With the end of the regular season in the American Basketball League (NBA), play-in and play-off matches have been announced.
Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference and Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finished the 2022 regular season in the NBA with 82 games.
In the play-offs, where the matches will start on April 16, the matches were as follows:
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Phoenix Suns (1) – Play-in winner (8)
Memphis Grizzlies (2) – Play-in winner (7)
Golden State Warriors (3) – Denver Nuggets (6)
Dallas Mavericks (4) – Utah Jazz (5)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Miami Heat (1) – Play-in winner (8)
Boston Celtics (2) – Play-in winner (7)
Milwaukee Bucks (3) – Chicago Bulls (6)
Philadelphia 76ers (4) – Toronto Raptors (5)
FOUR TEAMS WILL COME FROM PLAY-IN TOURS
8 teams that could not be placed in the top 6 places in their conferences will play play-in matches.
At the end of the play-in matches, 4 teams will take the 7th and 8th places in their conferences and write their names in the play-offs.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, who finished 7th in the Western Conference, and the Los Angeles Clippers, which finished the season in 8th place, will meet in the play-in round. The winner will face the conference runner-up Memphis Grizzlies in the playoffs. The losing team will play in the Western Conference with the winner of the play-in match between the 9th New Orleans Pelicans and the 10th San Antonio Spurs. The team that dominates in this matchup will be the conference leader Phoenix Suns in the play-offs.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, who finished the season in 8th place with the Brooklyn Nets in 7th place in the Eastern Conference, will share their trump card in the play-in round. The winner of the match will advance to the playoffs to face off against the conference runners-up Boston Celtics. The defeated team will face the winner of the play-in between the 9th Atlanta Hawks and 10th Charlotte Hornets in the Eastern Conference. The winner of this match will compete with the conference leader Miami Heat in the play-offs.
The play-in round, which will be played in a single-match elimination method, will begin on April 12.