Cavaliers meet Nets, Minnesota hosts Clippers in play-in games

The Minnesota Timberwolves host the Los Angeles Clippers in another play-in game tonight. The winner gets the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference.

The loser must beat the San Antonio-New Orleans winner to get the No. 8 seed. The Timberwolves finished four games ahead of the Clippers. They lost to LA three times in November.

Paul George is back for the Clippers after a three-month absence with an elbow injury.

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have played in the NBA Finals and Olympics, so they’ve been in just about every kind of big game there is. The play-in tournament is something new for them and the Brooklyn Nets certainly didn’t expect to experience it this year.

The Cleveland Cavaliers weren’t sure they would either, after losing 50 games last season. Now one of the teams will extend its season into the playoffs by winning the opener of the tournament tonight in Brooklyn.

The winner is No. 7 in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The loser gets in as No. 8 by winning Friday.