NBA Play-In Tournament Predictions, Odds and Best Bets Today from Betway Insider USA

The next time we see the ball go up for an opening tip will be Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. when the Lakers, coming off a dominant victory Sunday in New Orleans led by a triple-double from LeBron James, play the Pelicans at 7:30 p.m. EST. The winner advances to play the Denver Nuggets in the first round, and the loser will play Golden State or Sacramento on Friday night.

The Kings and Warriors play in the 9-10 game on Tuesday night in Sacramento, with the winner advancing to play the Pelicans-Lakers loser and the loser going home for the summer.

The Lakers are favored by 1.5 points against New Orleans, and the Warriors are favored by 2.5 points in Sacramento.

In the East, the Sixers are favored by 4.5 points against Miami, and the Bulls are favored by 3.5 points against Atlanta.

The thinking here is that the Lakers are the team most likely to follow the path paved by the Heat a year ago, and there is an argument to be made that they would be better off facing the No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder as a No. 8 seed than facing the reigning champion Nuggets as a No. 7 seed.

An important thing to remember before the NBA playoffs begin: One year ago, the Miami Heat lost at home to the Atlanta Hawks in the No. 7 vs. No. 8 play-in game. Two months later, they were competing in the NBA Finals.

We remind you of that particular historical blip on the basketball radar because we are about to enter the play-in round to set the 16-team field for this NBA playoffs, and it behooves everyone to remind themselves that what happens in April and what happens in June are entirely different things.

The Heat were prohibitive longshots to win the Eastern Conference coming out of that loss to the Hawks, but we all remember what happened next: They defeated Chicago to get the No. 8 seed, defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, the New York Knicks in the second round and the Boston Celtics in 7 games in the Eastern Conference finals to reach the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets.

The 2024 play-in round games are now set, with Atlanta visiting Chicago on Wednesday in the 9-10 game and the Heat visiting the Philadelphia 76ers in the 7-8 game in the East. Out West, the Lakers visit the Pelicans in the 7-8 game Tuesday and the Golden State Warriors visit the Sacramento Kings in the 9-10 game.

We have two months to go before we know who emerges as the champion, and if you like someone to do the same thing that Miami did a year ago, there are wagering opportunities on the Betway Board:

Odds to win the Eastern Conference:

Boston Celtics -181
Milwaukee Bucks +550
Philadelphia 76ers: +700
Miami Heat: +1200
New York Knicks +1200
Cleveland Cavaliers +1400
Indiana Pacers: +5000
Orlando Magic: +6600
Chicago Bulls: +30000
Atlanta Hawks: +50000

Odds to win the Western Conference:

Denver Nuggets +130.
Los Angeles Clippers +600.
Oklahoma City Thunder +600.
Dallas Mavericks: +750
Minnesota Timberwolves +800
Phoenix Suns +900
Los Angeles Lakers +1400
New Orleans Pelicans +3500
Golden State Warriors +4000
Sacramento Kings +8000

NBA Play-In Tournament Bets

As mentioned above, the road to the final could be a whole lot easier for the Lakers if they lose to the Pelicans on Tuesday and then capture the No. 8 seed on Friday night. Since we never bet against LeBron James when it comes to making it to the championship podium, we believe his Lakers are the most likely team to follow the Heat’s lead and get to the NBA Finals out of the No. 8 seed. That means we like New Orleans on the money line at -110 in the first game Tuesday night, and Golden State on the moneyline in the second game at -130 to set up an epic elimination game Friday night between the Warriors and the Lakers.

In the East, the Bulls are head and shoulders better than the Hawks and should easily win the 9-10 game, so we like them on the moneyline at -150. In the other game, the Heat have their chemistry at a higher level than the Sixers, who have been playing the better part of the past six weeks without Joel Embiid, who was rested Sunday. Miami is a nice moneyline pick at +160.

If you wager just $25, you can qualify for $150 in bonus bets.

What is the NBA Play-In Tournament

The play-in tournament was added to the NBA landscape in 2020 to give teams that finished outside of the top 8 a second chance at competing for the title. The thinking when the play-in was adopted was that because one conference is often much deeper than the other on a year-in, year-out basis, the No. 9 and No. 10 teams should not be penalized for playing in a more competitive conference. The downside of the play-in is that it has reduced the importance of the regular season, as 20 of the 30 NBA teams qualify for some sort of postseason play, and only 10 are eliminated after the 82-game season. 

When is the NBA Play-In Tournament

The first two Western Conference play-in games will be held Tuesday, April 16, 2024, and the first two Eastern Conference games will be played Wednesday, April 17. The final two games to determine the final two playoff participants will be contested Friday, April 18, 2024.

NBA Play-In Tournament Format Explained

The No. 10 seed visits the No. 9 seed in each conference, with the winner advancing to a second play-in game and the loser being eliminated from the championship picture. The winners of the 9-10 games play the losers of the 7-8 games for the final two playoff spots.

NBA Play-In Tournament Schedule

Tuesday, April 16:

Los Angeles Lakers at New Orleans Pelicans, 7:30 p.m. EST.

Golden State Warriors at Sacramento Kings, 10 p.m. EST.

Wednesday, April 17:

Miami Heat at Philadelphia 76ers, 7 p.m. EST

Atlanta Hawks at Chicago Bulls, 9:30 p.m. EST

Friday, April 18

Warriors-Kings winner at Lakers-Pelicans loser, TBD.

Hawks-Bulls winner at Heat-76ers loser, TBD

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