National Basketball Association

NBA Playoff Tracker: Play-in tournament set, first round takes shape

Updated Apr. 11, 2022 12:29 a.m. ET

The NBA's regular season came to an end on Sunday, which means it's time for the playoffs!

Play-in games begin on Tuesday and conclude Friday, while the first round starts on Saturday.

Here is the play-in tournament slate:

NBA PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT

GAME 1

No. 8 Cleveland Cavaliers @ No. 7 Brooklyn Nets

Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET on TNT

GAME 2

No. 8 L.A. Clippers @ No. 7 Minnesota Timberwolves

Tuesday, 9:30 p.m. ET on TNT

GAME 3

No. 10 Charlotte Hornets @ No. 9 Atlanta Hawks

Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN

GAME 4

No. 10 San Antonio Spurs @ No. 9 New Orleans Pelicans

Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN

GAME 5

Winner of Hornets-Hawks vs. Loser of Cavs-Nets

Friday, Time TBD, ESPN

GAME 6

Winner of Spurs-Pelicans vs. Loser of Clippers-T'wolves

Friday, Time TBD, TNT

How does the play-in tournament work?

The team with the seventh-best record in the conference — the No. 7 seed — will host the team with the eighth-best record in that conference — the No. 8 seed. The winner of that play-in game becomes the 7-seed in the NBA playoffs and will face the No. 2 seed from that conference in the first round.

The No. 9 seed in the conference will host the No. 10 seed in a separate play-in game. The loser of this game is out of the playoff mix. The winner will travel to face the loser of the 7-8 play-in game, and the winner of that game will secure the No. 8 seed and play the No. 1 seed from their conference in the first round of the postseason. The NBA Play-In Tournament begins Tuesday and concludes Friday.

FIRST-ROUND NBA PLAYOFF MATCHUPS (APRIL 16)

Western Conference

No. 1 Phoenix Suns vs. winner of play-in Game 6

No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies vs. winner of Clippers-T'wolves

No. 3 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 6 Denver Nuggets

No. 4 Dallas Mavericks vs. No. 5 Utah Jazz

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Miami Heat vs. winner of play-in Game 5

No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. winner of Cavs-Nets

No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 Chicago Bulls

No. 4 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 5 Toronto Raptors