Four spots in the 2025 NBA playoffs are still up for grabs as the Play-In Tournament gets started tonight.
The play-in tournament, returning for the sixth time in as many seasons, gives teams finishing in 7th through 10th places in both the Eastern and Western conferences a few more opportunities to break into the postseason.
The No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in both the East and West are still open, and four of these eight teams will move on: (East) Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, (West) Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, and Sacramento Kings.
NBA Play-In Tournament: What to know
Below, check out everything you need to know about the 2025 NBA Play-In Tournament, from how it works to when games are on.
How to watch the NBA Play-In Tournament for free:
If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to watch the NBA Play-In games since they’re being nationally broadcast. Our favorite live options are DIRECTV (five days free, from $69.99/month) and fuboTV (seven days free, then $20 off your first month).
Other ways to stream the NBA Play-In Tournament:
You can stream all games of the 2025 NBA Play-in Tournament on Sling TV, which includes ESPN and TNT in its Orange base plan, currently 50% off your first month ($23).
2025 NBA Play-In Tournament schedule:
Tuesday, April 15
- Atlanta Hawks (East 8) vs. Orlando Magic (East 7), 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT
- Winner advances as East No. 7 seed
- Memphis Grizzlies (West 8) vs. Golden State Warriors (West 7), 10 p.m. ET on TNT
- winner advances as West No. 7 seed
Wednesday, April 16
- Miami Heat (East 10) vs. Chicago Bulls (East 9), 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
- Loser is eliminated from playoff contention
- Dallas Mavericks (West 10) vs. Sacramento Kings (West 9), 10 p.m. ET on ESPN
- Loser is eliminated from playoff contention
Friday, April 18
- East 9/10 winner vs. East 7/8 loser, TBD on TNT
- Winner advances as East No. 8 seed
- West 9/10 winner vs. East 7/8 loser, TBD on ESPN
- Winner advances as West No. 8 seed
How does the NBA Play-In Tournament work?
Ahead of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, a Play-In tournament is held to allow the teams finishing 7th- 10th in both conferences to play for the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in the playoff bracket.
First, the Nos. 7 and 8 will play each other; the winner of that game automatically advances into the NBA playoff bracket’s No. 7 seed, while the loser will have another opportunity to play into the No. 8 seed.
The next day, Nos. 9 and 10 face off. The loser is eliminated, while the winner advances to the final round, where they’ll play the loser of 7 vs. 8 for the final available spot in the playoff bracket.
2025 NBA Playoffs key dates: When are the 2025 NBA Playoffs?
- April 15-18: NBA Play-In Tournament
- April 19: NBA Playoffs 2025 begin
- May 5-6: Conference Semifinals begin
- May 20: Western Conference Finals – Game 1 on ESPN, 8:30 p.m. ET
- May 21: Eastern Conference Finals – Game 1 on TNT, 8 p.m. ET
- June 5: NBA Finals 2025 – Game 1 on ABC, time TBD
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This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Writer/Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping and New York Post’s streaming property, Decider. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on each streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. Prior to joining Decider and New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews
