NBA
How Does NBA Play-In Tournament Work? Format, Bracket & Teams To Watch
Vivek Jacob is a freelance sports writer with over seven years experience. During this time, he has written for outlets including The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Sportsnet, CBC, and Complex. Primarily covering the NBA, Vivek also covers tennis, soccer, and cricket.
Get to know Vivek Jacob betterPublished14 Apr 2025
If drama is what you’re after, then the NBA Play-In Tournament is for you.
Entering Sunday, there was plenty of intrigue and intensity remaining for the final day of the regular season out West because of the Tournament, which begins April 15 and concludes April 18.
Here’s everything to know about the 2025 SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament, including the format, bracket and matchups.
NBA Play-In Tournament Format
The NBA Play-In Tournament was first established in 2020 to compensate for a shortened season. That initial success has since made it a permanent fixture featuring teams seeded seventh through 10th from each conference.
In each conference, the seventh seed hosts the eighth seed, with the winner officially clinching the seventh seed and facing the No. 2 seed in round one
The ninth seed plays the 10th seed, with the winner advancing to play the loser of the seventh vs. eighth matchup. The winner of that game then advances as the eighth seed to play the conference’s top seed in the first round.
2025 NBA Play-In Bracket
The four Eastern Conference teams participating will be the Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat.
The Magic (41-41) will host the Hawks (40-42) in the seventh-place game. The winner there will square off with the reigning champion Boston Celtics in round one. Chicago (39-43) will host Miami (37-45) for the right to play the loser of the seventh vs. eighth game. Whichever team earns the East’s eighth seed will take on the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round.
The SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament schedule ⬇️
Dates: April 15-18
At stake: Seventh and eighth playoff seeds in each conference
Participants: Teams that finished seventh through 10th in each conference pic.twitter.com/gJFBF8V0cY— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 13, 2025
Eastern Conference Play-In Matchups
7. Orlando Magic vs. 8. Atlanta Hawks
9. Chicago Bulls vs. 10. Miami Heat
Western Conference Play-In Matchups
7. Golden State Warriors vs. 8. Memphis Grizzlies
9. Sacramento Kings vs. 10. Dallas Mavericks
In the West, the No. 7 Golden State Warriors (48-34) will the host the No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies (48-34) in the seventh-place game. The winner of that will face the second-seeded Houston Rockets in the first round, while the loser will battle it out against the winner of the ninth vs. 10th game, which features the Sacramento Kings (40-42) hosting the Dallas Mavericks (39-43). The West’s eighth seed will play the No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.
