The 2024 NBA postseason begins on Tuesday night.
Well, in a way.
Although technically there will be no playoff games, the play-in tournament will be a tip-off and two playoff tickets will be distributed before the night ends. The remaining two will not be determined until the tournament concludes on Friday night.
With no shortage of star power in attendance, this year's tournament could draw as much attention as previous tournaments. So before sorting out the postseason bracket and ultimately predicting how his two games will play out on Tuesday, it's worth revisiting the terms of the tournament.
The play-in tournament pits eight teams from each conference, seeds 7 through 10, against each other for the final four playoff spots.
The No. 7 seed in each conference will host the No. 8 seed. The winner of that contest will earn the seventh seed for the playoffs, and the loser will be given one more chance to advance to his field in the playoffs.
The No. 9 team in each conference will then take on the No. 10 team. The loser is sent packing, and the winner secures a spot in the tournament finals.
Finally, the loser of the 7-8 matchup will face the winner of 9-10, and a match will be held for the 8th seed in the playoffs. The winner gets the spot and the loser is sent on summer vacation.
Play-in tournament seeding
eastern conference
7th place: Philadelphia 76ers
8th place: Miami Heat
9th place: Chicago Bulls
10th place: Atlanta Hawks
western conference
7th place: New Orleans Pelicans
8th place: Los Angeles Lakers
9th place: Sacramento Kings
10th place: Golden State Warriors
Play-in tournament schedule
Tuesday, April 16th
7/8 Game: Los Angeles Lakers vs. New Orleans Pelicans, 7:30 PM ET (TNT)
9/10 Game: Golden State Warriors vs. Sacramento Kings, 10pm ET (TNT)
Wednesday, April 17th
7/8 Game: Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 7pm ET (ESPN)
9/10 Game: Atlanta Hawks vs. Chicago Bulls, 9:30pm ET
Friday, April 19th
Eastern Conference 8 Seed Game, TBA (ESPN)
Western Conference 8 Seed Game, TBA (TNT)
Los Angeles Lakers vs. New Orleans Pelicans
These teams have locked horns four times this season, with the Lakers finishing among the top three teams, with all three wins decided by double-digit margins. In fact, Los Angeles' most even victory in this series came Sunday, when the purple and gold closed out the regular season with a 124-108 win on New Orleans' home floor.
As long as the Lakers' stars are healthy — LeBron James (ankle) is likely, Anthony Davis (back) is questionable — they can win this game. The Pels don't have a great answer for either, and their depth advantage on paper could be a factor, especially with Brandon Ingram looking totally rusty in his second game back from 3 1/2 games. It may not be. I took a week off from work due to a contusion in my left knee.
Prediction: Lakers 122, Pelicans 116
Golden State Warriors vs. Sacramento Kings
The Warriors and Kings split the season series 2-2, but even if one team has the advantage, it could be out of line here. All four contests took place before January, and things have looked very different for each club since then.
While the Warriors played their best basketball down the stretch (10-2 in their last 12), the Kings come into this game literally and figuratively limping along. Malik Monk (knee) and Kevin Huerter (shoulder) are both sidelined, and Sacramento enters the game having lost seven of its last 11 games. It's hard not to root for Steven, given his trajectory, injuries and lack of experience on the big stage. Curry the Road Warriors here.
Prediction: Warriors 125, Kings 115
