Two teams qualify for the playoffs, two teams enter the offseason, and two more matchups will determine the final playoff spot in each conference.
The play-in tournament has been exciting so far. Below, we break down the situation heading into Friday's finale.
Western Conference Results
No. 8 Los Angeles Lakers def. No. 7 New Orleans Pelicans, 110-106
No. 9 Sacramento Kings def. No. 10 Golden State Warriors, 118 wins, 94 losses
eastern conference results
No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers def. No. 8 Miami Heat, 105-104
No. 9 Chicago Bulls def. No. 10 Atlanta Hawks, 131-116
Upcoming Friday schedule
Bulls' Heat, 7 p.m. ET, airs on ESPN
Kings vs. Pelicans, 9:30 p.m. ET on TNT
analysis
The Lakers faced the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs, the Sixers faced the New York Knicks in the East, and both the Dubs and Hawks were eliminated from postseason contention.
This leaves the Kings and Pelicans competing for the right to play the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, while the Heat and Bulls go head-to-head with the unenviable task of facing the NBA's best, the Boston Celtics. .
Despite being on the road, the Kings should be the favorites to win against the Pelicans after the game. the news broke On Wednesday, it was announced that Zion Williamson will be re-examined in two weeks due to a hamstring injury and will miss Friday's second game of the play-in tournament.
Williamson had a great performance against the Lakers, scoring 40 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, but it's fair to wonder if the outcome would have been different had he been unable to complete the final three minutes of the game due to injury. Dew.
But it shouldn't be ignored that the Kings are 0-5 against the Pelicans this season. But another masterclass from Keegan Murray, who had 32 points and eight 3-pointers against the Warriors, should be enough to get the Kings over the hump against New Orleans.
Ironically, the remaining Heat-Bulls matchup in the East play-in tournament may also be decided by an injury to a star player. Jimmy Butler is a big question mark heading into Friday after injuring his knee in Wednesday's game against the Sixers.
Granted, the Bulls don't have players like Zach LaVine, Lonzo Ball, and Patrick Williams, so it won't be the full-strength Chicago the Heat will face. The teams split the season series, but all four games were played between November and December.
The Heat will also benefit from home court advantage and experience gained from multiple deep runs in the playoffs in recent years. But Butler's absence can't be overstated, especially when you have a game where Cobe White scored another 42 points like he did against the Hawks.
