NBA Play-In Tournament Matchups Revealed: Warriors Face Clippers, Heat Battle Hornets
The NBA Play-In Tournament matchups have been set, with the Warriors and Clippers, and Heat and Hornets among those set to clash. The regular season has concluded, and the battle for the final postseason berths is about to begin.
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- 📰 Published: April 13, 2026 at 14:45
- 🔍 Collected: April 13, 2026 at 15:01 (16 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 13, 2026 at 15:39 (37 min after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency, Miami, 12th, comprehensive foreign reports) With the conclusion of the regular season, the matchups for the National Basketball Association (NBA) Play-In Tournament were officially announced today. The first game will be between the Heat and the Hornets, while the Magic will face the 76ers, the Suns will take on the Trail Blazers, and the Warriors will clash with the Clippers.
According to the Associated Press, the first elimination game will be held in Charlotte. The 9th-ranked Hornets in the Eastern Conference will host the 10th-ranked Miami Heat on the evening of the 14th. This do-or-die game, where winning advances and losing sends you home, will kick off the Play-In Tournament.
● Other Play-In Tournament schedule as follows:
The 7th-ranked Suns in the Western Conference will play against the 8th-ranked Trail Blazers on the 14th. The winner will advance to the first round of the playoffs to face the San Antonio Spurs led by 'Zebra' Victor Wembanyama.
The 7th-ranked Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference will host the 8th-ranked Orlando Magic on the 15th. The winner of this game will face the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
The 9th-ranked Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference will also play on the 15th. On that day, they will host the 10th-ranked Golden State Warriors in a do-or-die elimination game. The winner will face the loser of the Suns vs Trail Blazers game on the 17th to contend for a spot to challenge the Western Conference leader, the Oklahoma City Thunder, in the first round.
Also on the 17th, the winner of the Hornets vs Heat game will visit the loser of the 76ers vs Magic game to decide which team will advance and face the 1st-ranked Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference first round.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra stated, "Our team knows very well what makes us win and what leads to defeat, and that's the most important thing."
● Other first-round playoff matchups:
The top two seeds in both conferences, including the Pistons, Celtics, Thunder, and Spurs, will await the results from the 14th to the 17th to determine their first-round opponents.
Some teams have already secured their opponents. The first-round matchups of 3rd vs 6th and 4th vs 5th are set.
In the Eastern Conference, the 3rd-ranked New York Knicks will face the 6th-ranked Atlanta Hawks, and the 4th-ranked Cleveland Cavaliers will take on the 5th-ranked Toronto Raptors. In the Western Conference, the 3rd-ranked Denver Nuggets will play against the 6th-ranked Minnesota Timberwolves, marking the third time these two teams have met in the playoffs in four years; and the 4th-seeded Los Angeles Lakers will face the 5th-ranked Houston Rockets.
● Review of tonight's games:
Tonight, in the Heat's locker room, all eyes were on the broadcast of the Magic vs Celtics game. There was a reason for this, as this game determined many rankings in the Eastern Conference.
After the Celtics defeated the Magic, the Magic dropped to 8th and entered the Play-In Tournament. This also ensured that the Heat vs Hornets game would be held on the 14th, as the 76ers could not host a basketball game tomorrow or on the 14th due to a schedule conflict with the NHL Philadelphia Flyers at their arena.
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said after losing to Boston, "This game is over; now all we need to do is focus all our time, attention, and energy on the Philadelphia 76ers."
The Trail Blazers defeated the Kings to secure 8th in the Western Conference, thus having a 'win one of two' chance to advance to the playoffs. After the Clippers defeated the Warriors in their final regular-season game, these two teams will meet again on the 15th in Inglewood, California, for a do-or-die elimination game.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said, "Both teams know each other very well, having played against each other many times over the years."
The Denver Nuggets ended the regular season with 12 consecutive wins, defeating the Spurs to secure the 3rd seed. The Lakers defeated the Jazz, meaning LeBron James will face Kevin Durant in the playoffs, their first playoff encounter since the 2018 NBA Finals.
● Regular season total scoring record broken:
The total scoring in the NBA this season set a new historical high, breaking the original record of 282,127 points, with a final cumulative total of 284,395 points.
