JUMP TO:<\/p>\n
The NBA Playoffs are set to kick off on Tuesday, with the first of six games tipping off at 7:30 ET. The tournament will conclude on Friday night with the No. 8 playoff spot in each conference being up for grabs to determine who will play the Detroit Pistons<\/a> in the East and the Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> in the West.<\/p>\n In normal circumstances, the No. 7 76ers and No. 8 Magic<\/a> would have led off the slate of Play-In games. However, the Philadelphia Flyers’ Tuesday night game against the Montreal Canadiens at the Wells Fargo Center forced a scheduling issue, causing the Sixers<\/a> to play on Wednesday night. Instead, the No. 9 Hornets<\/a> and No. 10 Heat<\/a> will start the Play-in from Charlotte. LaMelo Ball will look to lead his team to two victories for their first playoff berth since 2016. The winner of the Hornets-Heat game will play whoever falls in the Sixers-Magic game for the No. 8 seed of the 2026 Playoffs.<\/p>\n WATCH:\u00a0NBA Play-In Tournament games LIVE on Amazon Prime<\/a><\/p>\n The No. 7 Phoenix Suns<\/a> will open their Play-In Tournament by playing the No. 8 Los Angeles Clippers<\/a>\/Portland Blazers<\/a> following the Hornets-Heat game. This will be the Suns’ first appearance in the Play-In Tournament, and Devin Booker will look to keep Phoenix’s season alive. On Wednesday, No. 9\u00a0Los Angeles Clippers\/Portland Blazers will play against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors<\/a>. To qualify for the playoffs, the Warriors need to beat Los Angeles, along with the loser of the Suns-Blazers game.<\/p>\n This year marks the first time the Play-In Tournament will be exclusively aired on Amazon Prime, after previously running on ESPN and TNT.<\/p>\n The Sporting News is tracking live scores and highlights from the 2026 NBA Play-In Tournament, as eight teams will battle for four playoff spots.<\/p>\n NBA PLAYOFFS HQ:\u00a0Live NBA scores<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NBA playoff schedule<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NBA playoff bracket<\/a><\/p>\n NBA Play-In Tournament scoresNo. 7 Sixers vs. No. 8 Magic<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n No. 7 Suns vs. No. 8 Blazers<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n No. 9 Hornets vs. No. 10 Heat<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n No. 9 Clippers vs. No. 10 Warriors<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n East No. 7\/8 loser vs. No. 9\/10 winner<\/p>\n This section will be updated once matchup is finalized<\/p>\n West\u00a0No. 7\/8 loser vs. No. 9\/10 winner<\/p>\n This section will be updated once matchup is finalized<\/p>\n NBA Play-In Tournament highlights<\/p>\n 11:15 p.m.: The Blazers had a double-digit lead in the second quarter, but Phoenix stormed back to cut the lead to two at halftime.<\/p>\n Jalen Green 4-point play \ud83d\udc4f<\/p>\n He’s got a game-high 22 PTS in the @SoFi<\/a> Play-In! pic.twitter.com\/Ficbr3aEBg<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NBA (@NBA) April 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 10:43 p.m.: The Suns have a slim 33-31 lead after one quarter. Devin Booker and Jalen Green have 12 and 10 points, each, while Jrue Holliday has 11 for Portland.<\/p>\n Jalen Green is off to a hot start!<\/p>\n 10 PTS (4-4 FGM)<\/p>\n Suns lead by 5 in Q1 of the @SoFi<\/a> Play-In \ud83c\udf7f pic.twitter.com\/WIXcDs9NiX<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NBA (@NBA) April 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 10:26 p.m.: Suns vs. Trail Blazers is already underway, as Phoenix has an early 14-point lead.<\/p>\n 10:22 p.m.: In a thrilling end, the Hornets survive on a LaMelo Ball layup, followed by a game-winning block by Miles Bridges. Charlotte will play the winner of the Sixers-Magic game next.