NBA play-in tournament
Professional basketball post-season games
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The NBA play-in tournament is the preliminary National Basketball Association (NBA) postseason tournament. It determines the final two playoff seeds in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference and is played immediately prior to the NBA playoffs, which is the main tournament of the postseason and regarded by the league as separate from the play-in tournament. Teams finishing the regular season in positions 7 through 10 in the standings for each conference compete to determine the number 7 and 8 seeds in each conference's bracket tournament.
 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Basketball |
| Established | 2020 |
| Format | Page playoff system |
| Teams | 8 total; 4 per conference |
| Broadcast |
|
Format
Original format
On June 4, 2020, the NBA Board of Governors approved the first ever play-in game for the 2019–20 season. The game was part of the NBA's plans for a bubble as part of its return to play during the COVID-19 pandemic. If the 8 and 9 seeds in either conference were within four games of each other, the two seeds would play each other in up to two play-in games. If the 8 seed won the first game, it would advance to the playoffs. If the 9 seed won the first game, a second game would be played. The winner of the second game would advance to the playoffs.[1]
Current format
On November 19, 2020, the NBA Board of Governors approved a format for the 2020–21 season to have a playoff play-in tournament involving the teams that ranked 7th through 10th in each conference. On July 22, 2022, the NBA Board of Governors made this format permanent.[2]
The format is similar to the first two rounds of the Page–McIntyre system for a four-team playoff. The 9th-place team hosts the 10th-place team, with the loser being eliminated. The 7th place team hosts the 8th place team in the double-chance game, with the winner advancing as the new 7-seed. The loser of the 7/8 game hosts the winner of the 9/10 game, with the winner receiving the new 8-seed. The NBA's regular playoff format then proceeds as normal. Furthermore, the winner of the match between the loser of the 7/8 game and the winner of the 9/10 game always plays on day 2 of the NBA playoffs to allow that team at least a day of rest.[3]
The current bracket structure in each conference is as follows:
| Play-in games | No. 8 seed game | Final seeds | |||||||||||
| 7th | place team | Home | 7/8 | Winner of 7/8 game | No. 7 seed | ||||||||
| 8th | place team | Away | 7/8/9/10 | Winner of No. 8 seed game | No. 8 seed | ||||||||
| 7/8 | Loser of 7/8 game | Home | |||||||||||
| 9/10 | Winner of 9/10 game | Away | |||||||||||
| 9th | place team | Home | |||||||||||
| 10th | place team | Away | |||||||||||
Statistics
The Miami Heat have played seven play-in games, the most games played by a team in the play-in tournament, and also have the most wins, with four.
Due to the current structure of the NBA playoff system, one division winner is no longer guaranteed a playoff spot, let alone a top-four placing. To date, only two teams have qualified for the play-in tournament as division champions: the 2022–23 Miami Heat and the 2024–25 Orlando Magic, both from the Southeast Division. Both teams eventually qualified for the playoffs via the play-in tournament.
The 2022–23 Miami Heat had the best performance by any play-in team in the playoffs after reaching the 2023 NBA Finals.
Jayson Tatum set the record for most points in a single play-in tournament game by scoring 50 points against Washington on May 18, 2021.[4]
Since the inception of the 7–10 seed Page–McIntyre play-in format in 2021, the 7 seed has always made it out of the play-in and into the playoffs, while only one 10th seed (the 2024–25 Miami Heat) has done so.[5]
Results by position
The below table shows teams' results per their conference position entering the play-in tournament, since the NBA adopted the current format in 2021.
| Regular season position | Record by game | Resulting playoff seed | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play-in game | No. 8 seed game | 7th seed | 8th seed | Did not advance | |
| 7 | 9–3 | 3–0 | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| 8 | 3–9 | 5–4 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| 9 | 7–5 | 3–4 | N/a | 3 | 9 |
| 10 | 5–7 | 1–4 | N/a | 1 | 11 |
| Eastern Conference | Record by game | Resulting playoff seed | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play-in game | No. 8 seed game | 7th seed | 8th seed | Did not advance | |
| 7 | 5–1 | 1–0 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 8 | 1–5 | 3–2 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 9 | 4–2 | 1–3 | N/a | 1 | 5 |
| 10 | 2–4 | 1–1 | N/a | 1 | 5 |
| Western Conference | Record by game | Resulting playoff seed | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play-in game | No. 8 seed game | 7th seed | 8th seed | Did not advance | |
| 7 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 8 | 2–4 | 2–2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 9 | 3–3 | 2–1 | N/a | 2 | 4 |
| 10 | 3–3 | 0–3 | N/a | 0 | 6 |
Results
- Note: Times are EDT (UTC−4) as listed by NBA. If the venue is located in a different time zone, the local time is also given.
