Hornets Thrill in NBA Play-In Tournament, Eliminate Heat
The NBA postseason opened Tuesday, April 14, with the first games of the 2026 Play-In Tournament. Charlotte defeated Miami 127-126 in overtime.
Guard Coby White drilled a tying 3-pointer with 15 seconds left. Miami lost big man Bam Adebayo to a lower back injury in the second quarter.
Opening-night highlights
The Hornets’ comeback created huge momentum for Charlotte. The result was a Hornets thrill in NBA Play-In Tournament and did eliminate Heat from playoff contention.
In the West, the Phoenix Suns hosted the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday night in Phoenix. The winner earns the No. 7 seed and a first-round matchup with the No. 2 San Antonio Spurs.
Wednesday’s matchups
On April 15, the Philadelphia 76ers host the Orlando Magic. The winner wins the Eastern No. 7 seed and will face the Boston Celtics.
The loser of that game will host Charlotte on Friday, April 17. That contest decides the Eastern No. 8 seed and the opponent for top-seeded Detroit.
Also on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Clippers host the Golden State Warriors. The loser is eliminated from the postseason.
The winner travels Friday to play the Suns-Blazers loser for the Western No. 8 seed. The victor then meets reigning champion Oklahoma City in the first round.
Format, streaming and schedule
The format keeps No. 9 vs. No. 10 losers out of the playoffs. Winners of No. 7 vs. No. 8 secure the No. 7 seeds.
Losers of the No. 7/8 games then face the winners of the No. 9/10 games for the No. 8 spots. All play-in games stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.
- All times Eastern.
- Tuesday, April 14 — Opening games.
- Wednesday, April 15 — Two play-in games.
- Friday, April 17 — Final No. 8 seed games.
Television and streaming notes
All Play-In games will be available on Prime Video. Filmogaz.com will carry updates and analysis.
First-round playoff bracket
| Eastern Conference | Western Conference |
|---|---|
| (1) Detroit Pistons vs. (8) Play-In Winner | (1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (8) Play-In Winner |
| (4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) Toronto Raptors | (4) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (5) Houston Rockets |
| (3) New York Knicks vs. (6) Atlanta Hawks | (3) Denver Nuggets vs. (6) Minnesota Timberwolves |
| (2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Play-In Winner | (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Play-In Winner |
Opening-game schedule
- Saturday, April 18 — Raptors at Cavaliers, 1 p.m. (Prime).
- Saturday, April 18 — Timberwolves at Nuggets, 3:30 p.m. (Prime).
- Saturday, April 18 — Hawks at Knicks, 6 p.m. (Prime).
- Saturday, April 18 — Rockets at Lakers, 8:30 p.m. (ABC).
- Sunday, April 19 — No. 7 seed at Celtics, 1 p.m. (ABC).
- Sunday, April 19 — No. 8 seed at Thunder, 3:30 p.m. (ABC).
- Sunday, April 19 — No. 8 at Pistons, 6:30 p.m. (NBC, Peacock).
- Sunday, April 19 — No. 7 at Spurs, 9 p.m. (NBC, Peacock).
Filmogaz.com will publish staff predictions and odds ahead of each play-in game. Fans can follow live coverage and full brackets on the site.
