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The GIST:<\/strong> Win and advance or lose and go home \u2014 the stakes couldn\u2019t be higher ahead of tonight\u2019s Play-In Tournament<\/a> finale, with two No. 8 seeds up for grabs before the first playoff round tips off tomorrow. No time to waste.<\/p>\n No. 9 Chicago Bulls vs. No. 8 Miami Heat \u2014 Tonight at 7 p.m. ET: <\/strong>Yes, you\u2019ve seen this film before<\/a>, but Jimmy Butler can\u2019t save Miami tonight. The superstar scorer sprained his MCL<\/a> on Wednesday and will be out for several weeks. With that tough news, plus Chicago\u2019s inconsistent offense finally grooving<\/a>, the Bulls have a chance to make it to round one for the first time since 2022.<\/p>\n No. 9 Sacramento Kings vs. No. 8 New Orleans Pelicans \u2014 Tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET: <\/strong>The Pels are also dealing with an injury blow: Zion Williamson strained his hamstring in Tuesday\u2019s lights-out performance<\/a> and will be out for this do-or-die matchup. Can his recently struggling teammates<\/a> get the job done without him or will the Kings\u2019 standout trio<\/a> light the beam<\/a> for the second straight year?<\/p>\n First round preview: <\/strong>But wait, there\u2019s more hoops, with the playoffs beginning in earnest tomorrow. Once the play-in is done and dusted, the 16 official playoff teams compete in best-of-seven series from here on out. Here are two especially spicy first round showdowns:<\/p>\n\n
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