2025 NBA Play-In Tournament Schedule & How it Works

The NBA regular season has come to a close. We no longer have to deal with teams resting players as they try to improve their draft positioning. From here on out, every game means something — starting with the Play-In Tournament on Tuesday, April 15.

Before the NBA Playoffs officially get underway, we have four teams in each conference trying to secure their spot via the Play-In Tournament. Let’s discuss how the tournament works and break down the schedule.

Be sure to build your PrizePicks NBA lineups for the Play-In Tournament and the rest of the NBA Playoffs to have a chance to win real money by choosing More or Less on player stats in every game.

How Does the NBA Play-In Tournament Work?

The NBA Play-In Tournament always brings some exciting moments, as each game has something on the line: a playoff spot with a win, or the end of the season with a loss. Unlike the NBA Playoffs, the Play-In Tournament is only three total games in each conference.

Here’s how the Play-In Tournament works:

• Four teams from each conference make the Play-In Tournament, ranked 7-10 based on their regular season results.
• The #7 and #8 seeds play each other, with the winner of that game earning the #7 seed in the playoffs.
• The #9 and #10 seeds play each other, with the winner advancing to play the loser of the #7 vs. #8 game. 
• The winner of the final game claims the #8 seed in the playoffs.

NBA Play-In Tournament Schedule

Atlanta Hawks (#8) vs. Orlando Magic (#7) - April 15, 7:30 p.m. ET (TNT)

• The Hawks and Magic split their regular season series 2-2.
• The Magic ranked second in defensive rating (109.1) during the regular season.
• The Hawks ranked third in pace of play (103.41) during the regular season, while the Magic ranked 30th (96.51).

Memphis Grizzlies (#8) vs. Golden State Warriors (#7) – April 15, 10:00 p.m. ET (TNT)

• The Warriors won three of four games against the Grizzlies during the regular season.
• The Grizzlies went 4-6 over their final 10 games of the regular season.
• The Grizzlies ranked first in pace of play (103.69) during the regular season.

Miami Heat (#10) vs. Chicago Bulls (#9) – April 16, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

• The Bulls won all three games against the Heat during the regular season.
• The Bulls went 7-3 over their final 10 games of the regular season.
• The Bulls ranked second in pace of play (103.61) during the regular season.

Dallas Mavericks (#10) vs. Sacramento Kings (#9) – April 16, 10:00 p.m. ET (ESPN)

• The Kings won all three games against the Mavericks during the regular season.
• The Mavericks were 17-25 on the road this season.
• The Kings ranked seventh in offensive rating (115.9) during the regular season.

Friday, April 18

• The loser of the #7 vs. #8 seed game in each conference will play the winner of the #9 vs. #10 seed game to determine the last two spots in the Playoffs.
• Both of the games for the #8 seeds in each conference will be played on Friday night.

Make NBA Picks, Win Money on PrizePicks

The NBA Play-In Tournament will determine the final two playoff teams in each conference before the NBA Playoffs get started on April 19. As we enjoy these single-elimination matchups, there is also real money to be won on PrizePicks, and even more ways to play for free.

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