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.
Here's everything you need to know about the NBA Play-In Tournament:
What is 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. ...
