The NBA Play-in tournament explained: Number of teams, games, who qualifies for the playoffs...

The 2023 NBA Play-In Tournament is approaching soon when the games played after the regular season concludes and before the start of the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

The tournament, which takes place April 11-14, will determine the teams that fill the seventh and eighth playoff seeds in each conference for the 2023 NBA Playoffs. This means that four teams in each conference will compete in the Play-In Tournament. The participating teams will have the seventh-highest through the 10th-highest winning percentages in each conference. There will be six games- three games in each conference.

How can teams in the Play-In Tournament earn a spot in the NBA Playoffs?

Since 2021, the final two playoff spots in each conference have been decided by a play-in tournament. The teams with the seventh-highest and eighth-highest winning percentages in each conference will have two opportunities to win one game to earn a spot in the playoffs, which start April 15 and conclude June 18. The ones with the ninth-highest and 10th-highest winning percentages in each conference must win two consecutive games to earn a playoff spot.

The Play-In Tournament structure

Here is an overview of the games in each conference:

APRIL 11

GAME 1: EAST 7 VS. EAST 8

GAME 2: WEST 7 VS. WEST 8

The team with the seventh-highest winning percentage in its conference will host the team with the eighth-highest winning percentage in the same conference. The team that wins will be the seventh seed in the Playoffs for its conference. The team that loses will still be able to earn the eighth seed in the NBA Playoffs for its conference.

APRIL 12

GAME 3: EAST 9 VS. EAST 10

GAME 4: WEST 9 VS. WEST 10

The team with the ninth-highest winning percentage in its conference will host the team with the 10th-highest winning percentage in the same conference. The team with the win will continue to battle to earn the eighth seed in the Playoffs for its conference, while the losing team will be eliminated.

APRIL 14

GAME 5: EAST LOSER 7/8 VS. EAST WINNER 9/10

GAME 6: WEST LOSER 7/8 VS. WEST WINNER 9/10

The teams losing on April 11 will host the winning teams from April 12. This goes for every conference. The winning team of this game will be the eighth seed in the NBA Playoffs for its conference, and the losing team will be eliminated.