2020
The only play-in game contested was, in the West, between ninth-place Memphis (34–39) finished the season one-half game behind eighth-place Portland (35–39). Because ninth-place Washington (25–47) finished 7+1⁄2 games behind eighth-place Orlando (33–40), no play-in was contested in the East.
August 15 2:30 PM |
| (9) Memphis Grizzlies 122, (8) Portland Trail Blazers 126 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–31, 33–27, 42–31, 28–37 | ||
| Pts: Ja Morant 35 Rebs: Jonas Valančiūnas 17 Asts: Kyle Anderson 9 |
Pts: Damian Lillard 31 Rebs: Jusuf Nurkić 21 Asts: Damian Lillard 10 | |
2021
Eastern Conference bracket
| Play-in games | No. 8 seed game | Final seeds | |||||||||||
| 7 | Boston | 118 | 7 | Boston | No. 7 seed | ||||||||
| 8 | Washington | 100 | 8 | Washington | No. 8 seed | ||||||||
| 8 | Washington | 142 | |||||||||||
| 9 | Indiana | 115 | |||||||||||
| 9 | Indiana | 144 | |||||||||||
| 10 | Charlotte | 117 | |||||||||||
Bold Game winner
Italic Team with home-court advantage
Western Conference bracket
| Play-in games | No. 8 seed game | Final seeds | |||||||||||
| 7 | LA Lakers | 103 | 7 | LA Lakers | No. 7 seed | ||||||||
| 8 | Golden State | 100 | 9 | Memphis | No. 8 seed | ||||||||
| 8 | Golden State | 112 | |||||||||||
| 9 | Memphis | 117 (OT) | |||||||||||
| 9 | Memphis | 100 | |||||||||||
| 10 | San Antonio | 96 | |||||||||||
Bold Game winner
Italic Team with home-court advantage
| May 18 | (10) Charlotte Hornets | 117–144 | (9) Indiana Pacers | Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6:30 PM | Scoring by quarter: 24–40, 21–29, 33–39, 39–36 | |||
| TNT | Pts: Miles Bridges 23 Rebs: Bridges, Rozier 8 each Asts: Terry Rozier 6 |
Recap | Pts: Oshae Brissett 23 Rebs: Domantas Sabonis 21 Asts: Domantas Sabonis 9 |
Referees: Tony Brothers, Eric Lewis, Curtis Blair, Derrick Collins |
| May 18 | (8) Washington Wizards | 100–118 | (7) Boston Celtics | TD Garden, Boston, MA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 PM | Scoring by quarter: 21–27, 33–25, 26–38, 20–28 | |||
| TNT | Pts: Bradley Beal 22 Rebs: Russell Westbrook 14 Asts: Russell Westbrook 9 |
Recap | Pts: Jayson Tatum 50 Rebs: Tristan Thompson 12 Asts: Marcus Smart 6 |
Attendance: 4,789 Referees: Rodney Mott, Scott Foster, James Williams |
| May 19 | (10) San Antonio Spurs | 96–100 | (9) Memphis Grizzlies | FedExForum, Memphis, TN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:30 PM (6:30 PM CDT) |
Scoring by quarter: 19–38, 30–18, 16–16, 31–28 | |||
| ESPN | Pts: DeRozan, Gay 20 each Rebs: Dejounte Murray 13 Asts: Dejounte Murray 11 |
Recap | Pts: Dillon Brooks 24 Rebs: Jonas Valančiūnas 23 Asts: Ja Morant 9 |
Attendance: 7,019 Referees: Marc Davis, Mark Lindsay, Sean Wright, Karl Lane |
| May 19 | (8) Golden State Warriors | 100–103 | (7) Los Angeles Lakers | Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 PM (7:00 PM PDT) |
Scoring by quarter: 28–22, 27–20, 24–35, 21–26 | |||
| ESPN | Pts: Stephen Curry 37 Rebs: Kevon Looney 13 Asts: Draymond Green 8 |
Recap | Pts: Anthony Davis 25 Rebs: Anthony Davis 12 Asts: LeBron James 10 |
Attendance: 6,022 Referees: Josh Tiven, Brian Forte, John Goble, Tre Maddox |