Although the total points scored set a record, the average scoring did not. This season's average was 115.6 points, the 6th highest in history. (Translator: Cheng Shih-yun) 1150413
(Central News Agency, Miami, 12th, comprehensive foreign reports) With the conclusion of the regular season, the matchups for the National Basketball Association (NBA) Play-In Tournament were officially announced today. The first game will be between the Heat and the Hornets, while the Magic will face the 76ers, the Suns will take on the Trail Blazers, and the Warriors will clash with the Clippers.
According to the Associated Press, the first elimination game will be held in Charlotte. The 9th-ranked Hornets in the Eastern Conference will host the 10th-ranked Miami Heat on the evening of the 14th. This do-or-die game, where winning advances and losing sends you home, will kick off the Play-In Tournament.
● Other Play-In Tournament schedule as follows:
The 7th-ranked Suns in the Western Conference will play against the 8th-ranked Trail Blazers on the 14th. The winner will advance to the first round of the playoffs to face the San Antonio Spurs led by 'Zebra' Victor Wembanyama.
The 7th-ranked Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference will host the 8th-ranked Orlando Magic on the 15th. The winner of this game will face the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
The 9th-ranked Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference will also play on the 15th. On that day, they will host the 10th-ranked Golden State Warriors in a do-or-die elimination game. The winner will face the loser of the Suns vs Trail Blazers game on the 17th to contend for a spot to challenge the Western Conference leader, the Oklahoma City Thunder, in the first round.
Also on the 17th, the winner of the Hornets vs Heat game will visit the loser of the 76ers vs Magic game to decide which team will advance and face the 1st-ranked Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference first round.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra stated, "Our team knows very well what makes us win and what leads to defeat, and that's the most important thing."
● Other first-round playoff matchups:
The top two seeds in both conferences, including the Pistons, Celtics, Thunder, and Spurs, will await the results from the 14th to the 17th to determine their first-round opponents.
Some teams have already secured their opponents. The first-round matchups of 3rd vs 6th and 4th vs 5th are set.
In the Eastern Conference, the 3rd-ranked New York Knicks will face the 6th-ranked Atlanta Hawks, and the 4th-ranked Cleveland Cavaliers will take on the 5th-ranked Toronto Raptors. In the Western Conference, the 3rd-ranked Denver Nuggets will play against the 6th-ranked Minnesota Timberwolves, marking the third time these two teams have met in the playoffs in four years; and the 4th-seeded Los Angeles Lakers will face the 5th-ranked Houston Rockets.
● Review of tonight's games:
Tonight, in the Heat's locker room, all eyes were on the broadcast of the Magic vs Celtics game. There was a reason for this, as this game determined many rankings in the Eastern Conference.
After the Celtics defeated the Magic, the Magic dropped to 8th and entered the Play-In Tournament. This also ensured that the Heat vs Hornets game would be held on the 14th, as the 76ers could not host a basketball game tomorrow or on the 14th due to a schedule conflict with the NHL Philadelphia Flyers at their arena.
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said after losing to Boston, "This game is over; now all we need to do is focus all our time, attention, and energy on the Philadelphia 76ers."
The Trail Blazers defeated the Kings to secure 8th in the Western Conference, thus having a 'win one of two' chance to advance to the playoffs. After the Clippers defeated the Warriors in their final regular-season game, these two teams will meet again on the 15th in Inglewood, California, for a do-or-die elimination game.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said, "Both teams know each other very well, having played against each other many times over the years."
The Denver Nuggets ended the regular season with 12 consecutive wins, defeating the Spurs to secure the 3rd seed. The Lakers defeated the Jazz, meaning LeBron James will face Kevin Durant in the playoffs, their first playoff encounter since the 2018 NBA Finals.
● Regular season total scoring record broken:
The total scoring in the NBA this season set a new historical high, breaking the original record of 282,127 points, with a final cumulative total of 284,395 points.
Although the total points scored set a record, the average scoring did not. This season's average was 115.6 points, the 6th highest in history. (Translator: Cheng Shih-yun) 1150413