As the NBA regular season draws to a close, teams are battling for spots in the play-in tournament. This tournament, which the league has used since 2021, features the 7th through 10th place teams in each conference. The 7th and 8th place teams play a game, and the winner advances to the playoffs as the 7th seed. The loser of that game plays against the winner of a game between the 9th and 10th place teams, with the winner becoming the 8th seed in the playoffs.

In the two years of tournament play so far, the 9th place team has won all of its games against the 10th place team and has won all but one of its games in the second round. The 7th place team has won all of its opening games and advanced to the playoffs, but neither the 7th nor 8th seeded teams have reached the second round of playoff play.

The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Utah Jazz are currently locked in a battle for the 10th seed in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the LA Clippers face a range of possible outcomes as they try to secure their playoff position in the middle of the conference.