| May 20 | (9) Indiana Pacers | 115–142 | (8) Washington Wizards | Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00 PM | Scoring by quarter: 29–30, 23–36, 31–48, 32–28 | |||
| TNT | Pts: Malcolm Brogdon 24 Rebs: Domantas Sabonis 11 Asts: Domantas Sabonis 10 |
Recap | Pts: Bradley Beal 25 Rebs: Daniel Gafford 13 Asts: Russell Westbrook 15 |
Referees: Courtney Kirkland, David Guthrie, Ben Taylor, Michael Smith |
| May 21 | (9) Memphis Grizzlies | 117–112(OT) | (8) Golden State Warriors | Chase Center, San Francisco, CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 PM (6:00 PM PDT) |
Scoring by quarter: 30–29, 32–20, 16–24, 21–26, Overtime: 18–13 | |||
| ESPN | Pts: Ja Morant 35 Rebs: Jonas Valančiūnas 12 Asts: Anderson, Morant 6 each |
Recap | Pts: Stephen Curry 39 Rebs: Draymond Green 16 Asts: Draymond Green 10 |
Attendance: 7,505 Referees: James Williams, Scott Foster, Karl Lane, Eric Lewis |
2022
Eastern Conference bracket
| Play-in games | No. 8 seed game | Final seeds | |||||||||||
| 7 | Brooklyn | 115 | 7 | Brooklyn | No. 7 seed | ||||||||
| 8 | Cleveland | 108 | 9 | Atlanta | No. 8 seed | ||||||||
| 8 | Cleveland | 101 | |||||||||||
| 9 | Atlanta | 107 | |||||||||||
| 9 | Atlanta | 132 | |||||||||||
| 10 | Charlotte | 103 | |||||||||||
Bold Game winner
Italic Team with home-court advantage
Western Conference bracket
| Play-in games | No. 8 seed game | Final seeds | |||||||||||
| 7 | Minnesota | 109 | 7 | Minnesota | No. 7 seed | ||||||||
| 8 | LA Clippers | 104 | 9 | New Orleans | No. 8 seed | ||||||||
| 8 | LA Clippers | 101 | |||||||||||
| 9 | New Orleans | 105 | |||||||||||
| 9 | New Orleans | 113 | |||||||||||
| 10 | San Antonio | 103 | |||||||||||
Bold Game winner
Italic Team with home-court advantage
| April 12 | (8) Cleveland Cavaliers | 108–115 | (7) Brooklyn Nets | Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00 PM | Scoring by quarter: 20–40, 23–17, 30–28, 35–30 | |||
| TNT | Pts: Darius Garland 34 Rebs: Kevin Love 13 Asts: Rajon Rondo 9 |
Recap | Pts: Kyrie Irving 34 Rebs: Brown, Claxton 9 each Asts: Kyrie Irving 12 |
Attendance: 17,732 Referees: JB DeRosa, Curtis Blair, Kane Fitzgerald, Tyler Ford |
| April 12 | (8) Los Angeles Clippers | 122–126 | (7) Minnesota Timberwolves | Target Center, Minneapolis, MN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:30 PM (8:30 PM CDT) |
Scoring by quarter: 26–20, 25–33, 33–25, 20–31 | |||
| TNT | Pts: Paul George 34 Rebs: Ivica Zubac 9 Asts: George, Jackson 5 each |
Recap | Pts: Anthony Edwards 30 Rebs: Patrick Beverley 11 Asts: Beverley, Towns 3 each |
Attendance: 17,136 Referees: Scott Foster, Tom Washington, Ed Malloy, Justin Van Duyne |
| April 13 | (10) Charlotte Hornets | 103–132 | (9) Atlanta Hawks | State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00 PM | Scoring by quarter: 23–32, 29–28, 24–42, 27–30 | |||
| ESPN | Pts: LaMelo Ball 26 Rebs: Martin, Washington 6 each Asts: LaMelo Ball 8 |
Recap | Pts: Trae Young 24 Rebs: Clint Capela 17 Asts: Trae Young 11 |
Attendance: 18,137 Referees: James Capers, James Williams, Jacyn Goble |
| April 13 | (10) San Antonio Spurs | 103–113 | (9) New Orleans Pelicans | Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:30 PM (8:30 PM CDT) |
Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 28–35, 25–31, 28–21 | |||
