Full NBA Play-In Tournament schedule, time, dates, channels & more

The NBA Playoffs will get underway on Saturday, Apr. 20. However, before that begins, we have the Play-In Tournament.

As we know, this was added in 2020 during the NBA bubble period in Orlando, and it has stuck since then.

The regular season concluded on Sunday, and after a day off on Monday, the Play-In Tournament will kick off, on Tuesday, Apr. 16. This tournament includes two rounds with the final four postseason teams per conference battling it out to determine who captures seeds No. 7 and No. 8 in the playoffs.

In this piece, we will discuss the Play-In Tournament and everything you need to know before it gets started.

Everything to know about the NBA Play-In Tournament

Below are the matchups in both the Eastern and Western Conference portions of the NBA Play-in Tournament:

• Western Conference 7/8 Game: Los Angeles Lakers at New Orleans Pelicans, Tuesday, Apr. 16, 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT
• Western Conference 9/10 Game: Golden State Warriors at Sacramento Kings, Tuesday, Apr. 16, 10:00 p.m. ET, TNT
• Eastern Conference 7/8 Game: Miami Heat at Philadelphia 76ers, Wednesday, Apr. 17, 7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
• Eastern Conference 9/10 Game: Atlanta Hawks at Chicago Bulls, Wednesday, Apr. 17, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
• Eastern Conference Winner of 9/10 game at Loser of 7/8 game, Friday, Apr. 19, ESPN
• Western Conference Winner of 9/10 game at Loser of 7/8 game, Friday, Apr. 19, TNT

The first games will be played on Tuesday, April 16, and will be the Western Conference games. The first game will be the Los Angeles Lakers on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans in the 7/8 game at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT. Following this matchup will be the 9/10 game with the Sacramento Kings hosting the Golden State Warriors.

On Wednesday, Apr. 17, the Eastern Conference matchups take place. The first game will be the Philadelphia 76ers hosting the Miami Heat in the 7/8 game at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Chicago Bulls host the Atlanta Hawks in the 9/10 game at 9:30 pm. ET on ESPN.

The winner of the 9-10 matchups will move on to face the loser of the 7-8 matchups on Friday, Apr. 19. The loser is eliminated and will enter the Draft Lottery. The Eastern Conference matchup will air on ESPN at a time to be determined later. The Western Conference matchup will air on TNT at a time to be determined later.

When the tournament comes to a conclusion, the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference would face the New York Knicks in the first round of the NBA playoffs, while the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference would face the Denver Nuggets. The No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference would face the No. 1 Boston Celtics, while the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference would face the No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Playoffs are then set and begin on Saturday, April 20.