In an attempt to advance to a best-of-seven series, the No. 7 through No. 10 seeds in the Eastern and Western Conferences will play in the NBA play-in tournament prior to the start of the playoffs. This year’s play-in features some of the league’s best talents, including Steph Curry, Ja Morant, and Trae Young, which is good news for fans but bad news for the opposing clubs.
Two days following the end of the regular season, on Tuesday, April 15, the play-in tournament gets started. It ends on Friday, giving the top six teams in each conference a chance to rest and regroup before the playoffs start on Saturday.
The No. 7 seed and the No. 8 seed square off in each conference’s opening play-in match. Each game’s winner advances as the seventh seed in the conference to the playoffs. The winner of the No. 9 seed vs. No. 10 seed matchup for the final playoff berth in each conference will face the loser in a win-or-go-home game, giving the loser one final chance to qualify for the playoffs.
With the action starting on Tuesday, here’s how fans can watch every NBA play-in tournament game.
How to Watch the NBA Play-In Tournament in 2025
To determine the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in the playoffs, which start on Saturday, the NBA play-in tournament, which starts on Tuesday, April 15 and ends on Friday, April 18, consists of three games in each conference.
The No. 7 seed will be decided by the first two games, one in the Eastern Conference and one in the Western Conference. A game of elimination is then played between the No. 9 and No. 10 seeds. The victor of the first elimination game in each conference faces the loser of the match between the No. 7 and No. 8 teams for the last playoff berth.
These are each game’s stakes along the line. The most important aspect is how to watch every moment of the event.
|
Game |
Teams |
Stakes |
Time |
Channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Eastern Conference No. 7 seed vs. No. 8 seed |
Atlanta Hawks (No. 8) vs. Orlando Magic (No. 7) |
Winner advances to playoffs as No. 7 seed |
Tuesday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. ET |
TNT |
|
Western Conference No. 7 seed vs. No. 8 seed |
Memphis Grizzlies (No. 8) vs. Golden State Warriors (No. 7) |
Winner advances to playoffs as No. 7 seed |
Tuesday, April 15 at 10 p.m. ET |
TNT |
|
Eastern Conference No. 9 seed vs. No. 10 seed |
Miami Heat (No. 10) vs. Chicago Bulls (No. 9) |
Loser eliminated, winner playes loser of first game |
Wednesday, April 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET |
ESPN |
|
Western Conference No. 9 seed vs. No. 10 seed |
Dallas Mavericks (No. 10) vs. Sacramento Kings (No. 9) |
Loser eliminated, winner playes loser of first game |
Wednesday, April 16 at 10 p.m. ET |
ESPN |
|
Eastern Conference No. 9/No. 10 winner vs. No. 7/No. 8 loser |
TBD |
Winner receives final play-in spot as No. 8 seed |
Friday, April 18, time TBD |
TNT |
|
Western Conference No. 9/No. 10 winner vs. No. 7/No. 8 loser |
TBD |
Winner receives final play-in spot as No. 8 seed |
Friday, April 18, time TBD |
ESPN |
How to Watch the NBA Play-In Tournament in 2025
The ESPN and TNT networks will alternate hosting the play-in tournament matches.
TNT games are available for streaming on the TNT app and the network’s website, TNTdrama.com. The games that are broadcast on TNT can also be viewed by streamers on MAX.
ESPN.com and the ESPN app will both stream the action during the ESPN play-in tournament games. Access that stream by logging in with your TV provider credentials.
Top Matchups for NBA Play-In Tournaments
In an amazing story, Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and the Golden State Warriors square off against Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies on the opening night of the NBA play-in round. The winner of the Grizzlies vs. Warriors game advances to the playoffs as the seventh seed in the Western Conference, where they will face the Houston Rockets.
An exciting last play-in game in the West between the Dallas Mavericks and the winner of the Grizzlies-Warriors game might result from the Mavericks playing the No. 9 vs. No. 10 game. Dallas certainly intended to escape the play-in round after trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a deal centered on Anthony Davis. In order to qualify for the eight-team playoff field, the Mavs must now win two straight games.
Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks take on Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic in the opening game of the Eastern Conference in hopes of securing the seventh seed and a series against the Boston Celtics, the reigning champions.
The Chicago Bulls, who won seven of their last ten regular-season games, are the hot team in the East’s No. 9 vs. No. 10 elimination game. The Miami Heat, who have won six of their previous ten games, have also been playing well. After averaging 27.7 points per game for the month, Bulls guard Coby White was awarded the Eastern Conference’s March player of the month. Chicago may be able to sneak into the playoffs because they are assembling at the perfect time.
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