NBA Play-In Tournament 2022: Schedule, Bracket, Rules With Nets, Clippers Favored To Make Postseason

The regular season is over, but eight teams are still competing for a berth in the 2022 NBA playoff bracket. The NBA play-in tournament will determine the final four postseason spots with six games over a four-day span.

The 2022 NBA play-in tournament schedule starts with two games Tuesday. The Brooklyn Nets host the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7 p.m. ET, followed by a matchup between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Clippers at 9:30 p.m. ET. The play-in tournament rules stipulate that the winner of each contest will earn the No. 7 seed in their respective conferences.

Two more play-in tournament games are scheduled for Wednesday. The Charlotte Hornets visit the Atlanta Hawks at 7 p.m. ET. The New Orleans Pelicans host the San Antonio Spurs at 9:30 p.m. ET. The two teams that lose are eliminated from contention.

The play-in tournament concludes Friday night. The loser of Tuesday’s Eastern Conference matchup hosts the winner of Wednesday’s East game with the No. 8 seed on the line. The same rules apply for determining the Western Conference’s final playoff spot.

Because the Nets and Cavaliers have two opportunities to win one game, they are the favorites to reach the playoffs in the East. The odds of both Brooklyn and Cleveland making the postseason are set at -165 at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Brooklyn is an eight-point favorite over Cleveland. The odds suggest that the Cavs will host the Hawks in Friday night’s play-in tournament game.

In the West, the Timberwolves and Clippers have -280 odds to be the final teams in the playoff bracket. The Spurs and Pelicans are considered to be unlikely playoff teams since they need to win two play-in games after finishing below .500 in the regular season.

The Timberwolves are favored by 3.5 points over the Clippers. New Orleans is a five-point favorite over San Antonio.

The winner of Tuesday's East play-in game will face the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. Friday's winner clinches a first-round matchup with the Miami Heat.

The winner of Tuesday's West play-in game will face the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs. Friday's winner clinches a first-round matchup with the Phoenix Suns.

All four teams that reached the 2021 playoffs through the play-in tournament lost their first-round series.