:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72163726/1250842003.0.jpg "2023 NBA play-in tournament teams: Bracket, seeding, who is playing for East, West?")
The 2023 NBA play-in tournament is set, with eight teams competing for four spots in the postseason across both conferences. Here's a look at which teams are competing in the play-in tournament, along with some analysis on the matchups and a prediction on which teams ultimately come out of the bracket to make the 2023 NBA playoffs.
2023 NBA play-in tournament teams
No. 7 Miami Heat vs. No. 8 Atlanta Hawks
No. 9 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 10 Chicago Bulls
Loser of Heat/Hawks vs. Winner of Raptors/Bulls
The Heat should have the edge over the Hawks in the opener, although Atlanta does have experience getting out of this play-in format. The No. 8 seed has never won the opening play-in game against the No. 7 seed. The No. 10 seed has never won a play-in game, so the Raptors are likely to take down the Bulls in that matchup. Toronto will likely meet Atlanta in the second play-in game and the Hawks should take care of business.
No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 8 Minnesota Timberwolves
No. 9 New Orleans Pelicans vs. No. 10 Oklahoma City Thunder
Loser of Lakers/Timberwolves vs. Winner of Pelicans/Thunder
The Lakers will have the edge on the Timberwolves, especially if Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels are both ruled out for the contest. The No. 7 seed has never lost a play-in game, so LA likely has a series with Memphis on its hands. The No. 10 seed has never won a play-in game, so the Pelicans are likely to win there. New Orleans and Minnesota played a great finale in the regular season, and there's likely to be a rematch based on the history of the play-in tournament.