How does NBA Play-In Tournament work? Format, schedule and history

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Although the NBA Play-In Tournament has been a fixture for several seasons, the rules and format may still be confusing to some fans.

The play-in, essentially, is like the playoffs before the playoffs, the NBA’s version of the First Four in the NCAA Tournament.

In an attempt to expand the field of teams eligible for the NBA playoffs, the Play-In Tournament was launched before the 2021 postseason and has injected some competition and excitement to the bottom quarter of the respective brackets in the Eastern and Western conferences.

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Here’s everything you need to know about the NBA Play-In Tournament:

The tournament involves the teams ranked seventh through 10th in each conference. The games will determine the seventh and eighth seeds, the final two playoff teams in each conference bracket.

Any stats recorded during play-in games do not count toward a player or team’s regular season or postseason records. In simplest terms, the Play-In Tournament is considered a separate event in between the regular season and playoffs.

How does the NBA Play-In Tournament work?

The tournament is divided into two rounds:

Round 1

• Game 1: No. 7 seed vs. No. 8 seed
• Game 2: No. 9 seed vs. No. 10 seed

The No. 7 and No. 9 seeds play at home in the first round. The winner of Game 1 secures the No. 7 seed in their respective conference playoff bracket. The loser of Game 1 continues to the second round and hosts the winner of Game 2. The loser of Game 2 is eliminated from playoff contention.

Round 2

• Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 winner

The winner of this game secures the No. 8 and final seed in the playoffs. The loser is eliminated from playoff contention.

2025 NBA Play-In Tournament schedule

The tournament runs from Tuesday, April 15 through Friday, April 18. Round 1 games are scheduled on April 15 and 16 with Round 2 games in each conference set for April 18. The NBA playoffs begin a day later.

Projected 2025 NBA Play-In Tournament bracket

The final standings are still in flux with teams having between two and three games remaining on their schedule, but here’s how the play-in field projects to be, based on results through Wednesday night’s games:

Eastern Conference

• No. 7 Orlando Magic (41-40) vs. No. 8 Atlanta Hawks (39-42)
• No. 9 Chicago Bulls (38-43) vs. No. 10 Miami Heat (37-44)

Western Conference

• No. 7 Minnesota Timberwolves (48-33) vs. No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies (47-34)
• No. 9 Sacramento Kings (39-42) vs. No. 10 Dallas Mavericks (39-42)

NBA Play-In Tournament history

2021

Western Conference

Round 1:

Round 2:

• No. 9 Memphis Grizzlies 117, No. 8 Golden State Warriors 112 (OT)

Los Angeles and Memphis advanced.

Eastern Conference

Round 1:

Round 2:

• No. 8 Washington Wizards 142, No. 9 Indiana Pacers 115

Boston and Washington advanced.

2022

Western Conference

Round 1:

Round 2:

• No. 9 New Orleans Pelicans 105, No. 8 Los Angeles Clippers 101

Minnesota and New Orleans advanced.

2023

Eastern Conference

Round 1:

Round 2:

• No. 9 Atlanta Hawks 107, Cleveland Cavaliers 101

Brooklyn and Atlanta advanced.

2024

Western Conference

Round 1:

• No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers 108, No. 8 Minnesota Timberwolves 102 (OT)
• No. 10 Oklahoma City Thunder 123, No. 9 New Orleans Pelicans 118

Round 2:

• No. 8 Minnesota Timberwolves 120, No. 10 Oklahoma City Thunder 95

Los Angeles and Minnesota advanced.

Eastern Conference

Round 1:

Round 2:

• No. 7 Miami Heat 102, No. 10 Chicago Bulls 91

Atlanta and Miami advanced.

Has an NBA Play-In Tournament team made the Finals?

In 2023, the No. 7 seed Heat lost a Round 1 game but won in Round 2, advancing to the NBA Finals. Miami played the Denver Nuggets, eventually losing in five games.

In 2023, the No. 7 seed Lakers made the Conference Finals.

Contributing: Ayrton Ostly

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