Hawks-Magic, Grizzlies-Warriors to launch NBA's 2024-25 play-in tournament
April 14 (UPI) -- The Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic will meet in the first game of the 2024-25 NBA play-in tournament on Monday in Orlando, Fla. The Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors will battle in the second play-in meeting.
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Two other games -- the Miami Heat versus the Chicago Bulls and the Dallas Mavericks versus the Sacramento Kings, will be Wednesday in Chicago and Sacramento, respectively. Matchups for the sixth edition of the tournament were made final Sunday, the final day of the 2024-25 NBA regular season.
"We are excited about it," Warriors guard Stephen Curry told reporters Sunday. "We know Memphis has been playing solid and they present some challenges. We've gotta be ready for it."
The NBA playoffs will start Saturday and conclude with the NBA Finals, which begin June 5 and could end June 22.
Paolo Banchero and the No. 7 Magic (41-41) will take on Trae Young and the No. 8 Hawks (40-42) at 7:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday in Orlando. Ja Morant and the No. 8 Grizzlies (48-34) will meet Curry and the No. 7 Warriors (48-34) at 10 p.m. Tuesday in San Francisco. Both matchups will air on TNT.
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Coby White and the No. 9 Bulls (39-43) will host Bam Adebayo and the No. 10 Heat (37-45) in the third play-in game at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Chicago. Domantas Sabonis and the No. 9 Kings (40-42) will host the No. 10 Mavericks (39-43) at 10 p.m. Wednesday in Sacramento. Those matchups will air on ESPN.
The winners from the first two games will earn the respective No. 7 seeds in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference. The Magic or Hawks will face the second-seeded Boston Celtics (61-21) in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The Warriors or Grizzlies will meet the No. 2 Houston Rockets (52-30) in a first-round Western Conference series.
The winner of the Kings-Mavericks meeting will face the loser of the Warriors-Grizzlies matchup on Friday to determine the No. 8 seed, who will face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder (68-14) in the first round.
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The winner of the Bulls-Heat game also will take on the loser of the Magic-Hawks matchup on Friday to determine the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. That team will face the No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers (64-18) in the first round.
The No. 4 Indiana Pacers (50-32) will host the No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks (48-34) in the first game of the NBA playoffs at 1 p.m. Saturday in Indianapolis.
NBA play-in tournament
All times eastern
Tuesday
No. 8 Atlanta Hawks at No. 7 Orlando Magic at 7:30 p.m. on TNT
No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies at No. 7 Golden State Warriors at 10 p.m. on TNT
Wednesday
No. 10 Miami Heat at No. 9 Chicago Bulls at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
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No. 10 Dallas Mavericks at No. 9 Sacramento Kings at 10 p.m. on ESPN
Friday
Bulls or Heat vs. Hawks or Magic at TBD on TNT
Kings or Mavericks vs. Warriors or Grizzlies at TBD on ESPN
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