Many of the play-in and playoff seeding and matchups had already been decided when each team in the NBA played its 82nd and final game of the season Sunday.
Starters were rested, punches were thrown—at walls and at teammates—and a league investigation was launched after the Mavericks elected to sit key players in a loss to the Bulls over the weekend in an apparent attempt to hold onto their first-round pick.
Now that the regular season is in the rearview, 20 teams remain in the hunt for a title. And after this week’s play-in tournament, 16 will still be standing with hopes of hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June.