<\/p>\n THE HORNETS WIN \ud83d\udea8<\/p>\n LAMELO GO-AHEAD BUCKET. CHARLOTTE WILL PLAY FOR THE EAST-8 SEED ON FRIDAY! pic.twitter.com\/psSZHn5jcC<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NBA (@NBA) April 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 10:04 p.m.: The Hornets force overtime thanks to a late three by Coby White, who has 19 points on the night.<\/p>\n COBY WHITE TIES THE GAME \ud83c\udfaf<\/p>\n WHAT A SHOT!<\/p>\n 114-114. \u2014 NBA (@NBA) April 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 9:46 p.m.: With under five minutes to go, the Heat are up 102-100. Kon Knueppel has yet to hit a three while Davion Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins have 45 combined points.<\/p>\n DAVION MITCHELL IS UP TO 24 PTS!<\/p>\n Miami is on a 12-0 run and leads by 4 in Q4 of the @SoFi<\/a> Play-In \ud83d\udd25 pic.twitter.com\/yYJLitft15<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NBA (@NBA) April 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 9:22 p.m.: The Hornets have taken an 89-83 lead through three quarters. Ball has 26 points and six assists as Charlotte put up 37 points in the period.<\/p>\n 8:43 p.m.: At halftime, the Heat have a 54-52 lead. Despite Adebayo’s injury, Davion Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins have combined for 10 points, but Miami has gotten at least four points from eight players so far.<\/p>\n Herro gets it to fall through contact \ud83d\ude24<\/p>\n Miami leads by 2 at the break in the @SoFi<\/a> Play-In! pic.twitter.com\/4rQrF8AWZW<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NBA (@NBA) April 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 8:34 p.m.: Miami has declared Adebayo questionable to return with a back injury.<\/p>\n 8:19 p.m.: Heat center Bam Adebayo took a hard fall and has now left the game to head back to the locker room.<\/p>\n The play where Bam Adebayo got taken out. LaMelo Ball was complaining to the referees afterward. pic.twitter.com\/xbKAhslFHB<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) April 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 8:10 p.m.: After one, the Hornets lead 26-24. Miles Bridgers and LaMelo Ball have combined for 19 points, while Kon Knueppel is scoreless on five shots.<\/p>\n Bridges SWAT. The Hornets are hungry for their first appearance in the NBA Playoffs presented by @Google<\/a> in 10 years! pic.twitter.com\/MyfY4N2B5p<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NBA (@NBA) April 14, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 7:40 p.m.: The first game of the night is underway, as the Heat and Hornets battle to avoid elimination.<\/p>\n NBA Play-In Tournament 2026 scheduleDates:\u00a0Tuesday, April 14\u2013Friday, April 17<\/p>\n The 2026 NBA Play-In Tournament will begin on Tuesday, April 14, and conclude on Friday, April 17. Once the postseason field has been finalized, the 2026 NBA Playoffs will start on Saturday, April 18.<\/p>\n DateGameTime (ET)WatchTue., April 14No. 9 Hornets vs. No. 10 Heat7:30 p.m.Prime Video<\/a>\u00a0No. 7 Suns vs. No. 8 Blazers10 p.m.Prime VideoWed., April 15No. 7 Sixers vs. No. 8 Magic7:30 p.m.Prime Video\u00a0No. 9 Clippers vs. No. 10 Warriors10 p.m.Prime VideoFri., April 17East No. 7\/8 loser vs. No. 9\/10 winner7:30 p.m.Prime Video\u00a0West\u00a0No. 7\/8 loser vs. No. 9\/10 winner10 p.m.Prime VideoWhere to watch NBA Play-In Tournament 2026<\/p>\n Under the NBA\u2019s new media rights agreement, all six games of the 2026 Play-In Tournament will be streamed exclusively on Prime Video<\/a>, marking the first time the entire tournament has shifted to a streaming-only platform.<\/p>\n NBA playoffs bracket 2026Eastern Conference(1) Pistons vs. (8) TBD(2) Celtics vs. (7) TBD(3) Knicks\/Cavaliers vs. (6) TBD(4) Cavaliers\/Knicks vs. (5) TBDWestern Conference(1) Thunder\u00a0vs. (8) TBD(2) Spurs\u00a0vs. (7) TBD(3) TBD vs. (6) Timberwolves(4)\u00a0TBD vs. (5) TBDRelated Links<\/p>\n
BRIDGES BLOCK TO SEAL IT.<\/p>\n
10.8 TO PLAY. pic.twitter.com\/MWCQbWOVtd<\/a><\/p>\n
Ball BUCKET.<\/p>\n