NBA Play-in 2025: Calendar, confrontations and format
Check everything you need to know about the NBA 2025 play-in tournament, including format, calendar and who plays.
After the conclusion of the Regular NBA season 2024-25 On April 13, it will begin The play-in tournament, which begins on April 15 and ends on April 18, one day before the first round of the playoffs.
Initially implemented during the NBA 2020-21 seasonhe Play-in tournament expanded the list of teams that will participate in the Postseason of the NBA to 20 teams (10 of each conference). The six best teams of each conference are automatically classified for playoffs, while The teams from 7 to 10 compete in the Play-in tournament to have the opportunity to extend your seasons.
Each season, since the play-in was implemented, the race towards the postseason has become even more at odd.
In the east, the Atlanta Hawks and the Orlando Magic compete for the seventh place and the opportunity to house the first play-in, while the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat They are engaged in the bid in positions 9 and 10.
The west has been extremely competitive throughout the season, which makes each remaining game of the regular season important. The Memphis Grizzliesthe Dallas Mavericksthe Sacramento Kings and the The clippers They are engaged in a race for two positions in the playoffs. And with many remaining conference matches in just two weeks, the positioning in the postseason seems to be available to anyone.
Check everything you need to know about the 2025 play-in tournamentincluding how possible clashes.
More: What teams are in the postseason? | Current classification
Projection of confrontations
Here you have a look at how the Play-In Tournament of 2025 would look if the season ended today.
East Conference
Atlanta Hawks (No. 8) vs. Orlando Magic (No. 7)
Chicago Bulls (No. 10) vs. Miami Heat (No. 9)
West Conference
Memphis Grizzlies (No. 8) vs. The clippers (No. 7)
Sacramento Kings (No. 10) vs. Dallas Mavericks (No. 9)
How does the NBA play-in tournament work?
There will be a total of six games with eight teams as part of the Play-In Tournamentdivided by the two conferences.
The six best teams of each conference will have a guaranteed position in the play-offs, while the teams from 7 to 10 in the classification will participate in the Play-In. Any team that ends worse than 10 will participate in the NBA draft lottery.
The Regular NBA season 2024-25 concludes on April 13 with the 30 teams in Action. The play-in tournament will be held from April 15 to 18, before the first round of the playoffs.
This will take place the matches:
Games 1: The number 7 team of each conference will receive team number 8, and the winner will be classified for the playoffs. The loser teams will have another opportunity in the third match of their respective conference.
Games 2: Team number 9 of each conference will receive team number 10, and the winner will advance to the third game. The losers are eliminated and participate in the NBA draft lottery.
Games 3: The losers of the 7th confrontations against the 8th will receive the winners of the 9th clashes against the 10th, and the victors will take the eighth place of each conference in the postseason. Game 3 losers participate in the NBA draft lottery.
Under this format, the teams with the seventh and eighth percentage of victories will have two opportunities to win a match to ensure a position in the playoffs, while the teams with the ninth and the tenth percentage of victories will need two consecutive victories to move forward.