| ESPN | Pts: Devin Vassell 23 Rebs: Murray, Poeltl 9 each Asts: Dejounte Murray 5 |
Recap | Pts: CJ McCollum 32 Rebs: Jonas Valančiūnas 14 Asts: CJ McCollum 7 |
Attendance: 18,610 Referees: Bill Kennedy, David Guthrie, Sean Wright |
| April 15 | (9) Atlanta Hawks | 107–101 | (8) Cleveland Cavaliers | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:30 PM | Scoring by quarter: 25–36, 26–25, 33–23, 23–17 | |||
| ESPN | Pts: Trae Young 38 Rebs: Onyeka Okongwu 9 Asts: Trae Young 9 |
Recap | Pts: Lauri Markkanen 26 Rebs: Markkanen, Mobley 8 each Asts: Darius Garland 9 |
Attendance: 19,432 Referees: Zach Zarba, Eric Lewis, Tre Maddox, Ben Taylor |
| April 15 | (9) New Orleans Pelicans | 105–101 | (8) Los Angeles Clippers | Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 PM (7:00 PM PDT) |
Scoring by quarter: 30–22, 26–24, 18–38, 31–17 | |||
| TNT | Pts: Brandon Ingram 30 Rebs: Larry Nance Jr. 16 Asts: Brandon Ingram 6 |
Recap | Pts: Markieff Morris 27 Rebs: Nicolas Batum 10 Asts: Reggie Jackson 6 |
Attendance: 19,068 Referees: Marc Davis, Brian Forte, Mark Lindsay, Josh Tiven |
2023
Eastern Conference bracket
| Play-in games | No. 8 seed game | Final seeds | |||||||||||
| 7 | Miami | 105 | 8 | Atlanta | No. 7 seed | ||||||||
| 8 | Atlanta | 116 | 7 | Miami | No. 8 seed | ||||||||
| 7 | Miami | 102 | |||||||||||
| 10 | Chicago | 91 | |||||||||||
| 9 | Toronto | 105 | |||||||||||
| 10 | Chicago | 109 | |||||||||||
Bold Game winner
Italic Team with home-court advantage
Western Conference bracket
| Play-in games | No. 8 seed game | Final seeds | |||||||||||
| 7 | LA Lakers | 108 (OT) | 7 | LA Lakers | No. 7 seed | ||||||||
| 8 | Minnesota | 102 | 8 | Minnesota | No. 8 seed | ||||||||
| 8 | Minnesota | 120 | |||||||||||
| 10 | Oklahoma City | 95 | |||||||||||
| 9 | New Orleans | 118 | |||||||||||
| 10 | Oklahoma City | 123 | |||||||||||
Bold Game winner
Italic Team with home-court advantage
| April 11 | (8) Atlanta Hawks | 116–105 | (7) Miami Heat | Kaseya Center, Miami, FL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:30 PM | Scoring by quarter: 36–27, 29–23, 26–28, 25–27 | |||
| TNT | Pts: Trae Young 25 Rebs: Clint Capela 21 Asts: Trae Young 7 |
Recap | Pts: Kyle Lowry 33 Rebs: Bam Adebayo 9 Asts: Jimmy Butler 9 |
Attendance: 19,662 Referees: JB DeRosa, Sean Wright, John Goble |
| April 11 | (8) Minnesota Timberwolves | 102–108(OT) | (7) Los Angeles Lakers | Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 PM (7:00 PM PDT) |
Scoring by quarter: 28–22, 32–27, 26–30, 12–19, Overtime: 4–10 | |||
| TNT | Pts: Karl-Anthony Towns 24 Rebs: Karl-Anthony Towns 11 Asts: Kyle Anderson 13 |
Recap | Pts: LeBron James 30 Rebs: Anthony Davis 15 Asts: D'Angelo Russell 8 |
Attendance: 18,997 Referees: Michael Smith, David Guthrie, Tre Maddox, Tyler Ford |
| April 12 | (10) Chicago Bulls | 109–105 | (9) Toronto Raptors | Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00 PM | Scoring by quarter: 23–28, 24–30, 25–23, 37–24 | |||
| ESPN | Pts: Zach Lavine 39 Rebs: Nikola Vučević 13 Asts: Coby White 5 |
Recap | Pts: Pascal Siakam 32 Rebs: Fred VanVleet 12 Asts: Fred VanVleet 8 |
Attendance: 19,800 Referees: Kevin Scott, James Williams, Mitchell Ervin, Ray Acosta |
