ORLANDO — The Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks will face off Tuesday in a high-stakes play-in tournament matchup. The game at the Kia Center will tip off at 7:30 p.m. Eastern and will air on TNT.
Fans who’ve cut the cord on cable still have options to watch the game. The game will stream on DirecTV Stream (free trial) or Sling, which offers 50% off the first month for new customers.
The winner clinches the Eastern Conference’s No. 7 seed and a first-round date with the second-seeded Boston Celtics. The loser still has a shot at the postseason but will need to beat the winner of Bulls vs. Heat on Friday to earn the final playoff spot.
The two Southeast Division rivals split their season series 2-2, with each team grabbing a road win along the way. Atlanta finished just one game behind Orlando in the standings as the top two teams in a division that failed to produce a squad with more than 47 wins.
For the eighth-seeded Hawks, this is familiar territory. They’ve qualified for the play-in tournament in four straight seasons and advanced to the playoffs in both 2022 and 2023. No team has won more play-in games than Atlanta’s three, tied with the Lakers and Pelicans for the most in the event’s short history.
Orlando, meanwhile, is making its first-ever appearance in the play-in. After hovering below .500 deep into March, the Magic closed the regular season on a 9-3 run to finish at 41-41 and secure home-court advantage for Tuesday’s game.
Much of that late surge was fueled by Paolo Banchero, who averaged 28.2 points on 47.6% shooting over the final 12 games. The second-year All-Star missed extended time early in the season with a torn oblique, and Franz Wagner was sidelined for 20 straight games with the same injury. Now healthy, the Magic look like one of the East’s most dangerous wild cards.
The two teams met twice in the final week of the regular season, splitting the matchups. Banchero dropped 33 in a 119-112 Magic win last Tuesday that all but sealed the division crown. Five days later, with play-in spots already locked, Atlanta responded with a 117-105 road victory behind a balanced effort.
Trae Young was strong in the Hawks’ final stretch, averaging 30 points and 11.5 assists in back-to-back road wins that helped them hold off the Bulls for the eighth seed. While the regular-season series leaned toward offense — each team scored 105 or more in all four meetings — Young expects a different vibe under the playoff lights.
Here’s how you can watch:
What: Orlando Magic vs. Atlanta Hawks: NBA play-in tournament 2025
When: Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern
Where: Kia Center
Channel: TNT
Best Streaming Options: DirecTV Stream (free trial) or Sling (promotional offers)
Channel finder if you have cable: You can access the channel by using the channel finders online: Verizon Fios, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV and Dish.
