2025 NBA Play-In Tournament: Bracket, schedule, standings, rules
Ahead of the 2025 NBA playoffs tipping off on April 19, teams on the playoff bubble will battle it out in the play-in tournament. Four teams from each conference will compete for the final two postseason spots, adding extra drama before the main event begins.
Here's everything you need to know about the 2025 NBA Play-In Tournament:
The NBA Board of Governors approved the adoption of the NBA Play-In Tournament on a full-time basis back in July 2022. In the 2024-25 NBA season, the Play-In Tournament will take place April 15-18, 2025, between the last day of the regular season on April 13 and the start of the playoffs on April 19.
The tournament includes the four teams with the seventh to tenth best winning percentages in the Eastern and Western Conferences. After six games, the seventh and eighth seeds in each conference will be determined for the NBA Playoffs.
The 2025 NBA Play-In Tournament will take place from Tuesday, April 15 to Friday, April 18.
Here's how the NBA Play-In Tournament race looks today:
Check out our NBA standings for up-to-the-minute updates.
Tuesday, April 15
Wednesday, April 16
Friday, April 18
The seventh and eighth seeds in each conference will play in the first play-in games on April 15, and the ninth and tenth seeds in each conference will play on April 16. The winners of the 7-8 games will advance to the playoffs as the No. 7 seed. The losers of the 7-8 games will face the winners of the 9-10 games on April 18, with the No. 8 seed on the line. The team that loses will be disqualified from playoff contention.
The losers of the 9-10 games are disqualified from playoff contention.
Essentially, the teams that finish seventh and eighth in their conference after the NBA season get two chances to earn a spot in the NBA playoffs.
All six games of the 2025 NBA Play-In Tournament will be broadcast on ESPN and TNT.
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