NBA play-in tournament rules, explained for 2025, with updated standings for tight races

The NBA play-in tournament has been used to determine the final playoff teams in each conference since being adopted by the league during the bubble. The current iteration of the play-in tournament has a format that’s easy to understand, and puts extra pressure on teams to maximize their regular season win total to secure their seeding.

The NBA play-in tournament has never been more consequential than it is this year, with five Western Conference teams battling for the last three protected seeds in the final games of the regular season. Two of these teams will be sequestered to the play-in tournament, where their season can end quickly if they don’t deliver. The four Eastern Conference play-in teams are already locked in, but the fight for positioning will go down to final day of the season.

Here’s a quick explanation of how the play-in tournament works, plus a look at the teams fighting to stay out of it before the regular season ends on Sunday, April 13.

• The No. 7 team in the regular season standings hosts the No. 8 team in a single-elimination game. The winner gets the No. 7 seed in the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
• The No. 9 team in the regular season standings hosts the No. 10 team in a single-elimination game. The loser’s season is over.
• The winner of the 9-10 game faces the loser of the 7-8 game for the No. 8 seed in the 2025 NBA Playoffs.

Here’s what it looks like in graphic form. Now, let’s dive into the teams involved in the 2025 NBA play-in tournament during the final days of the regular season.

No NBA team wants to be in the play-in tournament, because your season can end with one (or two) bad nights. Here’s the current regular season standings in the East and the West.

NBA Western Conference standings, play-in race, and games remaining

We’ll update these standings every night until the end of the regular season. Last update: April 11 afternoon.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have clinched the No. 1 seed. The Houston Rockets are poised to lock up the No. 2 seed. The Los Angeles Lakers have clinched a playoff berth, meaning they have avoided the play-in tournament, but are still fighting for seeding. Here’s what the rest of the West play-in picture looks like right now:

Here’s the remaining regular season schedule for each team involved:

3. Los Angeles Lakers: vs. Rockets, @ Trail Blazers

4. Denver Nuggets: vs. Grizzlies, @ Rockets

5. Los Angeles Clippers: @ Kings, @ Warriors

6. Golden State Warriors: @ Trail Blazers, vs. Clippers

7. Memphis Grizzlies: @ Nuggets, vs. Mavericks

8. Minnesota Timberwolves: vs. Nets, vs. Jazz

9. Sacramento Kings: vs. Clippers, vs. Suns

10. Dallas Mavericks: vs. Raptors, @ Grizzlies

NBA Eastern Conference standings, play-in race, and games remaining

We’ll update these standings every night until the end of the regular season. Last update: April 11 afternoon.

The six protected playoff teams in the East are locked in. The New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers are still fighting for the No. 3 seed in the last days of the season. Here’s what the standings look like right now:

Here’s the remaining regular season schedule for the play-in teams:

7. Orlando Magic: @ Pacers, @ Hawks

8. Atlanta Hawks: @ 76ers, vs. Magic

9. Chicago Bulls: vs. Wizards, @ 76ers

10. Miami Heat: @ Pelicans, vs. Wizards

Teams that get eliminated in the play-in tournament enter the NBA draft lottery. You can find updated NBA lottery odds here.

The regular season will be over on Sunday. With two games left for every team, there’s never been more pressure to secure the playoff seed or play-in tournament placement teams need ahead of the postseason push.

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