 3s, while the losers will be eliminated and join the NBA draft lottery.
Game 3s will be played on April 14. The losers of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 matchups will compete against the winners of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 matchups. The victors will secure the No. 8 seed in the playoffs, while the losers will enter the NBA draft lottery.
Teams ranked 7th and 8th will have two opportunities to win one game and advance to the playoffs, while teams ranked 9th and 10th will need to win two consecutive games to move forward.
What are the must-watch games of the NBA play-in tournament?
Here are the games to watch in the final week of the season, some of which could have an impact on the play-in race (games involving multiple play-in adjacent teams are listed in bold):
Friday, April 7:
- Heat at Wizards, 7 p.m. ET
- Magic at Nets, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Raptors at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. ET
- 76ers at Hawks, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Knicks at Pelicans, 8 p.m. ET
- Bulls at Mavericks, 8:30 p.m. ET
- Warriors at Kings, 10 p.m. ET
- Suns at Lakers, 10:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, April 8:
- Nuggets at Jazz, 3:30 p.m. ET
- Trail Blazers at Clippers, 4 p.m. ET
- Timberwolves at Spurs, 4 p.m. ET
Sunday, April 9:
- Hawks at Celtics, 1 p.m. ET
- 76ers at Nets, 1 p.m. ET
- Pistons at Bulls, 1 p.m. ET
- Magic at Heat, 1 p.m. ET
- Bucks at Raptors, 1 p.m. ET
- Spurs at Mavericks, 3:30 p.m. ET
- Jazz at Lakers, 3:30 p.m. ET
- Pelicans at Timberwolves, 3:30 p.m. ET
- Grizzlies at Thunder, 3:30 p.m. ET
- Clippers at Suns, 3:30 p.m. ET
- Warriors at Trail Blazers, 3:30 p.m.