HIGHLIGHTS

 NBA fans should expect memorable clashes in the upcoming Play-In Tournament starting on April 16th.
 The Play-In Tournament format expanded to a mini-tournament style from the 2019-20 season onwards.
 Exciting moments like OT thrillers and epic comebacks define the Play-In Tournament, creating electrifying matchups.

The NBA Play-In Tournament starts on April 16th and will last until April 19th, and while the matchups are not set just yet, hoops fans know there are bound to be some memorable clashes in store.

The Play-In Tournament started in the 2019-20 NBA season during the bubble. At that point, it was a different style of tournament and only had one matchup: the Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers. It was triggered because the teams were within four games of one another, in the eighth and ninth seeds.

The Trail Blazers, the eighth seed, would need to win one game to advance, while the Grizzlies, the ninth seed, would need to win two in a row to advance.

The following season, the NBA fleshed out the tournament to include a mini-tournament style.

The seventh and eighth seeds play either other where the winner receives the seventh seed in the NBA playoffs. The ninth and tenth seeds play each other, and the winner of that game plays the loser of the seventh and eighth seed contest. The winner of that game receives the eighth seed in the playoffs.

Out of the ten Western Conference Play-In games so far, nine of them have finished with a team winning by 10 or less. Out of the nine Eastern Conference Play-In games, only three have ended with a team winning by 10 or less.

This season has the potential for some entertaining Play-In matchups as teams settle into their final seeding. Here are the top five Play-In Tournament games so far.

1.Minnesota Timberwolves at Los Angeles Lakers – 2023

The greatest in the history of the Play-In was an OT thriller

The Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves were in a complete battle in the seven and eight-seed play-in game from last season.

The first half and early second half went the Timberwolves way as Karl Anthony-Towns had a great game. Anthony Edwards, on the other hand, struggled in his first taste of a playoff atmosphere.

Anthony Edwards vs Lakers vs 2022-23 Averages

Category
Edwards vs Lakers
Edwards’ 2022-23 averages

Points
9
24.6

Rebounds
8
5.8

Assists
5
4.4

FG%
17.6%
45.9%

The Timberwolves got out to multiple double-digit leads, including a 15-point lead in the third quarter.

The display of dominance the Lakers showed in the fourth was special. They held the Timberwolves to nine total points for the first 11:59 seconds of the quarter, including six points over an eleven-minute span. They forced six turnovers in the quarter and held the Timberwolves to only three made baskets.

It sparked their offense, and a LeBron James three-pointer tied the game with two minutes left to play. James then took all the attention on the Lakers’ last possession of the quarter, kicking it out to Dennis Schröder who hit a three to put the Lakers up with 1.4 seconds to go.

The Timberwolves were able to find a wide-open Mike Conley on the last play of regulation, where he was fouled by Anthony Davis on a three-point attempt. Conley, with the game on the line, was cold-blooded and knocked down all three free throws to send the game into overtime.

In overtime, the Lakers got out to a quick lead, but the Timberwolves made a little comeback, where they had an opportunity to tie it on a corner three by Taurean Prince with 13 seconds left. He missed the shot and the Lakers were able to escape with the win with a final score of 108-102.

It was an incredible game and was tense throughout the entire second half and overtime.

2.Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers – 2021

One of the first Play-In matchups was an instant classic

One of the first games of the newly aligned Play-In Tournament was a great matchup featuring two of the greatest players to ever touch a basketball and proved the Play-In was here to stay.

It was another classic James vs Stephen Curry showdown, where they both showed up trying to secure a playoff spot for their team.

Stephen Curry vs. LeBron James – Play-In Duel

Category
Stephen Curry
LeBron James

Points
37
22

Rebounds
7
11

Assists
3
10

Steals
0
2

Blocks
0
1

+/-
+4
+13

The game went the Golden State Warriors’ way in the first half, where they jumped out to an early lead and built on it. They led by 13 at halftime, the largest lead by both teams in the game.

The second half, specifically late in the third quarter, was dominated by the Lakers. In the last 4:50 of the third quarter, the Lakers broke off a 17-7 run to make it a two-point game going into the fourth quarter.

Davis and James carried the load in the second half, combining for 36 second half points on 14 of 22 shooting. It was easy to tell the Lakers wanted the win badly as Davis played all 24 minutes of the second half and was a +16 in the half.

