The 2026 NBA Play-In tournament begins Tuesday, and will feature 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)TuesdayEast: (10) Heat vs. (9) Hornets, 7:30 p.m. ETWest: (8) Trail Blazers vs. (7) Phoenix Suns, 10 p.m. ETWednesdayEast: (8) Magic vs. (7) 76ers, 7:30 p.m. ETWest: (10) Golden State Warriors vs. (9) Clippers, 10 p.m. ETThe 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 Winner of Heat-Hornets vs. Loser of Magic-76ers, 7:30 p.m. ETWinner of Clippers-Warriors vs. loser of Suns-Trail Blazers, 10 p.m. ETThe winners advance to the playoffs as the No. 8 seeds; the losers will be eliminated.
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.
