This Is How the Playoff Bracket and Play-In Matchups Are Set in the NBA

With the regular season over, here’s a look at the play-in matchups and potential playoff paths for the 2025 NBA postseason

After a hectic few months, the 2024–2025 regular season has come to an end in the NBA, with the Oklahoma City Thunder (West) and Cleveland Cavaliers (East) crowned as Conference champions. With that, all matchups for the first and second rounds of the play-in tournament are now set, along with every possible clash that could unfold during the playoffs.

Warriors fall short and are sent to the NBA play-in tournament

All eyes were on the Chase Center in San Francisco for the matchup between the Warriors and Clippers, as Golden State needed a win to avoid the play-in… while a loss for the Clippers didn’t guarantee them a direct playoff spot after Minnesota defeated the Utah Jazz. However, the Warriors were unable to stop a stellar performance from James Harden (37 points) and ended up losing at home (119–124) to the Clippers.

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As a result, the Warriors dropped to seventh place in the Western Conference, landing them in the play-in despite a strong game from Stephen Curry, who scored 36 points. In the East, everything had already been decided by the second-to-last game day, and many teams opted to rest their top players ahead of what promises to be a very tough playoff run.

Here’s how the play-in tournament is set for the Eastern and Western Conferences in the NBA

Now, the Warriors will face the Memphis Grizzlies in the first play-in game in the Western Conference. The winner of that matchup will go on to face the Houston Rockets—who finished second—in the first round of the playoffs. The loser, meanwhile, will get another shot at making the playoffs if they can beat the winner of the game between the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks. If they do, they’ll face the Thunder.

In the Eastern Conference, the winner of the Orlando Magic vs Atlanta Hawks matchup will face the Boston Celtics in the first round. The loser will play the winner of the game between the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat, fighting for a spot to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round. All play-in games will take place between April 15 and 16. The playoffs will begin on April 19.