2025 NBA Play-In Tournament Dates and Format Revealed

NEW YORK, NY — The 2025 NBA Play-In Tournament is set to commence on April 15, following the conclusion of the regular season on April 13. This tournament will determine the final playoff spots ahead of the NBA Playoffs beginning April 19.

Implemented since the 2020-21 season, the play-in tournament includes teams ranked 7th through 10th in each conference. The top six teams automatically qualify for the playoffs, while those involved in the play-in must fight for the last two spots.

This year’s competition looks particularly fierce, as teams in both the Eastern and Western Conferences battle for postseason positioning. As of April 1, the No. 7 and 8 seeds in the East are tightly contested, with multiple teams vying for a favorable position.

In the West, the competition is even more intense. The No. 6 seed is currently only half a game ahead of the rising team in the 7th spot, who themselves are closely followed by the 8-seed. With a week-and-a-half left in the regular season, every game is crucial for playoff aspirations.

The NBA announced the format for the tournament, which features a total of six games involving eight teams. In the first round, the No. 7 seeds will host the No. 8 seeds, where the winner will claim the No. 7 seed for the playoffs. The team that loses this game will have another chance in the following knockout round.

The second round will see the No. 9 seeds match up against the No. 10 seeds. The winning team will move on to the final game of the tournament, while the losing team will be eliminated from playoff contention and enter the NBA draft lottery.

In the final matches, the team that lost to the No. 7 seed will host the winner of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 match. The winners of these final games will advance to the playoffs as the No. 8 seeds while the losers end their season.

As the stakes rise, fans nationwide are eagerly anticipating the action of the play-in tournament, where every game could have significant implications for playoff seeding and championship aspirations.

The NBA encourages fans to stay updated on team performances as the regular season nears its end, leading to what promises to be an exciting and unpredictable playoff race.