The NBA's play-in tournament adds a fascinating wrinkle to the end of the 2022-23 regular season and the start of the postseason. Teams were already less incentivized to tank games down the stretch because ofthe flattened lottery odds instituted in 2019. Now that the top 10 teams in the standings will finish the regular season with at least a chance to make the playoffs, more franchises will stay in the mix longer.
Some players, such asLos Angeles Lakers star LeBron James,were less than thrilled about the prospect of the play-in tournament, but we saw some heated contests as teams fought to capture the final playoff seeds in each conference, as has happened in each season the NBA has used this setup.
Here's everything you need to know about the 2023 play-in tournament, including how it works and which teams advanced to the 2023 NBA playoffs.
MORE: Debating the 2023 play-in | Experts' picks| Betting tips
Here's a look at the 2023 matchups:
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
Complete first-round playoff coverage
There will be six total games involving eight teams as part of the play-in tournament, split up between the two conferences.
The teams that finish Nos. 1-6 in each conference will be guaranteed playoff spots, while team Nos. 7-10 in the standings will enter the play-in. Any team that finishes worse than No. 10 will be in the NBA draft lottery.
Here's how the games will work:
This means that the teams with the seventh and eighth-highest winning percentages will have two opportunities to win one game to earn a playoff spot, while the teams with the ninth and 10th-highest winning percentages need to win two straight games to advance.
How important is seeding within the play-in race?