The Miami Heat will host the Atlanta Hawks in the first-ever play-in game in franchise history.
Here's what to know ahead of the NBA play-in games.
What is a play-in game?
The NBA approved the adoption of the play-in tournament on a full-time basis in July 2022.
The play-in tournament takes place between the last day of the regular season (April 9) and the start of the NBA playoffs (April 15).
It follows the same format that was put in place for the 2020-21 season as part of the NBA's plan for its return to play in the Disney bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The format was extended for the 2021-22 season before being made permanent last summer.
How does it work?
Four teams from each conference will compete in the play-in tournament.
The teams with the seventh- and eighth-highest winning percentages in each conference have two chances to earn a playoff spot, while the teams with the ninth- and 10th-highest winning percentages in each conference must win two games to make the playoffs.
Miami just missed out on finishing in the top six of the Eastern Conference standings, finishing with a 44-38 regular-season record. The Heat are in seventh place and the Hawks (41-41) are in eighth place.
As a result, the Heat will host the Hawks in Miami.
The Toronto Raptors (41-41) and Chicago Bulls (40-42) are in ninth and 10th place, respectively.
In the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers (43-39) finished in seventh place and the Minnesota Timberwolves (42-40) finished in eighth place. The New Orleans Pelicans (42-40) and Oklahoma City Thunder (40-42) round out the top 10.
What is the play-in tournament schedule?
Here is the play-in tournament schedule, based on the regular-season standings:
Eastern Conference
Atlanta Hawks at Miami Heat | Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. | TNT
Chicago Bulls at Toronto Raptors | Wednesday at 7 p.m. | ESPN
Western Conference
Minnesota Timberwolves at Los Angeles Lakers | Tuesday at 10 p.m. | TNT
Oklahoma City Thunder at New Orleans Pelicans | Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. | ESPN
The teams that win Tuesday night's games will advance to the playoffs as the seventh seed. The losing team will still have a chance to earn the last playoff spot.
That means if Miami wins, the Heat are going back to the playoffs.
The winning teams of Wednesday night's games will remain in contention to earn the eighth seed in the playoffs. The losing team will be eliminated.
A Miami loss would mean an all-or-nothing home game Friday night against the winner of the Bulls-Raptors play-in game.
What are Miami's playoff scenarios?
If Miami wins Tuesday, the team would clinch the seventh seed in the playoffs. That would mean the Heat would face the Boston Celtics (57-25) in a first-round playoff series.
Should Miami be forced to play again Friday night and win, the Heat would be relegated to the eighth and final seed. That would set up a date against the Milwaukee Bucks (58-24) in the first round of the playoffs. The Bucks own the NBA's best overall record.
If Miami can't win either game, the Heat would miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
