How does the 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament work, explained

The NBA Play-In Tournament is still a fresh new wrinkle to the playoffs for fans but that also means some confusion as to how it works. 

For the 2021 postseason, the league instituted a new format that immediately caught on with fans as it added an entirely new wrinkle: the NBA Play-In Tournament.

The idea was to give more teams a shot at making it into the NBA Playoffs and, as such, hopefully eliminate some teams — particularly the No. 9 and 10 seeds from each conference — from being upset about being so close to the postseason but not getting their shot. And hey, a few extra games for TV ratings isn’t going to upset the league either.

However, with the tournament being so new, some fans are still trying to figure out how it all works. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

How does the 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament work?

The 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament consists of the No. 7-10 seeds in each conference. In order from the Eastern Conference, that’s the Brooklyn Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets. From the Western Conference, that’s the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs.

For the tournament, the opening games on Tuesday, April 12 feature the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds playing against one another. The winner of that game will advance to the NBA Playoffs as the No. 7 seed.

On Wednesday, April 13, the No. 9 and 10 seeds from each conference will face off. The loser of those games will be eliminated from the NBA Play-In Tournament. Then, the winners of those games will go on to face the loser of the 7-8 matchups on Friday, April 15. The winners of the final games on Friday will advance to the playoffs as the No. 8 seed.