| April 12 | (10) Oklahoma City Thunder | 123–118 | (9) New Orleans Pelicans | Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:30 PM (8:30 PM CDT) |
Scoring by quarter: 32–29, 25–34, 39–24, 27–31 | |||
| ESPN | Pts: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 32 Rebs: Josh Giddey 9 Asts: Josh Giddey 10 |
Recap | Pts: Brandon Ingram 30 Rebs: Jonas Valančiūnas 18 Asts: Brandon Ingram 7 |
Attendance: 18,715 Referees: Sean Corbin, Eric Lewis, Eric Dalen, Ben Taylor |
| April 14 | (10) Chicago Bulls | 91–102 | (7) Miami Heat | Kaseya Center, Miami, FL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00 PM | Scoring by quarter: 21–29, 23–20, 24–18, 23–35 | |||
| TNT | Pts: DeMar DeRozan 26 Rebs: Nikola Vučević 9 Asts: DeMar DeRozan 9 |
Recap | Pts: Butler, Strus 31 each Rebs: Bam Adebayo 17 Asts: Tyler Herro 7 |
Attendance: 19,678 Referees: Tony Brothers, Josh Tiven, Karl Lane |
| April 14 | (10) Oklahoma City Thunder | 95–120 | (8) Minnesota Timberwolves | Target Center, Minneapolis, MN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:30 PM (8:30 PM CDT) |
Scoring by quarter: 23–24, 24–33, 31–38, 17–25 | |||
| ESPN | Pts: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 22 Rebs: Luguentz Dort 8 Asts: Jal. Williams 5 |
Recap | Pts: Karl-Anthony Towns 28 Rebs: Karl-Anthony Towns 11 Asts: Alexander-Walker, Edwards 6 each |
Attendance: 19,304 Referees: Scott Foster, Courtney Kirkland, Brent Barnaky, Gediminas Petraitis |
2024
Eastern Conference bracket
| Play-in games | No. 8 seed game | Final seeds | |||||||||||
| 7 | Philadelphia | 105 | 7 | Philadelphia | No. 7 seed | ||||||||
| 8 | Miami | 104 | 8 | Miami | No. 8 seed | ||||||||
| 8 | Miami | 112 | |||||||||||
| 9 | Chicago | 91 | |||||||||||
| 9 | Chicago | 131 | |||||||||||
| 10 | Atlanta | 116 | |||||||||||
Bold Game winner
Italic Team with home-court advantage
Western Conference bracket
| Play-in games | No. 8 seed game | Final seeds | |||||||||||
| 7 | New Orleans | 106 | 8 | LA Lakers | No. 7 seed | ||||||||
| 8 | LA Lakers | 110 | 7 | New Orleans | No. 8 seed | ||||||||
| 7 | New Orleans | 105 | |||||||||||
| 9 | Sacramento | 98 | |||||||||||
| 9 | Sacramento | 118 | |||||||||||
| 10 | Golden State | 94 | |||||||||||
Bold Game winner
Italic Team with home-court advantage
| April 16 | (8) Los Angeles Lakers | 110–106 | (7) New Orleans Pelicans | Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:30 PM (6:30 PM CDT) |
Scoring by quarter: 26–34, 34–16, 23–26, 27–30 | |||
| TNT | Pts: LeBron James 23 Rebs: Anthony Davis 15 Asts: LeBron James 9 |
Recap | Pts: Zion Williamson 40 Rebs: Larry Nance Jr. 12 Asts: Jose Alvarado 7 |
Attendance: 18,591 Referees: Scott Foster, Curtis Blair, Eric Dalen, Gediminas Petraitis |
| April 16 | (10) Golden State Warriors | 94–118 | (9) Sacramento Kings | Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 PM (7:00 PM PDT) |
Scoring by quarter: 22–31, 28–23, 26–27, 18–27 | |||
| TNT | Pts: Stephen Curry 22 Rebs: Brandin Podziemski 8 Asts: Draymond Green 6 |
Recap | Pts: Keegan Murray 32 Rebs: Domantas Sabonis 12 Asts: Domantas Sabonis 7 |
Attendance: 18,304 Referees: Mark Lindsay, Marat Kogut, James Williams, Aaron Smith |
