NBA Play-In Tournament: Predicting the 8 teams that will compete in the East and West

With still a few weeks remaining in the regular season, we attempt to predict which eight teams from both conferences will participate in the NBA Play-In Tournament. 

The 2023 NBA Play-In Tournament is a little more than a month away (it officially will take place April 11-14). It’s essentially the first leg of the playoffs and really marks the start of the NBA’s postseason.

The NBA Play-In Tournament format

The NBA Play-In Tournament is quite simple. The 7th and 8th seeds in each conference will play each other in what could be categorized as “Game 1” (of the tournament). The winner of that game qualifies as the 7th seed.

In “Game 2,” the 9th and 10th seeds face off against one another. The winner of that game will then play the loser of “Game 1.” The loser of “Game 2” is effectively eliminated from playoff contention.

“Game 3” features the loser of “Game 1” and the winner of “Game 2.” The winner of “Game 3” qualities for the postseason as the 8th seed. And it’s that simple. Three games for two teams to qualify for the playoffs.

Now that it is understood, let’s give an early prediction of what we believe the NBA Play-In Tournament will look like and how it could play out in both the Eastern and Western Conferences.