The 2022-23 NBA Regular season is now complete. So now, our attention shifts to the highly anticipated play-in/playoff festivities. With this in mind, here’s a guide to how the next couple of weeks will look for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Being that the Pelicans (42-40) finished in the nine spot in the Western Conference, they will need to win two play-in games in order to secure the eighth and final playoff spot on their side of the bracket.
Their first game will come on Wednesday, April 12th, at 9:30 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST), against the tenth-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. Since they have the higher seed, that contest will be a home game for the Pelicans. This is great news, as the team is 27-14 when playing at home (compared to 15-26 when on the road).
If they win that game, they will play the loser of the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves play-in game. That game would take place on Friday, April 14th, at either 9:30 or 10 PM EST. And since they would be the lower seed, this game would be played away from the Smoothie King Center.
The 2023 AT&T NBA Play-In Tournament schedule ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/M9izpVhaFP
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 9, 2023
If the Pelicans managed to win that game, they would be awarded the eight seed in the conference, meaning their first-round opponent would be the first-seeded Denver Nuggets. Their first game of the series would take place on Sunday, April 16th (the start time of that contest is still to be decided).
If the Pelicans pull off the improbable upset and beat the Nuggets in a best-of-seven series (an eighth seed has only bested a one seed four times in NBA history), the conference semifinals would begin on May 1st/2nd (with a possible move-up to April 29th/30th). Then, the conference finals would begin on May 16th/17th (with a possible move-up to May 14th/15th). And lastly, Game 1 of the NBA Finals would tip-off on June 1st (regardless of any other move-ups that may occur prior).