| April 17 | (8) Miami Heat | 104–105 | (7) Philadelphia 76ers | Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00 PM | Scoring by quarter: 23–22, 28–17, 23–30, 30–36 | |||
| ESPN | Pts: Tyler Herro 25 Rebs: Bam Adebayo 12 Asts: Tyler Herro 9 |
Recap | Pts: Joel Embiid 23 Rebs: Joel Embiid 15 Asts: Hield, Maxey 6 each |
Attendance: 19,788 Referees: Tony Brothers, Bill Kennedy, Mitchell Ervin |
| April 17 | (10) Atlanta Hawks | 116–131 | (9) Chicago Bulls | United Center, Chicago, IL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:30 PM (8:30 PM CDT) |
Scoring by quarter: 22–40, 45–33, 25–37, 24–21 | |||
| ESPN | Pts: Dejounte Murray 30 Rebs: Clint Capela 17 Asts: Trae Young 10 |
Recap | Pts: Coby White 42 Rebs: Nikola Vučević 12 Asts: DeMar DeRozan 9 |
Attendance: 21,627 Referees: Sean Corbin, Marc Davis, Nick Buchert, Tyler Ford |
| April 19 | (9) Chicago Bulls | 91–112 | (8) Miami Heat | Kaseya Center, Miami, FL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00 PM | Scoring by quarter: 17–34, 20–13, 23–35, 31–30 | |||
| ESPN | Pts: DeMar DeRozan 22 Rebs: Nikola Vučević 14 Asts: Nikola Vučević 5 |
Recap | Pts: Tyler Herro 24 Rebs: Tyler Herro 10 Asts: Tyler Herro 9 |
Attendance: 19,600 Referees: Zach Zarba, Sean Wright, Justin Van Duyne |
| April 19 | (9) Sacramento Kings | 98–105 | (7) New Orleans Pelicans | Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:30 PM (8:30 PM CDT) |
Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 21–32, 29–29, 24–22 | |||
| TNT | Pts: De'Aaron Fox 35 Rebs: Domantas Sabonis 14 Asts: Domantas Sabonis 7 |
Recap | Pts: Brandon Ingram 24 Rebs: Jonas Valančiūnas 12 Asts: Ingram, Murphy III 6 each |
Attendance: 18,656 Referees: Courtney Kirkland, Josh Tiven, Karl Lane, J. T. Orr |
2025
Eastern Conference bracket
| Play-in games | No. 8 seed game | Final seeds | |||||||||||
| 7 | Orlando* | 120 | 7 | Orlando* | No. 7 seed | ||||||||
| 8 | Atlanta | 95 | 10 | Miami | No. 8 seed | ||||||||
| 8 | Atlanta | 114 | |||||||||||
| 10 | Miami | 123 (OT) | |||||||||||
| 9 | Chicago | 90 | |||||||||||
| 10 | Miami | 109 | |||||||||||
Bold Game winner
Italic Team with home-court advantage
* Division winner
Western Conference bracket
| Play-in games | No. 8 seed game | Final seeds | |||||||||||
| 7 | Golden State | 121 | 7 | Golden State | No. 7 seed | ||||||||
| 8 | Memphis | 116 | 8 | Memphis | No. 8 seed | ||||||||
| 8 | Memphis | 120 | |||||||||||
| 10 | Dallas | 106 | |||||||||||
| 9 | Sacramento | 106 | |||||||||||
| 10 | Dallas | 120 | |||||||||||
Bold Game winner
Italic Team with home-court advantage
| April 15 | (8) Atlanta Hawks | 95–120 | (7) Orlando Magic | Kia Center, Orlando, FL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:30 PM | Scoring by quarter: 17–32, 30–29, 26–18, 22–41 | |||
| TNT | Pts: Trae Young 28 Rebs: Dyson Daniels 12 Asts: Dyson Daniels 7 |
Recap | Pts: Cole Anthony 26 Rebs: Franz Wagner 13 Asts: Paolo Banchero 7 |
Attendance: 18,846 Referees: Sean Corbin, Pat Fraher, Karl Lane, James Williams |
| April 15 | (8) Memphis Grizzlies | 116–121 | (7) Golden State Warriors | Chase Center, San Francisco, CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 PM (7:00 PM PDT) |
Scoring by quarter: 25–31, 30–36, 36–27, 25–27 | |||
