The opening night of this year’s SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament will determine the No. 8 seed in one conference and eliminate a team in another. Get ready for the action with previews and predictions for Tuesday’s matchups.

East: (10) Miami Heat at (9) Charlotte Hornets

7:30 ET, Prime Video

• The winner: Advances to face the loser of No. 7 vs. No. 8 game in East (ORL-PHI) on Friday (7:30 ET, Prime Video).
• The loser: Eliminated from postseason.
• Regular-season results: Heat, 3-1.

Keep your eyes on: Charlotte’s 3-point shooting & Miami’s perimeter defense

The Hornets are fearless when it’s time to let it fly. In some respects, that can hurt them as not all of their 3-point shots are launched wisely (LaMelo Ball can be the biggest offender because he’s undisciplined at times). But he and Kon Knueppel (42.5% on 3-pointers) must be respected at all times because neither will hesitate to take those shots. Plus, the Hornets’ offense is geared toward getting them open looks. Add Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges and this team will beat you if you don’t prioritize perimeter defense.

That’s where Miami must bring the heat; they were a middle-of-the-pack defensive team for much of the season and allowed 120-plus points 13 times over the last month. Also, the Heat’s best defender is Bam Adebayo, not exactly a perimeter shutdown guy. This puts pressure on Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell and Norman Powell to step up a level and make the Hornets work hard for those shots.

Key matchup: Adebayo vs. Hornets’ big men

The good news for Charlotte is that Adebayo will likely not bring 83-point heat, so to speak. That epic performance against Washington was once in five lifetimes. That said, he’s a far better threat than anyone on the Hornets’ roster. Adebayo understands the situation and how he must exploit a Hornets team lacking an imposing big man. Adebayo averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds per game in 2025-26 and tends to raise his game this time of year.

As for the Hornets, they’ll go by a committee featuring Moussa Diabaté, who led the club in rebounding and had decent stretches this season, and Ryan Kalkbrenner, a solid shot-blocker (1.5 per game) but mild rebounder (6.5). If you could fuse those players together, the Hornets would have a borderline All-Star.

Prediction: Hornets

The Hornets were among the best teams in the NBA — no typo — over the last two months of the season, a surge that caught everyone by surprise. They were 11-23 two days into the New Year, and then dropped the accelerator foot hard and finished with 44 wins. It helped that Ball stayed relatively healthy and Knueppel never hit the rookie wall. The Hornets play with unusual confidence for such a young group — swagger, as they say — and the franchise is anxious to end the league’s longest non-playoff streak (nine years) to lend proof that the Hornets have turned the corner. Miami has the considerable edge in experience, but in a single-game elimination, sometimes the hotter team wins. Plus, the Hornets are hot and at home.

West: (8) Portland Trail Blazers at (7) Phoenix Suns

10 p.m. ET, Prime Video

Devin Booker will be a central figure for the Suns as they look to win vs. Portland and seal the No. 7 seed.

• The winner: Advances to face the No. 2 seeded San Antonio Spurs in the first round as the No. 7 seed.
• The loser: Plays the winner of Wednesday’s Warriors-Clippers game to determine the West’s No. 8 seed.
• Regular-season results: Suns, 2-1.

Keep your eyes on: How the young Blazers respond

This is a checkpoint for the many inexperienced players on the Blazers’ roster, most of whom will get their first glimpse at the bright lights. This is important because the meat of the Blazers’ rotation is youth.

Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, Shaedon Sharpe and Donovan Clingan all serve important roles, and their steadiness will determine their worth. By contrast, the Suns are a more veteran team with Devin Booker (and especially Dillon Brooks), who’ll look to rattle the young Blazers. Portland could and should use youth to its advantage and give the Suns a taste of speed and energy, especially defensively. Portland is among the better defensive teams in the league, with Camara serving as a disruptor on that end of the court.

Key matchup: Devin Booker vs. Jrue Holiday

If you recall, these two had a massive moment five years ago in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. As Booker tried to spin to the hoop late in the fourth quarter of a tight game, Holiday — then with the Bucks — wrestled the ball away, dribbled downcourt and threw a lob to Giannis Antetokounmpo that changed the series and gave Milwaukee a commanding 3-2 lead going home.

Fast forward to now: Holiday is not only a solid veteran presence to the Blazers, but remains productive here in his so-called twilight. This is a delicious matchup. Booker remains a dangerous scorer, averaging 26.1 points per game in 2025-26, and while his efficiency took a dip, he’s the most reliable threat in the lineup. Holiday was surprisingly solid offensively for Portland, averaging 16.3 ppg while remaining a top-shelf defender. Something’s gotta give between these two credible veterans.

Prediction: Suns

The Suns managed to win 45 games despite losing Kevin Durant last offseason and with Brooks, Jalen Green and Mark Williams missing 20 or more games each. That’s an astounding success rate given the circumstances. Nobody expected Phoenix to be this good before the season began, and now with this play-in comes a flip — it would be surprising if they failed to advance to the playoffs. While the Blazers do bring youth and energy, Phoenix seems a team of destiny. Did anyone see Collin Gillespie, until now a journeyman young guard, having such an impact? Or Jordan Ott, the first-year coach, who built a top-10 defense? That said, the Suns need to be at their best against Portland and also hope their mini-slide caused by injuries since going 30-19 and rising to sixth in the standings was just a temporary phase.

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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at spowell@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.