Mar 3, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) shoots a three point shot over Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) during the second half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

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2025 NBA Play-In Tournament Odds, Structure, Schedule and Playoffs Favorites- Riveting 7-10 seed battle, West has a sizzling race from top to bottom

The Play-In tournament adds an intriguing layer to the already popular NBA postseason. It is both an opportunity and a danger for the teams. The ones in the top six are afraid that they might fall into the tricky tournament, while the ones at the fringes get the chance to make the playoffs. This year is no different as we head into the last week of the Regular Season hoops.

What is a Play-in tournament?

The Play-in tournament is a mini-tournament that helps determine the seedings for the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Teams that finish in the top six ranks at the end of the Regular Season qualify for the playoffs automatically. Meanwhile, the 7th to 10th seeds fight for the two remaining spots in the playoffs.

This is how the Play-in tournament works:

Eliminator Round: The teams that finished at ninth seed and the tenth seed in their conference square off in an eliminator round. The ninth seed has the home-court advantage, and the winner of the game advances to the next stage, whereas the loser is eliminated from the playoffs race.
Qualifying round: The seventh and the eighth seed clash in a qualifying round for the playoffs. The winner advances to the playoffs with the seventh seed, whereas the loser gets one more chance. The seventh seed has the home-court advantage.
Final eliminator: In this round, the winner of the 9/10 seed game meets the loser of the 7/8 seed match. The loser of the qualifying round has the home-court advantage. The winner qualifies with the eighth seed, while the loser is eliminated.

What are the 2025 Play-in tournament odds?

East

In the East, the playoff scene is not complicated as of now. The top six teams have sealed their place in the first round of the playoffs. Here is the first-round picture for the top-six teams.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are headed for the first-place finish. The Boston Celtics are probably finishing second, the Knicks have all but secured the third seed, while the Indiana Pacers are primed for a fourth seed. Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons and the Milwaukee Bucks are fighting for the fifth seed but don’t risk falling into the play-in tournament.

Meanwhile, the 7th to 10th seed battle is something to behold.

The 7th seed to 10th seed picture:

The Orlando Magic (38-40) are currently in seventh place, but the Atlanta Hawks (37-41) are right behind them. Interestingly, the two teams will clash on Tuesday. Currently, the season series is tied 1-1, and to add to the spice, the teams will also play the Regular Season finale against each other. These two games will be key to determine which team will probably seal the seventh spot, and gain the home-court advantage during the single play-in tournament qualifying affair.

The Chicago Bulls (36-42) and the Miami Heat (37-41) are right behind the seventh and eighth seeds. They can make things interesting by winning three out of four or all the remaining games. Interestingly, the two squads will clash on Wednesday, but the Bulls will be at a disadvantage since it will be a back-to-back. Overall, the seventh spot is up for grabs, making for an incredible finish to the Eastern Conference Regular Season landscape.

West

In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder has sealed the first spot. Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets have all but booked the second spot. The LA Lakers (48-30) are the current favorites to seal the third position. From there on, it is a bloodbath.

The Denver Nuggets (47-32) are one and a half games behind the Lakers. Then the Los Angeles Clippers (46-32) , the Golden State Warriors (46-32), the Minnesota Timberwolves (46-32), and the Memphis Grizzlies (46-32) are just a half-game back from the Nuggets. Thus, we are in for a photo finish here.

Meanwhile, the Sacramento Kings (38-40) are just a half a game over the tenth-place Dallas Mavericks (38-41). Both can’t finish above the ninth seed. Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns (35-43) are all but out at this point unless one of the other two teams faces a dramatic losing streak while the Suns win all their remaining games.

Here are the official odds about teams that are likely to qualify for the Western Conference play-in tournament apart from the Mavs and the Kings, which are all but in the Play-in tournament space.

Team	Odds for Play-in tournament
Grizzlies	-165 at BetMGM
Nuggets	-110 at BetMGM
Clippers	-105 at BetMGM
Warriors	+200 at BetMGM
Timberwolves	+275 at BetMGM
Lakers	+600 at BetMGM
Suns	+1300 at BetMGM

2025 Play-in Tournament Schedule

Here is the schedule for the upcoming Play-in tournament

April 15

7th vs 8th Seed- Eastern Conference

7th vs 8th Seed- Western Conference

April 16

8th vs 9th Seed- Eastern Conference

8th vs 9th Seed- Western Conference

April 18

Loser of 7th-8th seed vs Winner of 9th-10th seed- Eastern Conference

Loser of 7th-8th seed vs Winner of 9th-10th seed- Western Conference

Photo Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Chicago Bulls

Denver Nuggets

Golden State Warriors

Los Angeles Clippers

Memphis Grizzlies

Miami Heat

Minnesota Timberwolves

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NBA Play-in Tournament Schedule

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Phoenix Suns

Sacramento Kings

Shubham Singh

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Hi, I am Shubham. I am currently an NBA Predictions Writer on The Playoffs. I enjoy this job because it helps keep me in the loop about the game I love while fulfilling the pleasure I derive from stats. I got into NBA writing through social media interactions in the mid-2010s as I shared my takes on young talents such as D’Angelo Russell. I hope you enjoy reading my pieces as much as Dennis Rodman loved rebounding the basketball!