NBA Play-in Tournament 2023 start date, time, format and more

The NBA Play-in Tournament starts on Apr. 11 and will end on Apr. 14. Four teams from the Eastern Conference and another four from the West will compete for four playoff spots.

In the East, the Toronto Raptors are the 9th seed. The 7th, 8th and 10th spots haven't been decided yet. The Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks are likely to join the Raptors in the pre-playoff format.

The Miami Heat (41-37) are chasing down the Brooklyn Nets (43-35) for the sixth seed and guaranteed postseason berth.

The participants of the Play-in Tournament from the West will likely be determined after the final game of the regular season. The LA Clippers, Golden State Warriors, LA Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans, Minnesota Timberwolves, OKC Thunder and Dallas Mavericks may have to go through this format.

---

What is the structure of the NBA Play-in Tournament?

Teams seeded seventh through tenth from both conferences will vie for four playoff spots.

On Apr. 11, the seventh seed will host the eighth-placed team. The first game will be a matchup between Eastern Conference teams while the second will be from the West.

The winner punches a ticket to the playoffs as the seventh seed while the loser lives to fight another day.

Apr. 12, the ninth and 10th seeds will have their chance to duke it out. The higher-seeded team will play host. Again, the first matchup will be from the East and then followed by Western Conference teams.

On Apr. 14, the losing teams on Apr. 11, will host the winning teams on Apr. 12. The winners will grab the eighth seed while the losers go home.

On Saturday, Apr. 15, the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs start. The postseason is expected to end on Jun. 18.

Last year, the participating teams from the East were the Brooklyn Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets.

The West featured the Minnesota Timberwolves, LA Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs.

The Nets and Hawks emerged from their conference while the Timberwolves and the Pelicans outlasted their play-in tournament opponents.

---

Who will cover the NBA Play-in Tournament

All six games starting on Apr. 11 will be nationally televised via TNT and ESPN. Local coverage will also be available from one or two channels in participating cities.

---

You may also like to read: "I've not gotten my thank you card from LeBron yet this year" - NBA Play-In tournament creator takes playful dig at LeBron James as LA Lakers struggle to enter postseason