The National Basketball Association will begin its postseason on Tuesday night with the beginning of the play-in tournament. Here is a look at the play-in schedule.
Tuesday, April 11
Atlanta at Miami, 6:30 p.m. – The No. 7 seed Miami Heat will host the No. 8 seed Atlanta Hawks in a rematch of last year’s first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The winner will advance to play the No. 2 Boston Celtics in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Minnesota at Los Angeles Lakers, 9 p.m. – The Lakers are the No. 7 seed and will host the No. 8 seed Timberwolves. The winner will advance to play the No. 2 seed Memphis Grizzlies in the first-round of the Western Conference playoffs.
Wednesday, April 12
Chicago at Toronto, 6 p.m. – The Toronto Raptors are the No. 9 seed while the Bulls are the No. 10 seed. The winner of this game will play the loser of the Atlanta-Miami game for the No. 8 seed and final spot in the East on Friday night. The winner of Friday night’s game advances to the first round and a matchup with the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks. The loser of this game is eliminated from the postseason.
Oklahoma City at New Orleans, 8:30 p.m. – The No. 9 seed OKC Thunder will host the No. 10 seed Pelicans. The winner of this game will play the loser of the Los Angeles-Minnesota game for the eighth and final spot in the playoffs on Friday night. The winner of Friday night’s game advances to the first round and a matchup with the No. 1 seed Denver Nuggets. The loser of the game is eliminated from the postseason.
The NBA Playoffs will begin on Saturday, April 15. Here are the first-round matchups
Eastern Conference
1) Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 8 Seed
5) New York Knicks vs. 5) Cleveland Cavaliers
2) Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 Seed
3) Philadelphia 76ers vs. 6) Brooklyn Nets
Western Conference
1) Denver Nuggets vs. No. 8 Seed
5) Los Angeles Clippers vs. 4) Phoenix Suns
2) Memphis Grizzlies vs. No. 7 Seed
3) Sacramento Kings vs. 6) Golden State Warriors
