Looking at the NBA Play-In Tournament schedule as a whole, leading up to the NBA Playoffs.
The NBA Playoffs are finally here. Well, practically. The NBA Play-In Tournament begins this week with the NBA Playoffs officially tipping off Saturday, April 15.
The biggest NBA Play-In Tournament storylines
Heading into the start of the postseason, there are many storylines that will fuel the NBA Play-In Tournament. In the East, will the Miami Heat be able to avoid potential disaster? Will we see any life from the Chicago Bulls or Toronto Raptors?
In the West, will the Los Angeles Lakers continue to carry their momentum from the regular season into the playoffs? Or will a team like the New Orleans Pelicans or Oklahoma City Thunder emerge as a spoiler?
Plus, what is going on in Minnesota? Will we see Rudy Gobert again in a meaningful role this season?
Before we get to the official start of the NBA Playoffs, we must figure out the final four teams that will qualify in each conference via the Play-In Tournament. Let’s take a look at the Play-In schedule as it prepares to begin.
The first leg of the NBA Play-In Tournament
- Game 1 – (8) Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat (7) – Tuesday, April 11 @ 7:30 p.m. ET
- Game 2 – (8) Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers (7) – Tuesday, April 11 @ 10:00 p.m. ET
- Game 3 – (10) Chicago Bulls vs. Toronto Rapotrs (9) – Wednesday, April 12 @ 7:00 p.m. ET
- Game 4 – (10) Okahoma City Thunder vs. New Orleans Pelicans (9) – Wednesday, April 12 @ 9:30 p.m. ET
The first slate of matchups will produce the 7th seed in each conference. In the East, that will come down to the Hawks or Heat. In the West, the 7th seed will be decided between the Timberwolves and Lakers. The other two games, which will take place on Wednesday will decide which of the bottom two teams advance to a win-and-in scenario for the 8th seed.
The final leg of the NBA Play-In Tournament
- Game 5 – (winner of Game 3) vs. (loser of Game 1) – Friday, April 14 @ 7/7:30 p.m. ET
- Game 6 – (winner of Game 4) vs. (loser of Game 2) – Friday, April 14 @ 9:30/10:00 p.m. ET
The final two games of the NBA Play-In will determine the 8th seed in each conference. Awaiting those teams in the NBA Playoffs will be the Denver Nuggets (in the West) and the Milwaukee Bucks (in the East).
All in all, this has been a great wrinkle that the league has thrown into the NBA postseason fold over the last few seasons. And, as has already been agreed upon, it’s something that will continue to be a mainstay in the postseason.
In the future, I wouldn’t be surprised if the league eventually decided to expand this one way or another. But, for now, eight teams will be battling for the final four spots in the NBA Playoffs. And it all begins Tuesday night.