NBA: Play-In Tournament Betting Details and Quick Previews

Play-In Tournament games set

Now that the final regular season games were played on Sunday, the matchups for the NBA Play-In Tournament this year are set. The Lakers, Pelicans, Warriors, Kings, Heat, 76ers, Hawks, and Bulls will play for the seventh and eighth spot in each conference. Betting markets were released for the games on most of the top NBA betting sites shortly after all of the games on Sunday finished.

THE BRACKET IS SET 🍿 pic.twitter.com/guxcNaGEFf
— NBA (@NBA) April 14, 2024

Lakers @ Pelicans April 16

The Los Angeles Lakers will play against the New Orleans Pelicans on April 16, the seventh seed and eighth seed in the west. The winner of this game will secure a spot in the playoffs and play against the number two seed in the conference. The Pelicans finished the regular season with a 49-33 record, and the Lakers finished with a 47-35 record.

The Lakers are the early betting favourites by a tiny margin. The Lakers have -115 odds to win the game on Bodog. The Pelicans are the underdogs at -105. The spread is one point, the Lakers at -1 and the Pelicans at +1. The over/under betting market is over/under 227.5 points. The Lakers won three of four games against the Pelicans during the regular season. LeBron James and Anthony Davis will play in this game. The Lakers won 11 of their last 14 games. The Pelicans have the better record, but LeBron James and Anthony Davis are still two of the best players in the league and should be the two best players on the court in this game.

Warriors @ Kings April 16

Last season these teams went all the way to game seven in the first round of the playoffs, with the Warriors winning the series 4-3 and taking game seven on the Kings’ home court. The final score was 120-100. As the nine and 10 seeds in the west, the loser of this game will be eliminated from playoff contention.

The Warriors are the early betting favourites. The Warriors have -120 odds to win the game. The Kings have even odds. The spread is one and a half points. The Warriors are at -1.5, the Kings at +1.5. The over/under betting market is over/under 226.5 points. Last year the Warriors proved they can beat the Kings in Sacramento when they need to. They split their four games this regular season. These teams have been going in opposite directions for the last few weeks of the season. The Warriors won the majority of their games down the stretch. The Kings struggled, going 4-7 to finish the regular season while the Warriors won 10 of their last 12 games.

Heat @ 76ers April 17

The Miami Heat will play the Philadelphia 76ers in Philadelphia. The 76ers are slight betting favourites heading in. The 76ers have -185 odds to win the game. The Heat have +160 odds to upset the 76ers. The spread is four and a half points. The Heat are at +4.5, the 76ers at -4.5. The over/under for the game is 207.5 points.

The 76ers were one of the top teams in the east before Joel Embiid’s surgery. Whether or not he is 100%, this should be a tough game for the 76ers because Embiid has only played in five games since January. Although he scored at least 29 points in four of those five games since returning. This should also be a tough game because the Heat have a lot of experience playing against Embiid and his team. The Heat defeated the 76ers 4-2 in the 2022 playoffs, and they have a ton of experience in big games.

Hawks @ Bulls April 17

Probably the least interesting of the play-in tournament games, the Atlanta Hawks will play the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls are -150 betting favourites. The Hawks are +130 underdogs. The spread is -3 for the Bulls and +3 for the Hawks. The over/under for the game is 218 points.

Both teams have had tough seasons. There were a lot of questions about whether or not one of these teams would trade away a star and start the rebuilding process. The Hawks and Bulls played the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament last season. The Hawks won, and the Bulls were sent home. Both teams have also been inconsistent this season, so this game might be a toss-up.