NBA play-in tournament field, top 6 playoff seeds set
The NBA play-in tournament field is set after a jam-packed 15-game slate on Sunday.
Bradley Beal led the Washington Wizards to a tight 115-110 victory over the Charlotte Hornets in his return from a hamstring injury. The All-Star guard scored a game-high 25 points as Washington locked up the East's No. 8 seed.
The loss dropped Charlotte into 10th place while elevating the Indiana Pacers to ninth after the latter won its final regular-season contest. The Boston Celtics had already secured the No. 7 spot in the conference heading into Sunday's action.
Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors claimed the West's No. 8 seed with a 113-101 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Stephen Curry's 46-point masterpiece sets up a highly anticipated No. 7 vs. No. 8 showdown against the Los Angeles Lakers, who remained seventh in the conference after the Portland Trail Blazers prevailed later in the evening against the Denver Nuggets.
Like the Celtics, the San Antonio Spurs' seeding was already determined before Sunday. Gregg Popovich's squad finished the 2020-21 campaign with the West's 10th-best record, so San Antonio will be the road team for its No. 9 vs. No. 10 play-in tournament matchup with the Grizzlies.
Play-in tournament schedule
| Game | Date | Away | Home | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 18 | Hornets | Pacers | 6:30 p.m. |
| 2 | May 18 | Wizards | Celtics | 9:00 p.m. |
| 3 | May 19 | Spurs | Grizzlies | 7:30 p.m. |
| 4 | May 19 | Warriors | Lakers | 10:00 p.m. |
| 5 | May 20 | Winner of Game 1 | Loser of Game 2 | 8:00 p.m. |
| 6 | May 21 | Winner of Game 3 | Loser of Game 4 | TBD |
The top-six playoff seeds in each conference were also finalized, including the West's No. 1 spot.
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 8 TBD
No. 2 Brooklyn Nets vs. No. 7 TBD
No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 Miami Heat
No. 4 New York Knicks vs. No. 5 Atlanta Hawks
Western Conference
No. 1 Utah Jazz vs. No. 8 TBD
No. 2 Phoenix Suns vs. No. 7 TBD
No. 3 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 6 Portland Trail Blazers
No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 5 Dallas Mavericks