While LeBron wants whoever came up with the play-in concept to be fired, in reality he/she is a God among men/women and should be able to choose their own salary for the rest of time (get it done, Adam Silver).
The play-in tournament, which presents us with high stakes win-or-go-home action before the actual postseason even begins, has us everyone salivating.
So, with the matchups locked in just moments ago, here are the NBA play-in game times and how you can tune in, wherever in the world you are.
NBA PLAY-IN GAME TIMES
BOSTON CELTICS (7) vs WASHINGTON WIZARDS (8)
- New York – 9:00pm Tuesday May 18
- Manila – 9:00am Wednesday May 19
- Sydney – 11:00am Wednesday May 19
- Mexico City – 8:00pm Tuesday May 18
- London – 2:00am Wednesday May 19
- Auckland – 1:00pm Wednesday May 19
- Tokyo – 10:00am Wednesday May 19
- Rio de Janeiro – 10:00pm Tuesday May 18
- Paris – 3:00am Wednesday May 19
- Madrid – 3:00am Wednesday May 19
- Beijing – 9:00am Wednesday May 19
INDIANA PACERS (9) vs CHARLOTTE HORNETS (10)
- New York – 6:30pm Tuesday May 18
- Manila – 6:30am Wednesday May 19
- Sydney – 8:30am Wednesday May 19
- Mexico City – 5:30pm Tuesday May 18
- London – 11:30pm Tuesday May 18
- Auckland – 10:30am Wednesday May 19
- Tokyo – 7:30am Wednesday May 19
- Rio de Janeiro – 7:30pm Tuesday May 18
- Paris – 12:30am Wednesday May 19
- Madrid – 12:30am Wednesday May 19
- Beijing – 6:30am Wednesday May 19
If you live elsewhere, here’s a super quick and easy time zone converter.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS (7) vs GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (8)
- New York – 10:00pm Wednesday May 19
- Manila – 10:00am Thursday May 20
- Sydney – 12:00pm Thursday May 20
- Mexico City – 9:00pm Wednesday May 19
- London – 3:00am Thursday May 20
- Auckland – 2:00pm Thursday May 20
- Tokyo – 11:00am Thursday May 20
- Rio de Janeiro – 11:00pm Wednesday May 19
- Paris – 4:00am Thursday May 20
- Madrid – 4:00am Thursday May 20
- Beijing – 10:00am Thursday May 20
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (9) vs SAN ANTONIO SPURS (10)
- New York – 7:30pm Wednesday May 19
- Manila – 7:30am Thursday May 20
- Sydney – 9:30am Thursday May 20
- Mexico City – 6:30pm Wednesday May 19
- London – 12:30pm Thursday May 20
- Auckland – 11:30am Thursday May 20
- Tokyo – 8:30am Thursday May 20
- Rio de Janeiro – 8:30pm Wednesday May 19
- Paris – 1:30am Thursday May 20
- Madrid – 1:30am Thursday May 20
- Beijing – 7:30am Thursday May 20
HOW TO WATCH
Easily the best way to watch the play-in and the playoffs is with NBA League Pass. I’m not being paid by the NBA to say that, but I am being paid by Basketball Forever to speak facts. By signing up to League Pass, you aren’t relying on local TV broadcasts to show all the games you want to watch (and guess what, that rarely works out).
Better still, there is currently a free seven-day trial on offer, and singing up for the playoffs only is significantly cheaper than subscribing for the entire season.
However, if your budget doesn’t currently allow for League Pass, here’s the lowdown for TV broadcasts around the world:
- USA – ESPN, TNT, local broadcasts
- Philippines –NBA TV Philippines, TV5, ONE Sports
- Australia – ESPN, SBS
- Canada – NBA TV Canada, TSN, SN1 &
- Mexico – NBA TV (Megacable), ESPN
- UK – Sky Sports MainEvent, Sky Sports Arena
- New Zealand – NBA TV (Spark Sport), ESPN
- Malaysia –Astro SuperSport
- China – QQ.com, GreatSports Channel, Fujian TV, Guangdong TV
- Spain – Vamos, MDeportes
- France – NBA TV, beIN Sports
- Japan – NBA TV (Rakuten)