Before the 2025 NBA Playoffs tip off in earnest, eight teams face head-to-head to determine the final spots in this week’s play-in tournament.
The Orlando Magic claimed the first play-in win with a runaway win over the Atlanta Hawks Tuesday night. The Golden State Warriors face the Memphis Grizzlies in the Tuesday nightcap with the No. 7 seed in the West at stake.
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Here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 NBA Play-In Tournament, and check out our staff predictions for this week’s games here.
The Orlando Magic took a commanding first-quarter lead then fought off a Trae Young-sparked Atlanta Hawks rally for a 120-95 win in the first game of the NBA play-in on Tuesday.
With the win, the Magic clinch the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and advance to face the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics in the first round. The Hawks remain alive for the playoffs.
Atlanta will play an elimination game on Friday against the winner of Wednesday’s East play-in game between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls. The winner of Friday’s game will secure the No. 8 seed in the East and take on the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round. The loser’s season will be over.
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Orlando took charge early with a strong effort on defense and the glass in a first half in which it led by as many as 22 points. The Hawks cut their deficit to 61-47 by halftime, then rode Young’s hot hand and a cold stretch by the Magic to a 26-18 advantage in the third quarter. Young scored 12 points in the third as the Hawks got as close as 71-68 with three minutes remaining in the quarter.
But a big second half from Cole Anthony led the Magic to retake control. Orlando extended its lead back to 15 points midway through the fourth quarter and didn’t allow another Atlanta run. Young got ejected late in the game for kicking a dead ball away from an official as the game got out of hand.
Anthony led the second-half charge for Orlando and finished with a team-high 26 points points off the bench.
Tuesday, April 15
• (7) Golden State Warriors vs. (8) Memphis Grizzlies (10 p.m. ET, TNT)
Streaming: Max, DirecTV and more
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more from the play-in tournament:
