The Miami Heat find themselves in a familiar position this season – back in the NBA’s play-in tournament for the fourth year running.
While this scenario presents challenges, it also offers opportunities for a franchise that has successfully navigated these waters before, advancing to the playoffs through the play-in format in each of the previous three seasons. To continue that trend, Miami must secure victories in two away games this week.
“It’s harrowing. It’s nuts,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “You have to absolutely embrace it. It makes you feel alive, that’s for sure, if you’re a competitor. … Once you’re in it, it’s exhilarating. And you have to embrace the competition, embrace how every single possession really does matter. It’s a Game 7. And so, I just want our guys to take on that challenge.”
The tournament field includes Charlotte, Orlando and Philadelphia from the Eastern Conference, alongside Golden State, the Los Angeles Clippers, Portland and Phoenix from the Western Conference.
The Clippers have an opportunity to reach the playoffs despite starting the season with a disappointing 6-21 record.
“It’s a great achievement,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said.
The opening matchups are scheduled as follows:
Tuesday’s games feature East No. 10 Miami visiting East No. 9 Charlotte at 7:30 p.m., followed by West No. 8 Portland traveling to West No. 7 Phoenix at 10 p.m.
Wednesday’s slate includes East No. 8 Orlando at East No. 7 Philadelphia at 7:30 p.m., and West No. 10 Golden State facing West No. 9 Los Angeles Clippers at 10 p.m.
Each contest will result in teams either securing playoff positions or facing elimination from postseason consideration.
Teams losing the Miami-Charlotte and Golden State-LA Clippers matchups will be eliminated immediately. Victorious teams from the Portland-Phoenix and Orlando-Philadelphia games will earn No. 7 seeds in their respective conferences, with the Eastern winner facing Boston and the Western winner meeting San Antonio in the first round.
Friday’s elimination games will determine the final playoff spots. The Orlando-Philadelphia loser will host the Miami-Charlotte winner at 7:30 p.m. to decide the East’s No. 8 seed and Detroit’s first-round opponent. Similarly, the Portland-Phoenix loser will host the Golden State-LA Clippers winner at 10 p.m. to determine the West’s No. 8 seed and Oklahoma City’s opening opponent.
Phoenix enters the play-in tournament for the first time, while the remaining seven franchises have previous experience in this format.
Both Miami and Golden State are making their fourth play-in appearances. Charlotte participates for the third time, while Orlando, Philadelphia, Portland and the Clippers are making their second trips.
Miami holds a 4-2 record in play-in contests. Orlando, Philadelphia and Portland each stand at 1-0, Golden State is 1-3, and both Charlotte and the Clippers are 0-2.
Portland captured the inaugural play-in victory against Memphis during the 2020 bubble season. The current eight-team format began in 2021.
For the Miami-Charlotte matchup, the season series favored Miami 3-1, with BetMGM listing Charlotte as 5.5-point favorites. The winner advances to Friday’s elimination game while the loser’s season ends. High-scoring affairs are expected, as the teams averaged 126-120 in Miami’s favor during regular season meetings. Miami outscored Charlotte by 23 points overall while committing 23 fewer turnovers. Charlotte has only two players (LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges) with play-in experience, compared to Miami’s 11, including Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, who have participated in four play-in victories.
The Phoenix-Portland game features Phoenix as 4.5-point favorites despite Portland winning the season series 2-1. The victor claims the No. 7 seed and faces San Antonio on Sunday, while the loser hosts Friday’s elimination game. Phoenix outscored Portland by seven points across their three meetings, with both teams shooting approximately 46%. However, their last encounter occurred two months ago. Portland exceeded expectations after losing coach Chauncey Billups early in the season, while Phoenix also performed better than many predicted.
Philadelphia holds slight 1.5-point odds over Orlando, having won the season series 2-1. The winner earns the No. 7 seed to face Boston on Sunday. Philadelphia defeated Orlando by exactly 12 points twice this season, while Orlando’s lone victory came by 41 points. The 76ers are managing without Joel Embiid, who underwent an appendectomy last week, adding to an unpredictable season. Orlando must overcome disappointment from losing to a depleted Boston team in their regular season finale.
The Golden State-LA Clippers elimination game has the Clippers favored by 4.5 points despite splitting their season series 3-1. This Western Conference elimination contest will end either Kawhi Leonard’s or Stephen Curry’s season. The combined scoring from their four meetings was exactly even at 411-411. Leonard will experience his first play-in game, while Curry has gone 1-3 in four previous play-in appearances, averaging 33.8 points in those contests.
