Following the conclusion of the 2024-25 NBA regular season on April 13, the play-in tournament will commence, starting on April 15 and ending on April 18, one day before the first round of the playoffs.
Initially implemented during the 2020-21 NBA season, the play-in tournament expanded the NBA's postseason field to 20 teams (10 from each conference). The top six teams from each conference automatically qualify for the playoffs, while the 7-seeds through 10-seeds compete in the play-in tournament for a chance to extend their seasons.
Every season since the play-in was first implemented, the race to the postseason has become even tighter.