BREAKING: Eastern Conference Play-in Tournament Matchups and Game Times Are Set
The NBA Play-In Tournament matchups and schedule for the Eastern Conference are officially set.
The Miami Heat and the Philadelphia 76ers will play in the No. 7 vs No.8 game on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN, while the No. 9 Chicago Bulls and the No. 10 Atlanta Hawks will play at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The Hawks and Bulls matchup has been set for some time, but the 76ers and Heat are officially in the play-in, making for one of the most interesting play-in games since the NBA started the tournament.
The Hawks ended their regular season in as poor of fashion as you could think, losing six straight games and giving up 157 points to the Pacers in the finale today. The Hawks will be without Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu for the upcoming play-in tournament games. If the Hawks beat the Bulls and the loser of Miami/PHI, they would go on to face the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
Atlanta has never lost a game in the play-in tournament and they are plenty familiar with playing in it. Two years ago, they beat Charlotte and Cleveland to get to the playoffs, then lost in five games to the No. 1 Miami Heat. Last year, they beat Miami in the first play-in game, then lost in six games to the No. 2 Boston Celtics. Trae Young has played very well in the play-in games and Atlanta is going to need him to be the best player on the court for both games. Atlanta lost the season series to the Bulls but won the most recent matchup in Chicago.
The Hawks could win both games and get to the playoffs, but they are going to have to play better than they did down the stretch. Let's see what happens on Wednesday.
