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NBA · 2026 FORMAT

NBA play-in
tournament

How the final two playoff places are decided in each conference.

Play-In route in one conferenceThe seventh and eighth seeds play; the winner is seed 7. The ninth and tenth seeds play; the loser is out. The loser of the first game plays the winner of the second for seed 8.7th vs 8th9th vs 10thFinal Play-In gameEliminatedPlayoff seed 7Playoff seed 8winnerloserwinnerloserwinnerloser
The same route applies in each conference. Source: NBA Play-In format as described on this page.
01

Follow the bracket.

Play-In route in each conference
GameWinnerLoser
7th vs 8thPlayoff seed 7Plays winner of 9th vs 10th
9th vs 10thPlays loser of 7th vs 8thEliminated
Final Play-In gamePlayoff seed 8Eliminated
02

Why the paths are different.

Teaching example: the seventh-place team loses its first game, then wins the second. It still reaches the playoffs, but as the eighth seed. A tenth-place team has no opening-game safety net: it needs two wins. This example explains the route and does not describe a particular season’s results.

03

Play-In is not a playoff series.

Read the bracket as separate single-game decisions. Do not carry a win into an imagined best-of-seven series. Once the two places are settled, the playoff bracket is a different competition stage.

UPCOMING GAMES

Upcoming NBA games.

Times shown in Philippine Time (PHT, UTC+8).

Washington Wizards
vs
Atlanta Hawks
📅 5 November 2026   ⏰ 08:00
Detroit Pistons
vs
Philadelphia 76ers
📅 5 November 2026   ⏰ 08:00
Boston Celtics
vs
Milwaukee Bucks
📅 5 November 2026   ⏰ 08:30
Brooklyn Nets
vs
Charlotte Hornets
📅 5 November 2026   ⏰ 08:30
New York Knicks
vs
Chicago Bulls
📅 5 November 2026   ⏰ 08:30
Memphis Grizzlies
vs
Indiana Pacers
📅 5 November 2026   ⏰ 09:00

Full NBA schedule →