2025 NBA Play-In Tournament: Schedule and How to Watch with bgÕæÈË

With six Western Conference teams all bunched together between the No. 3 and No. 8-seeds, the final day of the NBA season was a high-stakes game of musical chairs to lock up one of the top six seeds and avoid the . When the music stopped, the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies were left without a seat at the playoff table. They’ll face off at 10pm ET on the opening day of the Play-In Tournament, Tuesday, April 15 on TNT. The other Western Conference Play-In teams are the Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings; they’ll play on Wed. April 16 at 10pm ET on ESPN, with the loser eliminated and the winner facing the loser of the Memphis-Golden State game for the No. 8 seed. That game will take place Friday, April 18 on ESPN.
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In the Eastern Conference, the Play-In tournament will look familiar; the Atlanta Hawks will participate for the fourth-straight year when they take on the Orlando Magic for the No. 7 seed on Tuesday, April 15 at 7:30pm ET on TNT. The loser of that game will face either the Chicago Bulls or Miami Heat, who both are competing in their third-straight Play-In tournament in Wednesday’s No. 9-10 game (7:30pm ET, ESPN).Ìý
As for the teams waiting to find out who they’ll play when the NBA Playoffs begin on Saturday, April 19, the Oklahoma City Thunder just completed a historic season in which they , winning by an average of 12.9 points per game. They’ll play the No. 8 seed in the West, while another young squad – the No. 2 Houston Rockets – will face the No. 7 seed. In the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers nabbed the No. 1 seed with a 64-18 record, while the defending champion Boston Celtics finished second, with a 61-win season.Ìý
Here’s a preview of the Play-In games, along with the full schedule of upcoming Play-In and Playoff games, which begin Saturday, April 19. To watch the NBA Play-In Tournament and NBA Playoffs with bgÕæÈË, subscribe to America's Top 120 and up, with ESPNÌý(channel 140), TNT (channel 138), and ABCÌý(check your guide for local channel number).
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NBA Play-In Games for the No. 7 Seed - Tues., April 15
Atlanta Hawks (East 8) at Orlando Magic (East 7) – 7:30pm ET, TNT
Final:ÌýOrlando 120Ìý- Atlanta 95
Last year, the No. 5-seeded Orlando Magic pushed No. 4 Cleveland all the way to the brink, putting up a valiant effort before losing the series in Game 7. A win against Atlanta would set up a first round series with the Boston Celtics, a team the betting sharps favor to come out of the East. Will the Magic give their best effort against the Hawks, or would they dare roll the dice on Play-In double jeopardy and try to secure a more favorable matchup against the Cavs as the No. 8 seed?
Memphis Grizzlies (West 8) at Golden State Warriors (West 7) – 10 ET, TNT
Final: Golden State 121Ìý- Memphis 116
In the West, it’s the opposite scenario: A win in the first Play-In game secures a matchup against the inexperienced Houston Rockets, whereas the No. 8 seed will face the NBA’s most dominant team in Oklahoma City. There’s also the matter of rest. Take care of business on Tuesday, and the winner can rest their starters until Game 1 on Sunday. That’s especially important to the Warriors, who are led by veterans Stef Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler. After a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Clippers to knock them into the Play-In, expect Golden State to give the sliding Grizzlies their best effort.
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NBA Play-In Games No. 9 vs. No. 10 (Loser Eliminated, Winner Plays in the No. 8-seed Game) - Wed., April 16
Miami Heat (East 10) at Chicago Bulls (East 9) – 7:30 ET, ESPN
Final: Miami 109Ìý- Chicago 90
Given what a tumultuous year it's been for both these teams, the fact they’re still playing meaningful games is itself a minor victory. Miami and Chicago both moved on from the face of their franchises at the trade deadline (Jimmy Butler in Miami and Zach LaVine in Chicago), and will look to rebuild next year. The big difference is Miami’s recent playoff success; two years ago, they went from the second Play-In game all the way to the NBA Finals as the No. 8 seed.
