The 2026 NBA Play-In Tournament began Tuesday, and features the teams that finish 7 through 10 in the East and West standings, with a chance to earn the final two playoff spots in each conference on the line. Let’s break it down:
Play-In Tournament schedule (all games on Prime)
Tuesday
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East: No. 9 Hornets 127, No. 10 Heat 126 (OT)
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West: No. 8 Trail Blazers 114, No. 7 Phoenix Suns 110
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Wednesday
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East: No. 8 Magic vs. No. 7 76ers, 7:30 p.m. ET
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West: No. 10 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 9 Clippers, 10 p.m. ET
The winners of the 7-8 games advance to the playoffs as the No. 7 seeds; the losers will play again on Friday.
The winners of the 9-10 games will play again Friday for a shot at the No. 8 seeds; the losers will be eliminated.
Friday
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No. 9 Hornets vs. Loser of Magic-76ers, 7:30 p.m. ET
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Winner of Clippers-Warriors vs. No. 7 Suns, 10 p.m. ET
The winners advance to the playoffs as the No. 8 seeds; the losers will be eliminated.
How the play-in tournament works
The current format of the play-in tournament was introduced during the 2020-21 season. Teams that finish 7 through 10 in the standings will participate in a two-round tournament for a shot at the playoffs as the seventh and eighth seeds.
From the NBA:
Each conference’s No. 7 team in the standings will host the No. 8 team. The winners secure the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. The losers will get another chance to earn a playoff spot.
Each conference’s No. 9 team in the standings will host the No. 10 team. The winners will advance to the final stage of the Play-In Tournament. The losers are eliminated.
The losers of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 matchups will host the winners of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 matchups. The winners secure the No. 8 seed in the NBA playoffs for its conference. The losing teams are eliminated.
The 2026 NBA Playoffs begin April 18.