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The NBA play-in tournament is officially underway with the LA Lakers fighting for their playoff lives in a Western Conference matchup with the Golden State Warriors. The defending champions (No. 7) are set to do battle with the upstart Warriors (No. 8) in what is expected to be one of the most hard-fought games of the season.
In the other Western Conference NBA play-in bracket, the Memphis Grizzlies (No. 9) and San Antonio Spurs (No. 10) will go head-to-head in a do-or-die contest. Earlier on Sunday, the Warriors defeated the Grizzlies 113-101 to take the eighth spot in the West and secure their play-in position in the conference.
Analyzing how the NBA play-in bracket will unfold
A dramatic final day of the 2020-21 season helped finalize the NBA play-in picture for the Western Conference. Aside from the Warriors-Grizzlies game, two other matchups helped shape the landscape for the play-in tournament.
The Portland Trail Blazers secured the No. 6 seed in the West after defeating the Denver Nuggets 132-116 on Sunday. The Lakers swept their last three games to have a chance at the conference’s sixth spot. But even though they did just that after Sunday’s 110-98 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, the Blazers won two of their last three to finish with the same record as last year’s champion (42-30).
However, Portland owned the tiebreaker and it propelled them to a best-of-7 date with the Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs.
Let’s check out the upcoming NBA play-in tournament battles ahead for the Western Conference.
(10) San Antonio Spurs vs (9) Memphis Grizzlies: Wednesday, May 19th, 2021
The San Antonio Spurs have a shot at returning to the playoffs if they can get past the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday and play the winner of the Lakers-Warriors tussle. The Spurs will bank on coach Gregg Popovich and four-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan’s rich playoff experience to get them through to the next play-in game.
But the Memphis Grizzlies will not fold easily. The NBA play-in tournament is an opportunity for last year’s Rookie of the Year, Ja Morant, to experience the playoffs for the first time. Jonas Valanciunas, a former teammate of DeRozan’s on the Toronto Raptors, is aching to carry his team to the postseason as well.
Prior to their loss to the Warriors, the Grizzlies had won five straight games in contrast to the Spurs, who had lost five of their last six games including four straight to finish the season. The last time these teams met was on Feb. 1 when Memphis, the season series winner, defeated San Antonio 133-102.
The Spurs-Grizzlies' NBA play-in game will be televised live on ESPN and will be available to international audiences on NBA League Pass. Tip-off starts at 7:30 PM ET and 5:00 AM IST.
(8) Golden State Warriors vs (7) LA Lakers: Wednesday, May 19th, 2021
The marquee matchup of the NBA play-in tournament will pit two teams with multiple championships. The LA Lakers have 17 championships as a franchise, while the Golden State Warriors have won six.
LeBron James will renew his personal rivalry with Stephen Curry when they face off on Wednesday. The last six Finals have showcased either LeBron’s team (2 titles), Curry’s team (3 titles) or both. The NBA play-in tournament will be a hotly contested battle no matter how much respect the two combatants have for one another.
Both teams head into their NBA play-in battle with plenty of momentum. The Lakers have a five-game winning streak while the Warriors have won six straight. It’s the irresistible force versus the immovable object once again, with the winner advancing to the playoffs.
The NBA play-in game between the Lakers and Warriors will be shown nationally on ESPN with a tip-off time of 10:00 PM ET and 7:30 AM IST. Fans across the globe can livestream the game via NBA League Pass.
Winner of 9th/10th game vs Loser of 7th/8th game: Friday, May 21st, 2021
The LA Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies have the advantage of playing at home against their respective opponents but that doesn’t guarantee a win by either team. The NBA play-in tournament will conclude with a final game between the 9th-versus-10th winner and the loser of the 7th-versus-8th contest.
The winner of the game will become the No. 8 seed and face the Utah Jazz in the first-round of the 2021 NBA playoffs.
The West’s last NBA play-in game of the 2020-21 season will be shown nationally on ESPN and will be livestreamed on NBA League Pass on Friday. Game time has yet to be determined.
