The 2022–23 regular NBA season came to an end on Wednesday, with teams getting ready for the play-in tournament in their respective conferences.
The play-in is a mini four-team tournament in the Western and Eastern Conferences, played between teams that finished in positions seventh to tenth, and will be played from Tuesday, April 11, to Friday, April 14.
The 7th and 8th-placed teams play each other, with the winner securing the seventh spot, while the loser of the matchup plays the winner of the tie between the 9th and 10th-placed teams.
In the East: the Miami Heat (7th) and the Atlanta Hawks (8th) will play each other on Tuesday for a shot at the seventh playoff spot. The Heat, who got to the Eastern Conference finals last season, finished the regular season with a 44-38 win-loss record, clinching the southeast division that includes the Hawks, the Charlotte Hornets, the Orlando Magic, and the Washington Wizards.
The Hawks, on the other hand, finished with a balanced 41-41 win-loss record, and they will visit the FTX Arena for an automatic playoff chance. The winner of the tie plays the second seed in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics.
The Toronto Raptors (9th) and the Chicago Bulls (10th) will lock horns at the Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday, with the winner playing the losing team between the Heat and Hawks for a chance at the eighth seed. The 8th-seeded team will play the Milwaukee Bucks, who are number one in the East and also have the best record in the league.
THE BRACKET IS SET ???? pic.twitter.com/j7Dn0yxXyy
— NBA (@NBA) April 9, 2023
In the West: the Los Angeles Lakers (7th) and the Minnesota Timberwolves (8th) will also face each other on Tuesday with the seventh spot up for grabs. The Lakers with a 43-39 record, defeated the Utah Jazz 128-117 on Sunday, and will welcome the Timberwolves, who defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 113-108, to the Crypto.com Arena.
The Pelicans (9th) and Oklahoma City Thunder (10th) will face off on Wednesday at the Smoothie King Center, with the winners facing the loser between Lakers and Timberwolves on Friday. The eventual 7th and 8th seeds will play the Denver Nuggets and the Memphis Grizzlies, who finished first and second in the Western Conference, respectively.
FULL EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS
- MILWAUKEE BUCKS
- BOSTON CELTICS
- PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
- CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
- NEW YORK KNICKS
- BROOKLYN NETS
- MIAMI HEAT
- ATLANTA HAWKS
- TORONTO RAPTORS
- CHICAGO BULLS
FULL EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS
- DENVER NUGGETS
- MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
- SACRAMENTO KINGS
- PHOENIX SUNS
- LA CLIPPERS
- GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
- LOS ANGELES LAKERS
- MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
- NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
- OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
