Mark your calendars: play-in games, opening NBA playoff games set

The NBA’s second season is here — the one with higher energy levels and focus, where DNP-Rest will never see the box score.

After all 30 teams played on the league’s final day Sunday, the seedings for the NBA play-in and then playoffs are set. Everything begins Tuesday night — featuring a preseason title favorite — with all 16 playoff teams in action over the weekend.

Seeding for the postseason went down to the wire, but we now know not only the matchup but when the series will tip-off.

First up is the play-in games on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday:

April 12: (7) Brooklyn Nets vs. (8) Cleveland Cavaliers April 13: (9) Atlanta Hawks vs. (10) Charlotte Hornets

April 12: (7) Minnesota Timberwolves vs. (8) Los Angeles Clippers April 13: (9) New Orleans Pelicans vs. (10) San Antonio Spurs

The matchups are set.

Update for next week's Meta Quest NBA Play-In Tournament schedule ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/eWMV1ESPTf

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 10, 2022

The winners of the April 12 7/8 games advance to the playoffs as their conference’s No. 7 seed. The losers of those 7/8 games will face the winner of the 9/10 game in a win-or-go-home contest for the No. 8 seed.

Then the playoffs start over the weekend. The NBA released the dates (and some of the times) for those first games of the series.

Mark that calendar