The Western Conference playoff and play-in picture was muddled coming into the final day of the 2023-24 regular season but got cleared up rather quickly with several teams breaking out to big leads against opponents who had no reason to make a comeback. Here’s a look at the play-in tournament setup in the West.
2024 NBA play-in tournament: Western Conference bracket
Both initial play-in games will take place Tuesday night, as opposed to previous seasons where the 9-10 teams would play Wednesday. The winner of the 7-8 matchup between the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers will advance to the playoffs as the No. 7 seed. The loser of that game will take on the winner of the 9-10 matchup between the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors. This final play-in game will take place Friday to determine the No. 8 seed in the conference.
The Pelicans and Lakers played in the final game of the 2023-24 regular season, and also met in the knockout round of the inaugural In-Season Tournament. The Kings and Warriors had an intense seven-game series in the first round of last year’s playoffs. These narratives, along with the stars on display, create plenty of intrigue around the play-in bracket this season.