Hello to the 2025 NBA Play-In Tournament: teams, games, schedule, dates

The 2024–25 NBA regular season has come to a close, and the postseason picture is now fully set, including the direct playoff qualifiers and the teams heading to the Play-In Tournament in both the Eastern and Western Conferences.

How does the NBA Play-in Tournament work?

The top six teams in each conference automatically advance to the playoffs. Meanwhile, the teams ranked 7 through 10 enter the Play-In Tournament to battle for the final two playoff spots in each conference.

The Play-In Tournament runs from April 15 to April 18, with the NBA Playoffs beginning the next day, April 19.

Tuesday, April 15 – Game for the No. 7 seed

Winners of the matchups below will secure the 7th seed in their respective conferences and go straight to the playoffs. The losers will get one more chance, facing the winners of the 9 vs 10 games for the final 8th seed.

• (8) Atlanta Hawks vs (7) Orlando Magic | 7:30 p.m. ET
• (8) Memphis Grizzlies vs (7) Golden State Warriors | 10:00 p.m. ET

Wednesday, April 16 – Win or go home

The following games will determine who gets to play for the final 8th seed. The losers will be eliminated from the postseason, while the winners will move on to face the losers of the 7 vs 8 matchups.

• (10) Miami Heat vs (9) Chicago Bulls | 7:30 p.m. ET
• (10) Dallas Mavericks vs (9) Sacramento Kings | 10:00 p.m. ET

Friday, April 18 – Final shot at the playoffs

The final games of the Play-In Tournament will determine the 8th and final seed in each conference. Each matchup will pit the loser of the 7 vs 8 game against the winner of the 9 vs. 10 game. Times and matchups will be confirmed following earlier results.

• Winner of Game 2 vs Loser of Game 1 | Eastern Conference
• Winner of Game 2 vs Loser of Game 1 | Western Conference

The winners will move on to face the No. 1 seeds in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs.

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