What Seeds Are In The NBA Play In?

The NBA play in tournament is here and we have all the info on what seeds are playing and when.

The NBA’s Play-In Tournament

The NBA’s Play-In Tournament will feature the ninth and tenth seeds in each conference playing each other in a one-game playoff. The winner of each game will then earn the seventh seed in the conference and will play the second seed in the first round of the playoffs. Here are the seeds in the NBA’s Play-In Tournament.

What is the NBA’s Play-In Tournament?

The National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Play-In Tournament is a mini-tournament that takes place at the end of the regular season. It is a single-elimination tournament that features the two teams with the worst records in each conference. These four teams will play each other in two games, with the winner of each game advancing to the conference’s regular season.

The Play-In Tournament will be held from May 18-21. The first round of games will be played on May 18 and 19, and the second round will be played on May 20 and 21. The schedule for the first round is as follows:

May 18:
Team 1 vs. Team 8
Team 4 vs. Team 5

May 19:
Team 2 vs. Team 7
Team 3 vs. Team 6

The schedule for the second round is as follows:
May 20: Winner of Team 1 vs. Team 8 vs. Winner of Team 4 vs. Team 5
May 21: Winner of Team 2 vs. Team 7 vs. Winner of Team 3 vs. Team 6

How does the NBA’s Play-In Tournament work?

The NBA’s Play-In Tournament is a postseason tournament that was introduced in the 2020-21 season. It consists of two rounds of single-elimination games, with the winners of each round qualifying for the NBA Playoffs.

The format of the tournament is simple: the seventh and eighth seed in each conference play each other, with the winner claiming the seventh seed in the playoffs. Similarly, the ninth and tenth seeds play each other, with the winner earning the right to face the loser of the seventh/eight matchup for the eighth and final playoff spot.

This year’s Play-In Tournament will take place from May 18-21.

What seeds are in the NBA’s Play-In Tournament?

The NBA’s Play-In Tournament features the 7th through 10th seeds in each conference. The tournament is a double-elimination format, with the 7th and 8th seeds playing each other and the winner advancing to play the 9th seed. The loser of that game will play the 10th seed, with the winner of that game going on to play the loser of the 7-8 game. The winner of that final game goes on to play the 6th seed in the conference playoffs.

The NBA’s Play-In Tournament Seeds

The NBA’s Play-In Tournament is a ten-day event that will take place from May 18-28. The tournament will feature eight teams, four from each conference, who will compete for the final two seeds in the NBA Playoffs. The top seed from each conference will earn a spot in the NBA Playoffs, while the second and third seeds will play each other in a best-of-three series. The winner of that series will earn the seventh seed, and the loser will take on the sixth seed in a one-game playoff. The winner of that game will earn the eighth and final seed in the NBA Playoffs.

The Western Conference

As the regular season comes to a close, the Western Conference is still very much up for grabs. The Los Angeles Lakers currently sit atop the conference with a 49-14 record, but they are closely followed by the Clippers (48-14), Nuggets (46-18), Jazz (44-20), and Thunder (43-21).

The top five seeds in the conference are all but locked up at this point, but there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the rest of the playoff picture. The Mavericks (40-24), Rockets (39-26), Blazers (35-29), Grizzlies (34-30), Spurs (32-31), and Pelicans (30-33) are all within striking distance of each other, and it will be any one of those teams’ games to lose as they battle it out for the final spot in the play-in tournament.

So, what does that mean for the seeding of the play-in tournament? Well, it’s still too early to say for sure, but we can take a look at how things could shake out based on the current standings.

Assuming that the Lakers and Clippers each win their remaining games and finish with identical records, they would each earn the top seed in their respective conferences. The Jazz would then earn the second seed in the West by virtue of their better conference record than Denver (44-20 vs. 46-18).

With those three teams locked into their seeds, that would leave four teams battling for two spots in the play-in tournament. The Mavericks would currently hold onto seventh place by virtue of their better record than both Houston and Portland (40-24 vs. 39-26 and 35-29). Memphis would then be ninth based on their better record than San Antonio and New Orleans (34=30 vs. 32=31 and 30=33).

Of course, there are still plenty of games to be played and a lot can change between now and when the regular season comes to an end. But based on where things stand today, that’s how we expect the Western Conference play-in tournament to shake out.

The Eastern Conference

The Eastern Conference features two groups of teams: the seven that would normally make the playoffs, and the four “play-in” teams. The top seed in each group will automatically advance to the first round of the playoffs. The second seed in each group will play the third seed in the other group, with the winner getting the final spot in the first round.

The play-in tournament will take place from May 18-21.

Here are the seeds:

Eastern Conference:
1. Milwaukee Bucks (playoff team)
2. Brooklyn Nets (playoff team)
3. Philadelphia 76ers (playoff team)
4. Miami Heat (playoff team)
5. Boston Celtics (playoff team)
6. Atlanta Hawks (playoff team)
7. New York Knicks (playoff team)
8. Washington Wizards (play-in team)
9. Charlotte Hornets (play-in team)
10. Indiana Pacers (play-in team)

The NBA’s Play-In Tournament Matchups

The 2020 NBA Playoffs will feature a play-in tournament for the first time ever. The tournament will be held from August 15-21 and will include the seventh through tenth seeds in each conference. The seventh seed will play the eighth seed, and the winner of that game will play the ninth seed. The winner of that game will get the seventh seed in the playoffs.

The Western Conference

In the Western Conference, the seventh seed will play the eighth seed, and the ninth seed will play the tenth seed. The winner of each game will advance to play the second seed in the conference. The loser of each game will advance to play the seventh seed. From there, the bracket will proceed as normal.

The Eastern Conference

In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics (7) will take on the Washington Wizards (8). The winner of that game will advance to take on the winner of the game between the Indiana Pacers (6) and the Charlotte Hornets (5).

The Western Conference matchups are a little more complicated. First, the Memphis Grizzlies (9) will take on the San Antonio Spurs (10). The winner of that game will advance to take on either the Los Angeles Lakers (7) or the Golden State Warriors (8). The Lakers and Warriors will play each other for the right to advance to take on the loser of the Grizzlies-Spurs game.