NBA Play-in Games to Bet On
After a long and grueling season, the National Basketball Association is headed to the fan-favorite play-in tournament to determine which four teams will join the official bracket for postseason play.
The most glaring omission from the festivities is the Los Angeles Lakers, once favored to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals but are now entering a longer-than-expected offseason. The Brooklyn Nets had a similar year of underachievement after they were penned to win the Eastern Conference, but their hopes remain alive as they only need to win one game in the play-in to make it into the official playoffs.
Here are the best bets for the first round of the play-in tournament.
See all our NBA Odds Here
Cleveland Cavaliers +8 vs Brooklyn Nets
This game has a chance to be the most interesting matchup in the entire play-in tournament despite the relatively lopsided betting odds. Cleveland will be playing without starters Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley but still has explosive offensive capabilities, most recently demonstrated during Kevin Love's historic 32-point, 10-rebound night against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Love set an NBA record for most points per minute by a player who was on the court for at least 15 minutes, as that's all it took him to post his ridiculous stat line. On the other side, Brooklyn relies heavily on two takeover players: Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Irving has been less efficient than most are accustomed to in recent weeks as his minutes have increased, whereas Durant has mostly been a model of consistency; these two will have to carry their team through the playoffs if they are going to make a run, given their porous defense, but they certainly have the individual talent to do so.
The Nets have also managed a few impressive comeback victories in recent weeks and have a solid chance of winning the game, but their struggles on defense should keep the Cavs hanging around.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Clippers o230
The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the most boom-or-bust outfits in the league; they have three potential 40-point scorers in D'Angelo Russell, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Anthony Edwards, though it is rare that all three are firing on all cylinders at the same time.
Minnesota does, however, tend to put points on the board and prioritizes the offensive ends to a much greater extent than the defensive side, which has led them into more shootouts than low-scoring thrillers. The Clippers have a ton of wing players that can shoot the three and push the ball in transition that complement leaders Paul George and Reggie Jackson.
This team comes and goes and relies heavily on momentum, but their reputation as the comeback kids should help keep the score high if they go down early; the final result, in terms of the moneyline, is a total 50/50 because of each sides' low-floor high-ceiling construction, but the over remains as a likely outcome.
Atlanta Hawks -4.5 vs Charlotte Hornets
The Atlanta Hawks took their fifth seed into the Eastern Conference Finals last season and are gearing up for what looks to be a similar run; they will have to get past Charlotte and then the loser of the Nets-Cavs game, but from there, they will be in line to face the Bam Adebayo-less Miami Heat.
Before that, though, All-Star Trae Young will have to continue his incredible run of form against Hornets PG LaMelo Ball. Young just became the second player in league history to lead in points and assists, so if someone is capable of completely taking over this game, it is him.
Charlotte had a great start to its campaign but has been deplorable defensively ever since and is far too inconsistent to earn the trust of bettors; now, that is not to say that they are not capable of taking down the Hawks, but they are simply too erratic to be a consistent bet.
Their path to victory will come from a hot start, meaning that much of the game's result will be known after the first 12 minutes of action.
New Orleans Pelicans vs San Antonio Spurs +5
The New Orleans Pelicans have the best player in this game— CJ McCollum— whose playoff experience could pay dividends for a team deprived of veterans and big-game players. However, they could be missing Brandon Ingram and, well, the overall experience that only McCollum provides.
On the other end, the Spurs are led by the most winning coach in league history, Gregg Popovich, whose wisdom alone should be enough to keep the game competitive, if not end with a Spurs victory.
San Antonio will also be pushed forward by the return of All-Star Dejounte Murray and could meet the loser of the Clippers and T'Wolves in the next round.
Derek Hudson
Derek is a long time sports bettor who grew up in Providence, RI. Derek is data driven and believes the key to betting the sportsbooks is finding an edge in analytics. Derek is happily married and has two young boys. Derek will bet on anything if you let him.
