What happens when you lose in NBA Play-In tournament?

The NBA Play-In tournament is underway as the 7th and 8th-placed teams in both conferences start things off. With one game already resulting in a loss, we take a look at what happens when a team loses in the Play-In tournament.

In the current edition of the Play-In tournament, the Miami Heat came away with a 105-116 loss against the Atlanta Hawks in the battle for the 7th seed in the East.

With Atlanta taking the seventh seed in the East, the Heat will now battle it out with the winner of the Toronto Raptors (9th) vs Chicago Bulls (10th) for possession of the eighth seed.

The NBA Play-In tournament is a type of in-season tournament that was introduced in the 2020-21 season. The tournament consists of eight teams, four from each conference.

While traditionally the top-eight teams in each conference went through to the playoffs, the Play-In ensures that teams remain competitive for longer.

Teams from 7th through 10th place in each conference make up the Play-In tournament bracket. The 7th and 8th-placed teams play each other to decide the seventh seed.

The loser of this game faces off against the winner of the 9th and 10th place game. Meanwhile, the loser of the 9th vs 10th place game is knocked out of the playoffs.

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The NBA Play-In tournament continues on Wednesday

This season's NBA Play-In tournament kicked off on Tuesday. The 7th seed in the East has since been decided. The West's 7th seed match-up continues as the Minnesota Timberwolves enjoy an 11-point lead against the LA Lakers going into the second-half.

Tournament action will continue on Wednesday as the Chicago Bulls play the Toronto Raptors on the road. Meanwhile, the OKC Thunder will hit the road to play the New Orleans Pelicans.

The results of these games will present the match-ups for the 8th seed. In a surprising turn of events, the Heat will see themselves playing on Thursday to fight for a place in the playoffs.

Read: "The Heat should just blow it up" - NBA fans massacre the Miami Heat after an embarrassing home loss to the Hawks in the play-in game

As things stand, the Lakers also look like they are headed down the same route. It will be interesting to see whether these teams can dig deep and compete for their place in the postseason.