How does the NBA play-in tournament work?
With the NBA’s regular season schedule hitting its final stretch of games teams are starting to jockey for playoff position in earnest. And for the fourth year in a row it will be 20 teams advancing past the end of the regular season, thanks to the recent addition of the league’s play-in tournament. So how does the NBA play-in tournament work?
Starting with the 2020/21 NBA season the league added a play-in tournament to its playoff system, which involves the teams that finish in seventh place through 10th place in both the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference standings. The teams that finish in first place through sixth place in their respective conference standings advance directly to the playoffs.
To open the play-in tournament, the ninth-place team in the standings plays host to the 10th-place team, with the winner of that game staying alive and the loser getting eliminated from postseason contention. As well, the seventh-place team in the standings plays host to the eighth-place team, with the winner of that game earning their conference’s No. 7 seed.
The winner of the game between the ninth-place team and the 10th-place team then faces the loser of the game between the seventh-place team and the eighth-place team, with the winner of that game earning their conference’s No. 8 seed. That sets each conference’s eight-team playoff field.
Overall Play-In Tournament Results
The NBA’s play-in tournament has now taken place three times, during the 2021, 2022, and 2023 postseasons. Overall the seventh-place teams have managed to advance to the playoffs in every single NBA play-in tournament, becoming the No. 7 seed five times and the No. 8 seed once.
The eighth-place team, however, has become the No. 7 seed just once and the No. 8 seed just twice, getting eliminated from the play-in tournament three times. The ninth-place team has become the No. 8 seed three times, going 4-2 in its opening game and 3-1 in the game that determined the No. 8 seed. The 10th-place team is 2-4 overall in its opening game but lost in both of its appearances in the game that determined the No. 8 seed, having never advanced to the playoffs.
The NBA’s regular season schedule comes to a close on Sunday, April 14, with the play-in tournament set to take place from April 16 to April 19. The playoffs themselves then get underway in earnest on Saturday, April 20. Here’s a look at the results of the first three play-in tournaments . . .
2021 Play-In Tournament Results
In the Eastern Conference seventh-place Boston beat eighth-place Washington to claim the No. 7 seed, and ninth-place Indiana beat 10th-place Charlotte to advance to face the Wizards in the next round. Washington then got past the Pacers to claim the No. 8 seed.
In the Western Conference the seventh-place Lakers edged the eighth-place Warriors to claim the No. 7 seed, while ninth-place Memphis beat 10th-place San Antonio to advance to play Golden State. The Grizzlies then used overtime to beat the Warriors and claim the No. 8 seed.
2022 Play-In Tournament Results
In the Eastern Conference seventh-place Brooklyn topped eighth-place Cleveland to claim the No. 7 seed, and ninth-place Atlanta got past 10th-place Charlotte to advance to face the Cavaliers. The Hawks then knocked off the Cavaliers to claim the No. 8 seed.
In the Western Conference it was seventh-place Minnesota beating the eighth-place Clippers to claim the No. 7 seed, and ninth-place New Orleans beat 10th-place San Antonio to advance to face Los Angeles. New Orleans then beat the Clippers to claim the No. 8 seed.
2023 Play-In Tournament Results
In the Eastern Conference it was eighth-place Atlanta that came out on top against seventh-place Miami to claim the No. 7 seed, with 10th-place Chicago beating ninth-place Toronto to advance to face the Heat. Miami then took care of the Bulls to claim the No. 8 seed.
In the Western Conference the seventh-place Lakers beat the eighth-place Timberwolves and claimed the No. 7 seed, with the 10th-place Thunder knocking off the ninth-place Pelicans to advance to face Minnesota. The Timberwolves then beat the Thunder to claim the No. 8 seed.
With zero championships between his MLB, NHL, and NFL teams over the last 30 years, Dave keeps one foot in the past while shaking his fist at the present. Having provided content to all manner of sports websites over a 20-year career in the industry, Dave brings to Attiq an eye for all things editorial and a disdain for all things New York Yankees. Click here for Dave's posts.
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