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sports Monday 11 april 2022
The play-in games are set, as NBA looks to the postseason

By TIM REYNOLDS In the West, Golden State Avdija played in No. 82,
It lasted 174 days, required and Dallas are vying later scoring 12 points Sunday
the usage of more players Sunday to see who ends up afternoon in the Wizards'
than any season in history No. 3, while Utah and Den- season-ending loss to Char-
primarily because of the ver both have chances to lotte. Bridges, Bey, Powell
ongoing challenge of play- be No. 5. and Looney all had games
ing through a pandemic, SCORING TITLE later Sunday.
and saw playoff-position- Joel Embiid of Philadel- It'll mark the fewest number
ing chases go all the way phia is the league's scoring of players in NBA history to
down to the final moments. champion, averaging 30.6 have appeared in every
Now, move over, regular points. He was held out of game for a full regular sea-
season. the 76ers' finale Sunday, son.
The NBA's postseason is fi- not that he needed it for There were 11 players
nally here. any statistical reasons. who appeared in all 72
Kyrie Irving can play at Embiid — who hails from games last season, which
home again, a change-of- Cameroon — becomes the was shortened because
heart regarding vaccina- first international player to of the pandemic. There
tion rules that was made win that title. Embiid is also were 14 every-game play-
a few weeks ago by the the first center to win the ers in 2019-20, when teams
city of New York in a move scoring crown since Sha- Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid shoots against Indiana Pacers' played differing numbers
Jalen Smith during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tues-
that will have immediate quille O'Neal in 1999-2000. day, April 5, 2022, in Indianapolis. of games, again because
impact on the race to the RACE TO 82 Associated Press of the pandemic and then
NBA championship. Irving Only five players were in with not every team ad-
and the Brooklyn Nets held position to play on Sunday with their team this season: ington's Deni Avdija, Dal- vancing to the restart bub-
off the Indiana Pacers 134- and officially appear in all Phoenix's Mikal Bridges, De- las' Dwight Powell and the ble in Lake Buena Vista,
126 on Sunday, and will 82 regular-season games troit's Saddiq Bey, Wash- Warriors' Kevon Looney. Florida.q
play host to the first play-in
game of this year's tourna-
ment when they face the
Cleveland Cavaliers on
Tuesday night.
That matchup wasn't set
until Sunday, nor was the
other Eastern Conference
play-in matchup: No. 9 At-
lanta will play host to No. 10
Charlotte on Wednesday
night. The winner of that
game will play the Nets-
Cavaliers loser on Friday to
determine who'll face No. 1
Miami in an East first-round
series.
The Nets-Cavaliers winner
will be seeded No. 7 and
meet either Boston or Mil-
waukee in the first round.
Charlotte will be without
forward Gordon Hayward,
announcing Sunday that
he's "out indefinitely with
continued discomfort in his
left foot." Hayward's foot
will be placed in a cast for
at least two weeks, mean-
ing if the Hornets win twice
in the play-in tournament
and get into the postsea-
son, he'll likely miss most of
Round 1, at minimum, as
well.
OTHER MATCHUPS
By the close of business
Sunday, four best-of-seven
first-round series will also be
determined.
Boston or Milwaukee will
play No. 6 Chicago in an
East first-round series, and
Philadelphia or Boston will
play Toronto in another
East matchup.