The 2021 NBA Playoffs got underway on Tuesday, May 18 with the first two games of the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. Wednesday brings the first two games of the Western Conference play-in tournament. The bottom four seeds, No. 7 through No. 10 will face off in a mini-tournament to determine the final two seeds for the first round of the playoffs.
ESPN will host the Western Conference games, starting with the No. 9 Memphis Grizzlies and No. 10 San Antonio Spurs. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at FedExForum in Memphis. The winner will face the loser of the Warriors-Lakers play-in game for the No. 8 seed. The loser will head home for the offseason.
If you aren’t around a TV to check out this NBA matchup, you can stream the game via WatchESPN or the ESPN app. But keep in mind that you need a cable-login subscription. If you don’t have a cable login to access ESPN for a live stream, you can get a free trial from YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, or Sling TV to stream the game.
Memphis will enter Wednesday night’s game with a 38-34 record and played well down the stretch of the regular season. The Grizzlies lost their regular season finale to the Golden State Warriors, but they had won five games in a row coming into that matchup. On the injury report, Grayson Allen and Sean McDermott remain out indefinitely.
The Spurs are 33-39 this season as they sneaked into the play-in tournament as the No. 10 seed. They certainly have struggled as they enter the postseason. San Antonio went 2-10 in their final 12 games of the regular season and lost each of their last four games. Trey Lyles, Luka Samanic and Derrick White all remain out for the Spurs.