Before the NBA playoffs start, there’s the Play-In Tournament.
And Australia’s two biggest NBA stars — Dyson Daniels and Josh Giddey — will both feature.
First introduced in 2019/20 season, the play-in tournament decides the final two playoff seeds in both the Eastern Conference and Western Conference.
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Teams that finished seventh through 10th in the standings of either conference battle it out to determine the final seven and eight seeds.
Below is a breakdown of the teams taking part in this year’s In-Season tournament and a breakdown of how the bracket works.
ATLANTA HAWKS (8) v ORLANDO MAGIC (7)
Winner plays Boston Celtics. Loser plays winner of Chicago v Miami to determine who faces Cleveland.
Hawks
Atlanta’s fourth-straight Play-In appearance, but Dyson Daniels’ first for the Hawks amid a breakout season. ‘The Great Barrier Thief’, who led the NBA steals this season and became the third player to average at least three steals since 1990-91, has been one of the most improved players in the NBA as one of the league’s premier defenders. Daniels has also taken on greater offensive responsibilities (averaging a career-best 14.1 points per game) following Jalen Johnson’s season-ending knee injury, which was a big blow to Atlanta’s season in general. Daniels’ Hawks will have their hands full against Orlando’s star duo Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, who the Aussie will likely be charged with guarding.
“I’m very curious how the Hawks will try and slow those guys down. They don’t seem to have an answer for Paolo or Franz,” The Athletic’s Mo Dakhil said on The Zach Lowe Show.
“I know Dyson Daniels is doing all he can, but for the most part this is a difficult matchup for the Hawks.”
Zach Lowe added: “Dyson Daniels is First-Team All-Team Defence for me and many people’s choice for Defensive Player of the Year, not mine, but a fine, fine defensive player. He will guard Franz, that will be the primary assignment.”
While Daniels has emerged as a key member on Quin Snyder’s team, Atlanta’s prospects will largely hinge on Trae Young going to another level to match the offensive starpower from Banchero and Wagner.
Clippers land fifth seed with away win | 01:06
Magic
It’s been a funny old season for Orlando, who bizarrely played some of the best basketball when they were undermanned. Seen as a real threat in the East early in the season, sitting as high as third in the conference, defence has been the Magic’s backbone. Jamahl Mosley’s team finished with the second-best defensive rating in the entire NBA, though it’s missing one of its key soldiers on that end the floor following Jalen Suggs’ season-ending injury. As good as Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have been, Orlando has been one of the worst offensive and 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. It’s an area they’ll need to improve in to make noise this post-season — and beyond.
When is the game?
Wednesday 9.30am (all times AEST) in Orlando.
MIAMI HEAT (10) v CHICAGO BULLS (9)
Winner plays the loser of Orlando v Atlanta to determine who faces Cleveland. Loser is eliminated.
Bulls
One of the big improvers in the second half of the season. The Bulls have gone 15-5 in their last 20 games, with a high-octane offence ranked top five in that period behind a barrage of 3-point shooting. It’s been led by Josh Giddey, who’s “playing the ball of his career,” according to Zach Lowe, following last year’s trade from OKC in exchange for Alex Caruso. The Bulls trading Zach LaVine more recently has given Giddey the and Coby White the keys to the offence and made Chicago a much higher functioning unit and taken the team to another level, while rookie Matas Buzelis has also impressed.
“Giddey is having probably one of the most amazing runs post All-Star game we’ve seen from a young player in a while,” Dakhil said on The Zach Lowe Show.
“You kind of left him for dead midway through the season thinking ‘Oh man, he’s really struggling.’ The trade looked really bad for the Bulls at that point.
“Then he goes to another level post All-Star game — 21 points, shooting 50 per cent from the field and 45.7 per cent from three, 10.7 rebounds and 9.3 assists — that’s pretty solid numbers right there.
“His resurgence has really lifted the Bulls up.”
NBA Wrap: Giddey continues hot Bulls run | 01:23
Heat
The Bulls meet a familiar foe in Miami, with these teams facing off in the Play-In for a third-straight season. Miami has won their last two battles to determine the No. 8 seed — including surging all the way to the NBA Finals from the Play-In in 2023. The Heat have been in damage control mode for the majority of the season while dealing with the Jimmy Butler trade saga before sending him to Golden State. It’s now on Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo to carry this team forward. You can frankly never rule out a team coached by Erik Spoelstra. He’s guided Miami to six-straight playoff appearances and two NBA Finals in the last five years, even if this iteration of the Heat, who’s still ranked top 10 in defence, isn’t nearly as strong.
When is the game?
Thursday 9.30am in Chicago.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (8) v GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (7)
Winner plays Houston. Loser plays winner of Sacramento v Dallas to determine who faces OKC.
Grizzlies
Memphis has gone 4-5 since it sensationally parted ways with former coach Taylor Jenkins at the start of the month — a period the team has ranked middle of the road on both needs of the floor. A bizarre end to the season for a team that was in the hunt for one of the top few seeds in the West for a large portion of its campaign. You sense this playoff run could dictate how the Grizzlies go forward and whether they stick the course with their Ja Morant-Jaren Jackson Jr-Desmond Bane core. Basketball purists will be treated to exciting duels between superstar guards Morant and Steph Curry as well as Defensive Player of the Year candidates Jackson Jr and Draymond Green.
Warriors
Crazy to think the 48-win Warriors are in the Play-In for how good they’ve been since the Jimmy Butler trade, with a 23-7 record with the star forward. But one of those West contenders had to be, right? Golden State has looked every bit a threat in the West with Butler, with the No. 4 defence and No. 8 offence over its last 10 games. Curry has shown flashes of prime Curry, while Green is anchoring one of the best defences in the league. Hard to say how far Steve Kerr’s team can go now, even if it’s figured out its once cluttered rotation, but a side that has the potential to do damage. Lose this though and they’d potentially end up in a first-round matchup with the Thunder.
When is the game?
Wednesday 12pm in Golden State.
Doncic drops 45pts in return to Dallas | 01:06
DALLAS MAVERICKS (10) v SACRAMENTO KINGS (9)
Winner plays the loser of Golden State v Memphis to determine who faces OKC. Loser is eliminated.
Mavericks
Everything that could’ve gone wrong since the Luka Doncic trade has gone wrong … everything! A team that traded Doncic with championship hopes is suddenly fighting for its life amid a still emotionally enraged fan base. At one point it looked like the Mavs might be without both Kyrie Irving (ACL) and Anthony Davis (adductor) for the remainder of the season before Davis fought to get back on the court. Credit to Davis for that, but it’d be some effort for this team, with a bottom 10 net rating over its last 10 games, to even get out of Sacramento with a win sans Irving.
Kings
An up and down season in Sacramento, that’s undergone a major remodelling in season by firing former coach Mike Brown and flipped De’Aron Fox for Zach LaVine at the trade deadline. It’s reunited LaVine with former Bulls teammate DeMar DeRozan. Still not a team to be taken lightly, with the No. 7 ranked offence in the NBA and weapons everywhere including superstar big Domantas Sabonis. It’ll be tough for the Kings to just get to the playoffs, and if they do, a first round matchup with OKC awaits.
When is the game?
Thursday 12pm in Sacramento.
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