| TNT | Pts: Desmond Bane 30 Rebs: Zach Edey 17 Asts: Scotty Pippen Jr. 5 |
Recap | Pts: LeBron James 30 Rebs: Anthony Davis 15 Asts: D'Angelo Russell 8 |
Attendance: 18,064 Referees: Bill Kennedy, Josh Tiven, Nick Buchert |
| April 16 | (10) Miami Heat | 109–90 | (9) Chicago Bulls | United Center, Chicago, IL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:30 PM (6:30 PM CDT) |
Scoring by quarter: 39–20, 32–19, 17–27, 21–16 | |||
| ESPN | Pts: Tyler Herro 38 Rebs: Bam Adebayo 12 Asts: Davion Mitchell 9 |
Recap | Pts: Josh Giddey 25 Rebs: Josh Giddey 10 Asts: Coby White 5 |
Attendance: 21,380 Referees: Zach Zarba, Curtis Blair, Justin Van Duyne, Jacyn Goble |
| April 16 | (10) Dallas Mavericks | 120–106 | (9) Sacramento Kings | Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 PM (7:00 PM PDT) |
Scoring by quarter: 27–29, 44–19, 28–33, 21–25 | |||
| ESPN | Pts: Anthony Davis 27 Rebs: Davis, Washington 9 each Asts: Danté Exum 6 |
Recap | Pts: DeMar DeRozan 33 Rebs: Domantas Sabonis 13 Asts: Zach LaVine 9 |
Attendance: 17,939 Referees: JB DeRosa, Marc Davis, Brian Forte, Ben Taylor |
| April 18 | (10) Miami Heat | 123–114(OT) | (8) Atlanta Hawks | State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00 PM | Scoring by quarter: 33–24, 29–29, 24–24, 20–29, Overtime: 17–8 | |||
| TNT | Pts: Tyler Herro 30 Rebs: Bam Adebayo 11 Asts: Andrew Wiggins 8 |
Recap | Pts: Trae Young 29 Rebs: Onyeka Okongwu 12 Asts: Trae Young 11 |
Attendance: 17,690 Referees: James Capers, Ed Malloy, Mitchell Ervin |
| April 18 | (10) Dallas Mavericks | 106–120 | (8) Memphis Grizzlies | FedExForum, Memphis, TN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:30 PM (8:30 PM CDT) |
Scoring by quarter: 24–39, 25-27, 29–30, 28–24 | |||
| ESPN | Pts: Anthony Davis 40 Rebs: Anthony Davis 19 Asts: Brandon Williams 7 |
Recap | Pts: Jaren Jackson Jr. 24 Rebs: Zach Edey 11 Asts: Ja Morant 9 |
Attendance: 17,794 Referees: Courtney Kirkland, David Guthrie, Sean Wright, Ray Acosta |
2026
Eastern Conference bracket
| Play-in games | No. 8 seed game | Final seeds | |||||||||||
| 7 | Philadelphia | 109 | 7 | Philadelphia | No. 7 seed | ||||||||
| 8 | Orlando | 97 | 8 | Orlando | No. 8 seed | ||||||||
| 8 | Orlando | 121 | |||||||||||
| 9 | Charlotte | 90 | |||||||||||
| 9 | Charlotte | 127 (OT) | |||||||||||
| 10 | Miami | 126 | |||||||||||
Bold Game winner
Italic Team with home-court advantage
Western Conference bracket
| Play-in games | No. 8 seed game | Final seeds | |||||||||||
| 7 | Phoenix | 110 | 8 | Portland | No. 7 seed | ||||||||
| 8 | Portland | 114 | 7 | Phoenix | No. 8 seed | ||||||||
| 7 | Phoenix | 111 | |||||||||||
| 10 | Golden State | 96 | |||||||||||
| 9 | LA Clippers | 121 | |||||||||||
| 10 | Golden State | 126 | |||||||||||
Bold Game winner
Italic Team with home-court advantage
| April 14 | (10) Miami Heat | 126–127(OT) | (9) Charlotte Hornets | Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:30 PM | Scoring by quarter: 24–26, 30–26, 29–37, 31–25, Overtime: 12–13 | |||
| Prime | Pts: Davion Mitchell 28 Rebs: Kel'el Ware 19 Asts: Jaime Jaquez Jr. 8 |
Recap | Pts: LaMelo Ball 30 Rebs: Moussa Diabaté 15 Asts: LaMelo Ball 10 |
Attendance: 19,698 Referees: Zach Zarba, Curtis Blair, Gediminas Petraitis, Natalie Sago |
