2024 NBA Play-In Tournament: How to watch, odds, and more

The 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament will tip off Tuesday, April 16, and go through Friday, April 19, to determine final seeding ahead of the NBA Playoffs.

The teams with the seventh- through 10th-highest win percentages in both the Eastern and Western Conferences will compete in the four-day tournament, and two teams per conference will earn the final two playoff seeds.

Below YouBet provides everything you need to know ahead of the NBA Play-In Tournament, including the schedule, odds, bracket, and more.

How to watch the NBA Play-In Tournament

Tuesday night's games feature a double-header in the West. The seventh-seeded New Orleans Pelicans (49-33) face the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers (47-35) at 7:30 p.m. ET before the ninth-seeded Sacramento Kings (46-36) clash with the 10th-seeded Golden State Warriors (46-36) at 10 p.m. ET. Both games will be televised on TNT.

On Wednesday, the East takes center stage, as the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers (47-35) confront the eighth-seeded Miami Heat (46-36) at 7 p.m. ET. Later in the evening, the ninth-seeded Chicago Bulls (39-43) go head to head with the 10th-seeded Atlanta Hawks (36-46) at 9:30 p.m. ET. Wednesday's games will air on ESPN.

What is the Play-In Tournament format?

The winners of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 seed games will secure the seventh seed in the NBA Playoffs. The loser of those games will get another chance to earn a playoff spot and will host the winners of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 seed games. The winners of these subsequent matchups will receive the No. 8 seed in the NBA Playoffs, and the losers go home.

The loser of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 seed games are also eliminated from the postseason.

Which teams already made the 2024 NBA Playoffs?

The Boston Celtics (64-18) and the Oklahoma City Thunder (57-25) earned the No. 1 seed in the East and West, respectively. They will each face the No. 8 seed in the first round of the playoffs.

The reigning NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets (57-25), received the No. 2 seed in the West, while the New York Knicks (50-32) are the No. 2 seed in the East. Both will get a first-round matchup with the No. 7 seed in their respective conferences.

The other four teams who are guaranteed a spot in the NBA Playoffs in the East are the No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks (49-33), the No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers (48-34), the No. 5 Orlando Magic (47-35), and the No. 6 Indiana Pacers (47-35).

In the West, the third through sixth seeds are, in order, the Minnesota Timberwolves (56-26), Los Angeles Clippers (51-31), Dallas Mavericks (50-32), and Phoenix Suns (49-33).

Who is favored to win the NBA championship? 

The Boston Celtics (+160) are the favorite to win the 2024 NBA title, followed by last year's champ, Denver (+280). The Celtics are tied with the Lakers for the most NBA titles in history (17) and most recently appeared in the NBA Finals in 2022, when they lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games. The Nuggets won their lone appearance to date in the 2023 Finals.

While the Warriors are a longshot (+8000) to claim the franchise's eighth title, Golden State has appeared in more NBA Finals than any other team dating back to 2015. Steve Kerr's squad had a run of five straight appearances from 2015-2019 and returned to the championship series in 2022, winning for the fourth time in seven years.

Below is a full list of the 2024 NBA championship odds.

When does the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs start?

The first round of the NBA Playoffs will tip off Saturday, April 20, with the Magic vs. the Cavaliers (-4.5) and the Suns vs. the Timberwolves (-1.5). The Knicks will also play the No. 7 seed in the East, and the Nuggets will host the No. 7 seed in the West. Game times and broadcast information to be determined.

On Sunday, the Bucks get a home date with the Pacers (-1), and the Clippers (-1.5) host the Mavs. The Celtics will also kick off their postseason with a matchup with the No. 8 seed in the East, and the Thunder welcome the No. 8 seed in the West. Game times and broadcast information are also yet to be determined.

Remainder of the 2024 NBA Playoff schedule

May 6-7: conference semifinals (could begin May 4-5)
May 21-22: conference finals (could begin May 19-20)
June 6: 2024 NBA Finals, Game 1
June 9: 2024 NBA Finals, Game 2
June 12: 2024 NBA Finals, Game 3
June 14: 2024 NBA Finals, Game 4
June 17: 2024 NBA Finals, Game 5 (if necessary)
June 20: June 17: 2024 NBA Finals, Game 6 (if necessary)
June 23: June 17: 2024 NBA Finals, Game 7 (if necessary)