Yahoo Sports · Apr 14, 2025
NBA play-in predictions: Which teams advance?
The NBA play-in game has added early and extra tension to a long playoffs season.
The Golden State Warriors went all in to acquire Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline and capitalize on a championship window with Steph Curry still playing at an All-NBA level.
But the Warriors need to win a play-in game just to get the seventh or eighth seed in the Western Conference. They play the Memphis Grizzlies, who on Feb. 6 were 35-16 and in second place. They fired their coach with a week left in the season and finished eighth with the same record as the Warriors (48-34), who were 25-25 on Feb. 6.
The pressure is palpable and the stakes are considerable.