Who could have imagined some of basketball’s biggest stars would be spending the final stretch of the 2021-22 regular season battling for a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament?
The standings in the Eastern and Western Conferences are still tight with only a few games left on the schedule, so a single win or loss could make a major difference in seedings.
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Which teams will punch their tickets to the postseason? And which playoff hopefuls will miss the cut?
Here’s a breakdown of the NBA Play-In Tournament, including the projected matchups in each conference and an explanation of the tournament format.
*clinched
**clinched NBA Play-In berth
Eliminated from NBA Playoff contention: Knicks, Magic, Pacers, Pistons, Wizards
*clinched NBA Playoff berth
**clinched NBA Play-In berth
Eliminated from NBA Playoff contention: Kings, Lakers, Rockets, Thunder, Trail Blazers
(7) Nets vs. (8) Cavaliers
(9) Hawks vs. (10) Hornets
(7) Timberwolves vs. (8) Clippers
(9) Pelicans vs. (10) Spurs
Head-to-head record is the first tiebreaker. If teams split the season series, the next tiebreaker is higher winning percentage within the division if teams share a division. If they do not share a division, the tiebreaker is winning percentage in conference games.
The 2021-22 NBA regular season will end on Sunday, April 10. The 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament will begin on Tuesday, April 12. The first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs will start four days later on Saturday, April 16.
