- The 2025 NBA Play-In Tournament is set in the East while the West is coming down to the final hours of the regular season
- The Magic are sizable favorites over the Hawks to get the #7 seed in the Eastern Conference
- Below, see the 2025 NBA Play-In Tournament odds and matchups as they’re posted
The 2025 NBA Play-In Tournament will start with the 7-vs-8 games in both the East and West on Tuesday, April 15, with the winners claiming the #7 seed in each conference. The 9-vs-10 games follow on Wednesday, April 16, with the winners face the losers of Tuesday’s games for the eighth and final berth in the postseason. With the final day of the NBA regular season in the books, the Play-In Tournament matchups are cemented in the East, and nearly cemented in the West. The table below will list the opening odds for all four matchups on the board as they become available.
NBA Play-In Tournament Odds
The #7 seed in the East will have the unenviable task of facing the defending-champion #2 Boston Celtics in a best-of-seven first-round series. The #8 seed will play the #1 Cleveland Cavaliers. In the West, the #7 seed will have by far the easiest draw of all the potential play-in teams, drawing the #2 Houston Rockets. The #8 seed in the West will face the #1 OKC Thunder, who finished with the best record in the league during the regular season.
Odds as of 2:43 pm ET at DraftKings. Check out SBD’s DraftKings review to see the latest info on promos and bonus codes.
The final seedings in the West won’t be determined until after the final slate of games on Sunday, which commence at 3:30 pm ET. The Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, and Dallas Mavericks are locked into 8, 9, and 10 seeds in the West Play-In Tournament (though not necessarily in that order), while the #7 seed could still be any of the Denver Nuggets, LA Clippers, Golden State Warriors, or Minnesota Timberwolves.
Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors (+1400) have the best NBA Championship odds of the teams that could wind up in the Play-In Tournament, followed closely by Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets (+1600).
Hawks vs Magic Spread, Moneyline & Total
The Orlando Magic (41-40, 22-19 home, 40-40-1 ATS) have opened as five-point home favorites over the Atlanta Hawks (39-42, 19-22 away, 40-41 ATS) in the 7-vs-8 matchup in the East. Orlando’s -205 moneyline price gives the Magic a 67.21% implied win probability. Atlanta’s +170 ML odds equal a 37.04 implied win probability. The over/under is sitting at 218.5.
This game will be almost the biggest contrast in styles the NBA has to offer: the Hawks are third in the NBA in pace (103.46) while the Magic play at literally the slowest tempo in the entire association (96.48).
Orlando was one of the teams worst hit by the injury bug this season. Leading scorer Paolo Banchero (25.9 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 4.8 APG) was limited to 46 games while second-leading scorer Franz Wager (24.2 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 4.7 APG) played 60. On top of that, point guard Jalen Suggs (16.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.7 APG) and forward Mo Wagner (12.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG) were lost to season-ending injuries after playing just 30 and 35 games, respectively.
The good news for head coach Jamahl Mosley is that both Banchero and Franz Wagner should be good to go for the Play-In Tournament. Both sat out Orlando’s final two games of the regular season with “knee” injuries, but that was more for rest/as a precaution than it was for actual ailments.
Excluding their meeting today – when both teams were resting the bulk of their starters – Orlando won two of three against Atlanta in the regular season; the Hawks took the first meeting (112-106) in Orlando on Feb. 10 but the Magic returned the favor with a 114-108 win in ATL ten days later. In their most-recent meeting, Orlando won 119-112 at home on April 8, led by a game-high 33 points and 10 rebounds from Banchero.
Heat vs Bulls Spread, Game Total & Moneyline Odds
In the 9-vs-10 matchup in the East, the Chicago Bulls (38-43, 18-23 home, 42-37-2 ATS) are listed as one-point home favorites over the Miami Heat (37-44, 17-23 away, 38-42-1 ATS). The game is a near-pick’em on the moneyline with Chicago at -115 (53.49% implied win probability) and Miami a slight -105 road underdog (51.22%).
The Bulls went 3-0 against the Heat in the regular season, winning 133-124 at home on Feb. 4, 114-109 away on March 8, and most-recently 119-111 at home on April 9. Josh Giddey (14.6 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 7.2 APG) led Chicago in scoring in all three wins. Importantly, all three victories came after Bulls leading scorer Zach Lavine was traded to Sacramento. The latter two came after Miami traded Jimmy Butler to the Warriors for Andrew Wiggins (19.0 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.3 APG), Kyle Anderson (6.8 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.5 APG), and a first-round pick.
This is a game where I expect a decent amount of line movement prior to tip-off. The Bulls regular-season success against Miami won’t be lost on the public, who tend to love home favorites in the NBA public betting splits. If you want to bet Chicago, do it sooner rather than later. If you’re backing the Heat, you’re likely to get a better number closer to tip-off.
The NBA Play-In Tournament is set to kick off with two exciting matchups: the Atlanta Hawks facing off against the Orlando Magic, and the Miami Heat taking on the Chicago Bulls. As fans gear up for these high-stakes games, many are turning to sports betting to add an extra layer of excitement to the action.
Let’s take a closer look at the odds and betting lines for each of these matchups:
Hawks vs Magic:
The Atlanta Hawks come into this game as the clear favorites, with odds of -200 to win. The Hawks have been on a hot streak lately, winning seven of their last ten games and securing the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. Led by star point guard Trae Young, the Hawks have a potent offense that can put up points in a hurry.
On the other hand, the Orlando Magic have struggled this season, finishing with a record of 21-51 and securing the 14th seed in the East. The Magic will need a strong performance from their young core of players, including Cole Anthony and Wendell Carter Jr., if they hope to pull off an upset.
As for the betting lines, the over/under for this game is set at 220 points. With both teams possessing high-powered offenses and suspect defenses, this game has the potential to be a high-scoring affair.
Heat vs Bulls:
In the second Play-In Tournament matchup, the Miami Heat are favored to come out on top against the Chicago Bulls. The Heat finished the regular season with a record of 40-32, securing the sixth seed in the East. Led by All-Star forward Jimmy Butler and sharpshooter Tyler Herro, the Heat have a balanced attack that can cause problems for any opponent.
The Chicago Bulls, on the other hand, finished with a record of 31-41 and secured the 11th seed in the East. Despite their struggles, the Bulls have a talented roster led by All-Star guard Zach LaVine and big man Nikola Vucevic. If the Bulls can get hot from beyond the arc and play solid defense, they could pull off an upset.
The over/under for this game is set at 215 points, reflecting the defensive prowess of both teams. The Heat and Bulls are known for their physical style of play and ability to slow down opponents’ offenses, so this game could be a low-scoring affair.
As fans eagerly await these Play-In Tournament matchups, sports bettors are analyzing the odds and betting lines to make their picks. Whether you’re backing the favorites or looking for an underdog to root for, these games are sure to provide plenty of excitement and drama on the court.
