NBA Playoffs 2023: Explaining Play-In Format, Seedings and More

While the 2022-23 NBA season has come to a close, the playoff picture isn't quite finalized yet.

The top six seeds in each conference are spoken for, but the others will be determined during the upcoming play-in tournament.

The No. 7 seeds will be claimed Tuesday night, with the current No. 7 team in the standings hosting the No. 8 and the winner earning the No. 7 spot for the playoffs. The loser, meanwhile, gets a second chance Friday night.

In between, the No. 9 seed in each conference will host No. 10. The loser is eliminated while the winner advances to face Tuesday's loser on the road. Friday's winners will get the No. 8 seed.

After laying out the complete play-in tournament schedule, we'll spotlight the eight teams still in the mix.

Play-In Tournament Schedule

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MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 06: Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat in action against the Atlanta Hawks during the third quarter of the game at Miami-Dade Arena on March 06, 2023 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Tuesday, April 11

No. 8 Atlanta Hawks at No. 7 Miami Heat, 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT

No. 8 Minnesota Timberwolves at No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m. ET on TNT

Wednesday, April 12

No. 10 Chicago Bulls at No. 9 Toronto Raptors, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN

No. 10 Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 9 New Orleans Pelicans, 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN

Friday, April 14

Chicago-Toronto winner at Atlanta-Miami loser, time TBD on ESPN

Oklahoma City-New Orleans winner at Minnesota-Los Angeles loser, time TBD on TNT

Eastern Conference Preview

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TORONTO, CANADA - OCTOBER 9: DeMar DeRozan #11 of the Chicago Bulls handles the ball during a preseason game against the Toronto Raptors, Fred VanVleet #23 of the Toronto Raptors and Pascal Siakam #43 play defense on October 9, 2022 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Mark Blinch/NBAE via Getty Images)

Last season, the Heat were the East's No. 1 seed and weren't knocked out of the playoffs until Game 7 of the conference finals. Will they prove they don't belong among the other teams in the play-in field, or will the degree of their disappointment cause them to lose focus and lack the motivation needed to escape this tournament?

Focus isn't usually an issue for Miami. Not with Erik Spoelstra calling the shots, and Jimmy Butler (and Udonis Haslem) leading the locker room.

Offense, however, can be a problem, which could leave the door open for Atlanta, which bested all play-in participants by landing seventh in offensive rating, per NBA.com. The Hawks could also be out to exact some revenge after being ousted from last year's open round by these very same Heat.

The Raptors and Bulls, meanwhile, spent much of this season hearing everyone debate whether they would (and should) blow up their rosters to start over. That gives you a sense of the kind of seasons they had. Still, each front office stuck with its core—Toronto went a step further and added interior anchor Jakob Poeltl at the deadline—and gave its group at least one more chance to prove its worth.

Speaking of blowing things up and starting over, Atlanta's front office has reportedly been empowered to "do whatever it wants to with the roster, which includes considering trade opportunities involving All-Star point guard Trae Young," per The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor. It's possible Young puts on a tremendous play-in performance and silences those trade talks before they start, but another early exit for the Hawks could bring major changes Atlanta's way.

Western Conference Preview

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 19: Anthony Edwards #1 of the Minnesota Timberwolves talks to Karl-Anthony Towns #32 against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on November 19, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

The Lakers appear to be in the driver's seat, and not only for the fact they'll enter as the No. 7 seed. They're also finally healthy and enjoying the perks of a reworked supporting cast around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

L.A.'s wheeling and dealing at the deadline scratched a major itch for shooting, while also adding more athleticism and defensive versatility to the mix. It comes as no wonder, then, that this group sprinted through the stretch run and enters the play-in having won nine of its last 11 games.

Minnesota is technically nearly as hot, winning seven of its final 10 outings, but it doesn't feel like it. Not after Sunday's season finale, during which Jaden McDaniels fractured his hand while punching a wall, and Rudy Gobert punched teammate Kyle Anderson, resulting in Gobert's suspension for the 7-8 clash.

An absence also looms large over the 9-10 matchup, as Pelicans star Zion Williamson will miss the play-in tournament and possibly more time if New Orleans advances. The Pels, of course, have learned to live without Williamson, who hasn't played since suffering a hamstring injury on Jan. 2.

Still, New Orleans would prefer to be full-strength here, as this ahead-of-schedule Oklahoma City squad fared way better than expected this season. The trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams alone is enough to keep opposing coaches up at night.