The fourth quarter of this game became an instant classic. There were five tie games and three lead changes in the fourth quarter alone. The game was sealed by a James three-point game winning basket with 58 seconds left as the shot clock expired. The final score was 103-100 with the Lakers squeezing out a win.

3.Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors – 2021

Another big game in the inaugural tournament that sold fans on the Play-In format

The exciting Ja Morant and the Grizzlies were coming off a season where they missed out on the playoffs in the first ever Play-In matchup against the Trail Blazers. This time, they weren’t messing around.

Although they were still a young and inexperienced team at this point, they had grit and hard-working players. Morant was clearly developing into their superstar of the future and the face of the franchise.

In this matchup, Curry and Morant had an absolute superstar battle, with Curry putting 39 points to outshine Morant’s 35.

Ja Morant 2020 Play-In vs 2021 Play-In

Category
2020 vs Trail Blazers
2021 vs Warriors

Points
35
35

Rebounds
4
6

Assists
8
6

The game was led by the Grizzlies for almost the entirety of the game. They had the lead for over 48 minutes. Their largest lead was 15 early in the third quarter. Curry kept the Warriors alive throughout, hitting important shots when they were needed, as did Jordan Poole.

The Warriors stormed back late in the third and early in the fourth, getting within one point. The Grizzlies were able to extend their lead again and with less than four minutes left, they led by ten.

Poole and Draymond Green combined for ten points in the last three and a half minutes, and a layup by Andrew Wiggins tied the game with 33 seconds left.

The game went into overtime. The overtime period was very back and forth. A Xavier Tillman three with just over a minute vaulted the Grizzlies into the lead. They built on that with two buckets from Morant which essentially iced the game as they won 117-112.

4.Chicago Bulls at Toronto Raptors – 2023

The only Eastern Conference game on the list was an epic comeback fueled by Zach LaVine

The Eastern Conference has had a lot of blowouts in the short history of the play-in tournament. One game that went down to the buzzer was the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors play-in contest last season.

This game was also looking like a potential blowout as the Raptors got out to a 17-point lead with less than five minutes left in the third quarter. Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet were big reasons why the Raptors were able to get out to a large lead.

That was when Zach LaVine exploded. From that point onward, Lavine had 24 points, including the last 11 points for the Bulls in the third quarter.

Zach LaVine and Pascal Siakam in Play-In

Category
Lavine vs Raptors
Lavine 2022–23 averages
Siakam vs Bulls
Siakam 2022-23 averages

Points
39
24.8
32
24.2

Rebounds
6
4.5
9
7.8

Assists
3
4.2
6
5.6

Lavine was the sole reason the Bulls were able to complete the comeback and win the game. Despite Pascal Siakam’s best efforts, he wasn’t able to will the Raptors to victory.

With 12 seconds left in the game, he was at the line shooting three free throws. Only down by three, it was the perfect opportunity for him to tie the game. After making the first, he missed the last two, leading to the Raptors losing.

It was ultimately his last time in a playoff setting in a Raptors uniform as the Raptors fell in a 104-98 victory for the Bulls.

5.Memphis Grizzlies at Portland Trail Blazers – 2020

The original Play-In game was a nail-biter until the finish

As mentioned previously, the first ever Play-In wasn’t a tournament, but a matchup between the Grizzlies and Trail Blazers that could have gone two games, but was finished in one. It was a thrilling battle between Rookie of the Year winner, Morant, and former Rookie of the Year winner, Damian Lillard.

The Trail Blazers got out to a hot start and were up by 16 points in the first quarter. It was looking like a potential blowout, but the Grizzlies stormed back with a 17-2 run to open up the second quarter.

Portland Trail Blazers – Play-In Top Contributors

Category
Damian Lillard
CJ McCollum
Carmelo Anthony
Jusuf Nurkić

Points
31
29
21
22

Rebounds
2
3
3
21

Assists
10
1
1
6

The rest of the second and the third quarters were very back-and-forth runs by both teams. Neither team was able to grab control of the contest. That theme continued in the fourth quarter until the final two minutes of the ballgame. With just under two minutes left in the game, CJ McCollum hit a huge three to put the Blazers up by four. On the following possession, he knocked down another massive mid-range shot to extend their lead to six.

The Grizzlies hit two three-pointers in the last minute to keep it close, but clutch free throws and a clutch three from Carmelo Anthony sealed the game for the Trail Blazers, who ultimately won 126-122.

The game was an incredible introduction to a play-in style and was ultimately the foundation of the play-in tournament we know today.