Dallas Mavericks (West 10) at Sacramento Kings (West 9) – 10 ET, ESPN
Final: Dallas 120Ìý- Sacramento 106
Speaking of teams that have overperformed after tumultuous seasons, it’s frankly remarkable that a post-Luka Dallas squad is still alive for a playoff spot instead of highly-touted Western Conference teams like Phoenix or New Orleans. They’ll face a Sacramento team in the process of reformulating its identity after shipping De’Arron Fox to San Antonio, acquiring Zach LaVine at the trade deadline, and firing former Coach of the Year Mike Brown in the middle of the season.Ìý
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No. 8-seed Game (Winner plays No. 1 seeds, Loser Eliminated) - Fri., April 18
Miami Heat at Atlanta Hawks – 7pm ET, TNT
Dallas Mavericks at Memphis Grizzlies – 9:30pm ET, ESPN
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NBA Playoffs: First Round - Games Begin Sat., April 19
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Eastern Conference
(1) Cleveland vs. (8) TBD
• Game 1:ÌýTBD at CavaliersÌý (Sun. April 20, 7 ET, TNT)
• Game 2:ÌýTBD at Cavaliers (Wed. April 23, 7:30 ET, NBA TV)
• Game 3:ÌýCavaliers at TBD (Sat. April 26, 1 ET, TNT)
• Game 4:ÌýCavaliers at TBD (Mon. April 28, TBD)
• Game 5:ÌýTBD at Cavaliers (Wed. April 30, TBD)*
• Game 6:ÌýCavaliers at TBD (Fri. May 2, TBD)*
• Game 7:ÌýTBD at Cavaliers (Sun. May 4, TBD)*
*Ìýif necessary
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(2) Boston vs. (7) Orlando
• Game 1:ÌýMagic at CelticsÌý (Sun. April 20, 3:30 ET, ABC)
• Game 2:ÌýMagic at Celtics (Wed. April 23, 7 ET, TNT)
• Game 3:ÌýCeltics at Magic (Fri. April 25, 7 ET, ESPN)
• Game 4:ÌýCeltics at Magic (Sun. April 27, 7 ET, TNT)
• Game 5:ÌýMagic at Celtics (Tue. April 29, TBD)*
• Game 6:ÌýCeltics at Magic (Thu. May 1, TBD)*
• Game 7:ÌýMagic at Celtics (Sat. May 3, TBD)*
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(3) New York vs. (6) Detroit
• Game 1:ÌýPistons at KnicksÌý (Sat. April 19, 6 ET, ESPN)
• Game 2:ÌýPistons at Knicks (Mon. April 21, 7:30 ET, TNT)
• Game 3:ÌýKnicks at Pistons (Thu. April 24, TBD, TNT)
• Game 4:ÌýKnicks at Pistons (Sun. April 27, 1 ET, ABC)
• Game 5:ÌýPistons at Knicks (Tue. April 29, TBD)*
• Game 6:ÌýKnicks at Pistons (Thu. May 1, TBD)*
• Game 7:ÌýPistons at Knicks (Sat. May 3, TBD)*
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(4) Indiana vs. (5) Milwaukee
• Game 1:ÌýBucks at PacersÌý (Sat. April 19, 1 ET, ESPN)
• Game 2:ÌýBucks at Pacers (Tue. April 22, 7 ET, NBA TV)
• Game 3:ÌýPacers at Bucks (Fri. April 25, 8 ET, ESPNU/NBA TV)
• Game 4:ÌýPacers at Bucks (Sun. April 27, 9:30 ET, TNT)
• Game 5:ÌýBucks at Pacers (Tue. April 29, TBD)*
• Game 6:ÌýPacers at Bucks (Fri. May 2, TBD)*
• Game 7:ÌýBucks at Pacers (Sun. May 4, TBD)*
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Western Conference
(1) Oklahoma City vs. (8) TBD
• Game 1:ÌýTBD at ThunderÌý (Sun. April 20, 1 ET, ABC)
• Game 2:ÌýTBD at Thunder (Tue. April 22, 7:30 ET, TNT)
• Game 3:ÌýThunder at TBD (Thu. April 24, TBD, TNT)
• Game 4:ÌýThunder at TBD (Sat. April 26, 3:30 ET, TNT)
• Game 5:ÌýTBD at Thunder (Mon. April 28, TBD)*
• Game 6:ÌýThunder at TBD (Thu. May 1, TBD)*
• Game 7:ÌýTBD at Thunder (Sat. May 3, TBD)*
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(2) Houston vs. (7) Golden State
• Game 1:ÌýWarriors at Rockets (Sun. April 20, 9:30 ET, TNT)
• Game 2:ÌýWarriors at Rockets (Wed. April 23, 9:30 ET, TNT)
• Game 3:ÌýRockets at Warriors (Sat. April 26, 8:30 ET, ABC)
• Game 4:ÌýRockets at Warriors (Mon. April 28, 10 ET, TNT)
• Game 5:ÌýWarriors at Rockets (Wed. April 30, TBD)*
• Game 6:ÌýRockets at Warriors (Fri. May 2, TBD)*
• Game 7:ÌýWarriors at Rockets (Sun. May 4, TBD)*
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(3) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (6) Minnesota
• Game 1:ÌýTimberwolves at LakersÌý (Sat. April 19, 8:30 ET, ABC)
• Game 2:ÌýTimberwolves at Lakers (Tue. April 22, 10 ET, TNT)
• Game 3:ÌýLakers at Timberwolves (Fri. April 25, 9:30 ET, ESPN)
• Game 4:ÌýLakers at Timberwolves (Sun. April 27, 3:30 ET, ABC)
• Game 5:ÌýTimberwolves at Lakers (Wed. April 30, TBD)*
• Game 6:ÌýLakers at Timberwolves (Fri. May 2, TBD)*
• Game 7:ÌýTimberwolves at Lakers (Sun. May 4, TBD)*
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(4) Denver vs. (5) LA Clippers
• Game 1:ÌýClippers at NuggetsÌý (Sat. April 19, 3:30 ET, ESPN)
• Game 2:ÌýClippers at Nuggets (Mon. April 21, 10 ET, TNT)
• Game 3:ÌýNuggets at Clippers (Thu. April 24, TBD, NBA TV)
• Game 4:ÌýNuggets at Clippers (Sat. April 26, 6 ET, TNT)
• Game 5:ÌýClippers at Nuggets (Tue. April 29, TBD)*
• Game 6:ÌýNuggets at Clippers (Thu. May 1, TBD)*
• Game 7:ÌýClippers at Nuggets (Sat. May 3, TBD)*