How the NBAs play-in tournament works and when it | College News

With the common season ending Sunday, the NBA’s postseason is set to start Tuesday with the play-in tournament.

The Lakers, who completed third in the Western Conference, and the Clippers (fifth) certified for the first spherical of the playoffs, which start subsequent weekend.

The NBA’s inaugural play-in tournament got here during the COVID-19-interrupted 2019-20 season as a method to make it more aggressive when the common season resumed in the bubble at the Walt Disney World sports activities complicated close to Orlando, Fla. After one other experimental postseason using the play-in tournament, the NBA’s board of governors voted in July 2022 to keep the format.

Here’s the two-round, three-game format in every convention:

The prime six groups in every convention at the finish of the common season qualify for the first spherical of the playoffs whereas the groups in seventh by tenth place enter the play-in tournament from Tuesday by Friday for the closing two playoff spots.

The No. 7 crew hosts No. 8 with the winner incomes the seventh seed into the playoffs whereas the No. 9 crew hosts No. 10 in an elimination recreation. The loser of the 7-8 recreation then hosts the winner of the 9-10 recreation with that winner incomes the eighth seed.

Here’s the play-in schedule (instances PDT):

FIRST ROUND

Tuesday, April 15

East: No. 8 Atlanta at No. 7 Orlando, 4:30 p.m., TNT (winner seeded seventh)

West: No. 8 Memphis at No. 7 Golden State, 7 p.m., TNT (winner seeded seventh)

Wednesday, April 16

East: No. 10 Miami at No. 9 Chicago, 4:30 p.m., ESPN (loser eradicated)

West: No. 10 Dallas at No. 9 Sacramento, 7 p.m., ESPN (loser eradicated)

SECOND ROUND

Friday, April 18

East 9-10 winner at East 7-8 loser, 4:30 p.m., TNT (winner seeded eighth)

West 9-10 winner at West 7-8 loser, 7 p.m., ESPN (winner seeded eighth)