| April 14 | (8) Portland Trail Blazers | 114–110 | (7) Phoenix Suns | Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix, AZ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 PM (7:00 PM MST) |
Scoring by quarter: 31–33, 34–29, 18–20, 31–28 | |||
| Prime | Pts: Deni Avdija 41 Rebs: Donovan Clingan 11 Asts: Deni Avdija 12 |
Recap | Pts: Jalen Green 35 Rebs: Royce O'Neale 8 Asts: Oso Ighodaro 6 |
Attendance: 17,071 Referees: James Capers, Nick Buchert, Ray Acosta, Eric Dalen |
| April 15 | (8) Orlando Magic | 97–109 | (7) Philadelphia 76ers | Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:30 PM | Scoring by quarter: 24–28, 31–31, 19–20, 23–30 | |||
| Prime | Pts: Desmond Bane 34 Rebs: Wendell Carter Jr. 11 Asts: Banchero, Suggs 4 each |
Recap | Pts: Tyrese Maxey 31 Rebs: V. J. Edgecombe 11 Asts: Tyrese Maxey 6 |
Attendance: 19,746 Referees: Tony Brothers, Tyler Ford, Andy Nagy |
| April 15 | (10) Golden State Warriors | 126–121 | (9) Los Angeles Clippers | Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 PM (7:00 PM PDT) |
Scoring by quarter: 22–31, 31–30, 30–28, 43–32 | |||
| Prime | Pts: Stephen Curry 35 Rebs: Santos, Podziemski 7 each Asts: Draymond Green 9 |
Recap | Pts: Bennedict Mathurin 23 Rebs: John Collins 9 Asts: Kris Dunn 10 |
Attendance: 17,927 Referees: James Williams, Ben Taylor, Karl Lane, Sean Corbin |
| April 17 | (9) Charlotte Hornets | 90–121 | (8) Orlando Magic | Kia Center, Orlando, FL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:30 PM | Scoring by quarter: 16–38, 21–30, 34–34, 19–19 | |||
| Prime | Pts: LaMelo Ball 23 Rebs: Moussa Diabaté 8 Asts: LaMelo Ball 5 |
Recap | Pts: Paolo Banchero 25 Rebs: Bane, Wagner 7 each Asts: Banchero, Suggs, Wagner 6 each |
Attendance: 19,005 Referees: Marat Kogut, Marc Davis, Sean Wright, Justin Van Duyne |
| April 17 | (10) Golden State Warriors | 96–111 | (7) Phoenix Suns | Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix, AZ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 PM (7:00 PM MST) |
Scoring by quarter: 15–33, 30–17, 24–28, 27–33 | |||
| Prime | Pts: Brandin Podziemski 23 Rebs: Brandin Podziemski 10 Asts: Draymond Green 6 |
Recap | Pts: Jalen Green 36 Rebs: Jordan Goodwin 9 Asts: Devin Booker 8 |
Attendance: 17,071 Referees: Aaron Smith, Scott Foster, Mitchell Ervin, Tre Maddox |
Media coverage
In 2020, ABC aired the only play-in game.[6]
From 2021 to 2025, the tournament rights were split between TNT and ESPN. In 2021 and 2024, televised games were determined by which conference finals each network was airing. In 2022, 2023 and 2025, TNT aired both 7–8 games, and ESPN aired both 9–10 games, but the rights for the final seed game was still determined by which conference finals each network was airing.[7][8][9]
As part of the new 11-year media deals that began in the 2025–26 season, Amazon Prime Video will broadcast all NBA play-in tournament games beginning in 2026.[10]
In Canada, the home market of the Toronto Raptors, coverage is split approximately equally between the Sportsnet and TSN. Under their rights, the two broadcasters are allowed to produce their own feeds of Raptors games, otherwise they generally simulcast the U.S. broadcaster's feed.