2026 NBA Play-In Tournament: Schedule, how does it work, which teams are in, how to watch
Stephen Curry's Warriors vs. Kawhi Leonard's Clippers is set, as is the 76ers vs. Magic.
Looking back, it seems wild to think how hard a sell the Play-In Tournament was just six years ago. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spent a lot of political capital to make it happen, and there were plenty of skeptics. It's hard to imagine the NBA without it now — the win-or-go-home drama is built into the postseason.
Here is everything you need to know about the 2026 NBA Play-In Tournament. What is the Play-In? This was one of the NBA's first attempts to stop (or reduce) tanking, and it has been one of the more effective.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver pushed for it and it has been one of his bigger successes as commissioner — it gave more teams something to play, more fan bases something to root for, and along the way created some drama. The No. 7 and 8 seeds no longer automatically make the playoffs, and seeds No.
9 and 10 can earn their way in. In addition, one of the benefits of the play-in is it created an incentive to win enough games to be a top-six seed and avoid the play-in. There is a genuine push by teams to avoid the potential pitfalls of the play-in.