The NBA regular season is done, the first four Play-In games have been played, and we are now down to the final night of the Play-In Tournament.
Friday, April 17, is the last chance for four teams to make it to the first round, with two must-win matchups scheduled across both conferences.
Here is everything you need to know about what is on tonight, where to watch it, and what the first-round bracket is shaping up to look like heading into Saturday.
Two Play-In Games Tonight Will Set the NBA Playoffs Bracket
There are no playoff games tonight, but there are two play-in clashes. The Eastern Conference game tips off first, with the Orlando Magic hosting the Charlotte Hornets at 7:30 PM ET.
Both teams lost earlier in the week and are now fighting for their playoff spots. The winner earns the No. 8 seed in the East and a first-round matchup against the Detroit Pistons, who finished as the top seed in the conference and are waiting on the result.
The Western Conference clash follows at 10:00 p.m. ET, with the Phoenix Suns hosting the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors won their first Play-In game earlier in the week thanks to a strong performance from Stephen Curry, who is not on the injury report and expected to play tonight.
The Suns, meanwhile, needed a home game to stay alive and now get to play at Footprint Center with a first-round spot on the line. The winner draws the Oklahoma City Thunder, the top seed in the West, in the opening round. Both games stream exclusively on Prime Video, meaning cable subscribers will need to log in through Amazon to catch the action.
The bigger playoff picture is already taking shape. In the East, the Portland Trail Blazers secured the No. 7 seed by knocking out the Suns earlier in the week, setting up a first-round series against the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics.
The Philadelphia 76ers, playing without Joel Embiid after his appendectomy surgery, still managed to hold off the Orlando Magic in their first Play-In game to claim the No. 7 seed in the East and will face the Celtics in Round 1. The New York Knicks drew the sixth-seeded Atlanta Hawks, while the Cleveland Cavaliers will face the fifth-seeded Toronto Raptors.
In the West, the confirmed first-round matchups include the San Antonio Spurs versus the Trail Blazers. The Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves are meeting in the postseason for the third time in four years.
And the Los Angeles Lakers are taking on the Houston Rockets in what will mark the first playoff meeting between LeBron James and Kevin Durant since the 2018 NBA Finals.
The first round officially tips off on Saturday, April 18, with games continuing through Sunday, where NBC and Peacock will broadcast a doubleheader for the first time in nearly 25 years.
The full Play-In and first-round schedule is being broadcast across Prime Video, ESPN, ABC, and NBC/Peacock. For cord-cutters, streaming options include Amazon Prime Video for tonight’s Play-In games and a combination of ESPN+, Peacock, and Hulu + Live TV for the first round going forward.
