NBA Play-In Tournament: How It Works & This Week's Schedule

The NBA postseason officially kicks off on Tuesday, April 14th, with the introduction of the Play-In Tournament. This mini-competition precedes the main playoffs, featuring teams that finished between seventh and tenth place in the regular season standings. The stakes are high, as two coveted playoff spots in each conference are up for grabs.

The final night of the regular season saw the Detroit Pistons and Oklahoma City Thunder secure their top seeds in the East and West, respectively, followed by the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs. While the Play-In participants were determined a few days prior to the last regular season games, their final standings are crucial. Teams finishing 7th and 8th need only win one game to advance to the playoffs, whereas the 9th and 10th seeds must win two games to secure their playoff berths.

Western Conference Play-In Teams:

7. Phoenix Suns
8. Portland Trail Blazers
9. Los Angeles Clippers
10. Golden State Warriors

Eastern Conference Play-In Teams:

7. Philadelphia 76ers
8. Orlando Magic
9. Charlotte Hornets
10. Miami Heat

How the NBA Play-In Tournament Works:

The Play-In Tournament will take place from Tuesday, April 14th (which will be Wednesday in European time) through Friday, April 17th. The 7th and 8th ranked teams will play each other first, with the winner automatically securing the 7th seed in the playoffs. The loser of this matchup will still have a chance to qualify; they will face the winner of another 'semi-final' game between the 9th and 10th seeded teams.

2026 Play-In Tournament Schedule:

Western Conference:

Suns (7) vs. Trail Blazers (8): April 15th, 4:00 AM CEST, 3:00 AM BST
Clippers (9) vs. Warriors (10): April 16th, 4:00 AM CEST, 3:00 AM BST
Finals (Western Conference): April 18th, 4:00 AM CEST, 3:00 AM BST

Eastern Conference:

76ers (7) vs. Magic (8): April 16th, 1:30 AM CEST, 00:30 AM BST
Hornets (9) vs. Heat (10): April 15th, 1:30 AM CEST, 00:30 AM BST
Finals (Eastern Conference): April 18th, 1:30 AM CEST, 00:30 AM BST

Following the Play-In Tournament, the main NBA playoffs are scheduled to commence on Saturday, April 18th. The initial playoff matchups include Cavaliers vs. Raptors, Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, Lakers vs. Rockets, and Knicks vs. Hawks.