Full NBA Play-In Tournament schedule, preview, and predictions
By Ben Handler
The NBA regular season has finally come to an end, but before we know all of the playoff matchups, the NBA Play-In Tournament must be decided. The Play-In tourney was started in the bubble season, was tweaked a bit, and has stuck ever since.
If you’re unfamiliar, the Play-In Tournament includes the teams that finished 7-10 in the final standings in each conference. The team that finishes seventh in the standings plays host to the team that finished eighth in one single game, and the winner moves into the playoff bracket as the seventh seed.
Meanwhile, the team that finished ninth in the standings hosts the team that came in 10th. The loser of that game is immediately eliminated from the postseason. Then the loser of the 7 v 8 matchup hosts the winner of the 9 v 10 matchup in a single-game elimination format to determine the eighth and final seed in the playoffs for each conference.
This season’s play-in should be incredible, as it features star power like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, Zion Williamson, Jimmy Butler, and others. It will also help finalize an already stacked playoff bracket and determine first-round matchups for the Celtics, Knicks, Thunder, and Nuggets. We’re in for a great week of do-or-die basketball games. Here’s what to watch and when.