How does the play-in tournament work in the NBA? What fans need to know

Ben Leibowitz, Akron Beacon Journal

As has been the case with other professional sports, the NBA has tinkered with its playoff (and regular season) formats in recent years.

The play-in tournament is among the biggest changes. It was officially put into place in 2021 and has been a fixture of the postseason format since. There was a single play-in game during the 2020 season, but it didn't have the format fans see now.

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So, what is the NBA's play-in tournament? How does it work? Which teams are involved in it this year?

Here's what fans need to know.

What is the NBA play-in tournament?

The NBA play-in tournament features four teams in both the Western and Eastern Conference.

Each season, the teams that finished with the No. 7-10 seeds go to the play-in format. Those teams play each other in a mini tournament to determine who the final two teams to make the playoffs proper will be.

How does the NBA play-in tournament work?

The No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in each conference play against each other, with the winner advancing to face the No. 2 seed in the standings in the playoff bracket.

The No. 9 and 10 seeds play each other, with the winner then facing the loser of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 matchup in "Round 2" to determine who gets in as the No. 8 seed to face the No. 1 seed.

The higher seed in each instance gets homecourt advantage.

What teams are in the 2024 NBA play-in tournament?

Feb 9, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) moves the ball against New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum (3) and guard Dyson Daniels (11) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 9, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) moves the ball against New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum (3) and guard Dyson Daniels (11) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

For the Western Conference, the No. 7 vs. No. 8 seed matchup will feature the New Orleans Pelicans at home against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The No. 9 seed Sacramento Kings, meanwhile, play host to the No. 10 seed Golden State Warriors.

As previously stated, the loser of the Lakers-Pelicans game would move on to face the winner of the Kings-Warriors matchup. The winner of that second-round game gets the final playoff slot while the loser is eliminated from contention.

For the Eastern Conference, the No. 7 seed Philadelphia 76ers face off against the No. 8 seed Miami Heat (the loser moves on to face the winner of the other game).

Also in the East, the No. 9 seed Chicago Bulls play host to the No. 10 seed Atlanta Hawks.

What is the schedule for the 2024 NBA play-in tournament?

Here's the breakdown of the play-in games in each conference:

Western Conference

  • No. 7 New Orleans Pelicans vs. No. 8 Los Angeles Lakers, Tuesday, April 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET (TNT)

  • No. 9 Sacramento Kings vs. No. 10 Golden State Warriors, Tuesday, April 16 at 10 p.m. ET (TNT)

Eastern Conference

  • No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 8 Miami Heat, Wednesday, April 17 at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)

  • No. 9 Chicago Bulls vs. No. 10 Atlanta Hawks, Wednesday, April 17 at 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Round 2 matchups

  • Eastern Conference No. 7/8 vs. No. 9/10, Friday, April 19, TBD (ESPN/Fubo)

  • Western Conference No. 7/8 vs. No. 9/10, Friday, April 19, TBD (TNT)

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: How does the NBA play-in tournament work? What fans need to know

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