The first week of the NBA postseason is set.
Because the Memphis Grizzlies ended up as the No. 8 seed, they will have to go through the play-in tournament to earn a postseason berth. They’ll meet the No. 7 Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night, April 15, in San Francisco, and the winner of that game will face the No. 2 Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs. The loser will host the winner of the Sacramento Kings–Dallas Mavericks play-in for a do-or-die game on Friday night.
With the Grizzlies in the play-in, there are multiple paths and potential playoff opponents for them. Here’s a look at all the possibilities as the NBA prepares for its postseason.
Play-In tournament schedule
Tuesday, April 15
All times Central
The winners of these games will advance to the playoffs. The winner of Magic-Hawks will face the No. 2 Celtics, while the winner of Warriors-Grizzlies will face the No. 2 Rockets.
Wednesday, April 16
- No. 9 Bulls vs. No. 10 Heat (6:30 p.m., ESPN)
- No. 9 Kings vs. No. 10 Mavericks (9 p.m., ESPN)
The losers of these games will be eliminated from postseason contention.
Friday, April 18
- East 7/8 loser vs. East 9/10 winner (TBD, TNT)
- West 7/8 loser vs. West 9/10 winner (TBD, ESPN)
The winners of these games will advance to the postseason, while the losers will be eliminated. The winners will face the No. 1 Cavaliers in the East and the No. 1 Thunder in the West.
When Grizzlies will play if they advance to playoffs
The NBA has not released the full playoff schedule, but it did announce that both the No. 2 Rockets and No. 1 Thunder will start their respective playoff series on Sunday. If the Grizzlies advance to the playoffs, they’ll play on the road on Sunday.
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.
