How many teams make the NBA Play-In Tournament?

The Minnesota Timberwolves began the season a far different team than they are now. Not only did they have Karl-Anthony Towns in the starting lineup, but the team was just beginning to learn how to play with one another. There were a lot of expected hiccups that led to a disappointing start to the year.

But since Minnesota’s players-only meeting after their New Year’s Eve loss to Detroit, they have recorded the second-best record in the entire Western Conference since January 1. Anthony Edwards has been on a tear, and with Mike Conley now in the mix to make Rudy Gobert’s life easier, this team is playing some of their best basketball at the right time.

The Timberwolves briefly jumped into the top six in the standings, something that remains encouraging despite them having fallen back into the play-in. There is still no official timeline on KAT’s return, but this squad still looks to be dangerous even without him. Wolves fans are hoping the team can win enough games to avoid landing in the Play-In Tournament at the end of the regular season.

With this being just the fourth season where the Play-In has been in place, here is everything you should know about it.

How many teams make the NBA Play-In Tournament?

The Play-In Tournament consists of four teams from each conference. The teams seeded 7-10 compete to earn their right to participate in the playoffs, while the teams seeded 1-6 earn an automatic bid into the playoffs.

The no. 7 seed in each conference hosts the no. 8 seed, with the winner securing the seventh spot in the conference for the playoffs. Similarly, the no. 9 seed plays host to the no. 10 seed, with the loser being eliminated.

Then, the loser of the 7/8 matchup plays host to the winner of the 9/10 game, with the winner securing the final spot in the playoffs and taking on the no. 1 seed. The loser is eliminated from postseason contention.

How long has the NBA Play-In Tournament existed?

The play-in was first conceived during the 2019-20 NBA season, when the regular season was paused due to covid-19 and eventually resumed in the Orlando bubble. The NBA did not play a full slate of games in the regular season due to the stoppage, so the league decided to make things more interesting leading up to the playoffs by introducing the first version of the play-in tournament.

That year, the no. 9 seeds in both conferences were given the chance to beat out their respective no. 8 seed for the final spot in the playoffs if the no. 9 seed were within four games of the no. 8 seed in the standings.

In this scenario, the two teams in the play-in played a maximum of two games against one another. If the no. 8 seed won the first game, they retained their current seed and advanced to the playoffs. But if the no. 9 seed won the first game, they would get the chance to play a second game, and if they were victorious both times, the no. 9 seed would advance to the postseason.

After the bubble, the NBA incorporated the current version of the play-in with four total teams involved from each conference. This year will be the fourth straight season with a play-in tournament, and the third under the current format.

Previous NBA Play-In Tournament results:

These are the results from the NBA Play-In Tournament from the last two seasons. Their original seed from the end of the regular season slate is listed first, with their final playoff seeding listed after.

2020-2021:

Western Conference:

7. Los Angeles Lakers (Won first game, advanced as no. 7 seed)
8. Golden State Warriors (Lost 2 games, eliminated from playoffs)
9. Memphis Grizzlies (Won 2 games, advanced as no. 8 seed)
10. San Antonio Spurs (Lost first game, eliminated from playoffs)

Eastern Conference:

7. Boston Celtics (Won first game, advanced as no. 7 seed)
8. Washington Wizards (Won second game, advanced as no. 8 seed)
9. Indiana Pacers (Lost second game, eliminated from playoffs)
10. Charlotte Hornets (Lost first game, eliminated from playoffs)

2021-2022:

Western Conference:

7. Minnesota Timberwolves (Won first game, advanced as no. 7 seed)
8. Los Angeles Clippers (Lost 2 games, eliminated from playoffs)
9. New Orleans Pelicans (Won 2 games, advanced as no. 8 seed)
10. San Antonio Spurs (Lost first game, eliminated from playoffs)

Eastern Conference:

7. Brooklyn Nets (Won first game, advanced as no. 7 seed)
8. Cleveland Cavaliers (Lost 2 games, eliminated from playoffs)
9. Atlanta Hawks (Won 2 games, advanced as no. 8 seed)
10. Charlotte Hornets (Lost first game, eliminated from playoffs)

One of the most noticeable patterns from the first two seasons of the current play-in format is the lack of success from no. 8 seeds. Three of the four no. 8 seeds across both conferences failed to win either of their two play-in contests and lost their spot in the playoffs.

So far, the only no. 8 seed to win a game in the play-in was the 2020-21 Wizards, who won their second game to retain their spot. Conversely, no. 9 seeds have ended up advancing to the playoffs more often than not. To this point, a no. 7 seed has never lost a game in the play-in, and a no. 10 seed has never won one.

Will the Minnesota Timberwolves end up in the NBA Play-In Tournament?

As of the time of writing this, the Minnesota Timberwolves own the no. 8 seed in the Western Conference. They are just one half game back from the Mavericks for the no. 6 seed, but also stand just one game ahead of the no. 11 seed Pelicans.

The Western Conference has been an unbelievably close race for a number of weeks now, and not much separation has been created between the teams at the top and bottom. The no. 5 seed is still just two and a half games ahead of the no. 11 seed.

For the Wolves, every game will continue to be absolutely crucial for their postseason hopes. Drop more than a few games and they could be looking at missing the play-in entirely. With 14 games left on the schedule, Minnesota will likely need to win at least eight or nine more games to avoid falling out of the play-in field.

The good news is, if the Timberwolves earn their place in the play-in, there is reason to believe they can go further than most. And of course, some of what determines where they fall will be factors out of their control. Minnesota fans will want to root as hard as they can for opponents of the Clippers, Mavericks and Warriors over the next four weeks.