NBA Play-in Game: What Happens if Blazers-Grizzlies Win or Lose?

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The NBA will try out a play-in tournament for the final Western Conference postseason spot.

The inaugural NBA play-in tournament is taking place in the Western Conference between the Portland Trail Blazers and Memphis Grizzlies. Given it is a new addition to the NBA playoffs, there is some confusion on the play-in game schedule and format. The winner of the play-in tournament will advance to the 16-team NBA playoff bracket to face the No. 1 Lakers.

Since the Grizzlies are the No. 9 seed, they need to win two straight games to advance to the postseason. If the Blazers win the first game, the Grizzlies will be eliminated from the playoffs, and Portland will advance to play Los Angeles. A Grizzlies victory in the first play-in game will force a second game on Sunday, August 16 with the winner advancing to the NBA playoffs.

The Grizzlies need two straight wins against the Blazers to advance, while Portland only needs to win one of the two potential matchups. A win by the Blazers in the initial game would end the play-in tournament and punch Portland’s ticket to a seven-game series against the Lakers.

A Play-in Tournament Was Forced Because the Grizzlies Were Less Than 4 Games Back From the Blazers

There is not a play-in tournament in the Eastern Conference as the No. 8 Magic were more than four games ahead of the Wizards. Since the Grizzlies are less than four games behind the Blazers, the NBA bubble rules stated that a play-in tournament would take place to determine the final playoff spot. Here is how the NBA describes the play-in tournament rules.

But if the team with the eighth-best record in its conference is four games or fewer ahead of the team with the ninth-best record in the same conference, then we’ll have a battle for the final spot between those two teams.

The tournament will basically be a best-of-two series — where the No. 9 seed will have to win two head-to-head matchups to take over the No. 8 spot.

Play-in Tournament Scenarios for Blazers & Grizzlies

The asterisk marks scenarios that only apply if there is a second play-in game. This will only happen if the Grizzlies win the first game against the Blazers.

NBA Play-in Game Schedule

75 Percent of NBA GM’s Voted for a Play-in Tournament

The NBA has been toying with the idea of adding a play-in tournament for some time, but the unorthodox nature of the 2019-20 season allowed commissioner Adam Silver a chance to experiment. Since the regular season was abruptly halted, the play-in format gave the NBA a way to invite more teams to the NBA bubble and give them a chance to make the postseason.

The NBA debated a variety of different formats including something similar to World Cup groups. The Ringer’s Kevin O’Conner reported that about 75 percent of NBA general managers were in favor of a play-in tournament, while only 25 percent voted for the World Cup groupings. Time will tell if the NBA makes the play-in game a regular part of the playoffs, but the Western Conference race was one of the most intriguing parts of the games at Disney.

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