On Tuesday and Wednesday, talents like Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and De’Aaron Fox will compete for a spot in the NBA playoffs during the play-in round.
The key Eastern Conference clash pits Butler’s Miami Heat against Embiid’s Philadelphia 76ers.
James’ Los Angeles Lakers take on the New Orleans Pelicans, who they just defeated, in an attempt to knock the Pels out of the play-in spots.
On Tuesday, Curry and the Golden State Warriors will square off against Fox and the Sacramento Kings in an effort to save their individual seasons.
Even the East matchup between the No. 9 and No. 10 seeds, which has Trae Young’s Atlanta Hawks hosting DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls, has some star power.
The victors of the Heat-Sixers and Lakers-Pelicans games get the seventh seed in their respective conferences and get to play in the postseason. For the No. 8 seeds on Friday, the losers of those contests take against the victors of the Hawks-Bulls and Warriors-Kings games.
Play-in Round Odds:
April 16, a Tuesday
New Orleans at Los Angeles Lakers (-1) (Over/Under 225.5) (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
Sacramento (O/U: 225) vs. Golden State (-2) (10 p.m. ET, TNT)
April 17, Wednesday
Miami vs. Philadelphia (-4.5) (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) (O/U: 207.5)
Atlanta vs. Chicago (-3) (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) (O/U: 218.5)
Eastern Conference:
The play-in round’s biggest betting favorite is Philadelphia.
With an eight-game winning streak that began when Embiid returned, the Sixers have the longest winning streak in the NBA.
On April 4, one of those victories came against the Heat. The Heat and Sixers split the regular-season series as the Sixers prevailed in their last two encounters.
Butler makes Miami a formidable opponent in an elimination game, but the team’s whole roster has struggled with injuries for the most of the year. Butler could play brilliantly, but the Heat won’t be able to match Embiid and Tyrese Maxey’s scoring output if his surrounding group remains ineffective.
It might be preferable for the Heat to defeat the Bulls or Hawks on Friday in order to secure a postseason berth.
Miami’s regular season records were 2-2 against Chicago and 3-1 against Atlanta. Erik Spoelstra’s tenure as Heat’s head coach and home-court advantage may make a difference on Friday.
The defense in Atlanta is the issue; they let up 120.1 points per game. Out of the playoff qualifiers and play-in players, only the Indiana Pacers allowed up more points per game.
Chicago can at least secure a ticket to Miami by taking advantage of Atlanta’s weak defense and holding the defensive advantage, but stopping Butler in an elimination game is a difficult challenge, particularly while playing on the road.
Western Conference:
On the road, the Lakers and Warriors both started as slight favorites.
Considering the star power on both squads and the belief that James and Curry can lead their respective teams to victory, that is not a great surprise.
Since the play-in round’s establishment in 2021, the Lakers and Warriors have participated in it, which should help them be ready for what is ahead.
Following their victory against the Pelicans on Sunday, which secured their play-in game for Tuesday, the Lakers should be filled with confidence. In four meetings during the regular season, they triumphed three times over New Orleans.
Sacramento is a team that Golden State only defeated 2-3 against, hence that game should have the highest points of any play-in game. In terms of scoring defense, both clubs are ranked in the lower half of the NBA.
Curry, the greatest player on the court for the Warriors, has the potential to make all the difference against a squad he is well-acquainted with. However, Golden State will need to make up for a significant deficit on the glass vs Domantas Sabonis.
As the Denver Nuggets, the second-seeded team, await the outcome of the Lakers-Pelicans game, there is also some strategy engaged in the West.
Of course, the Lakers and Pelicans would prefer to play in the postseason on Tuesday, but given the Minnesota Timberwolves’ lack of playoff experience in comparison to the defending NBA champion Nuggets, scheduling a matchup with the Wolves if they lose and earn a home game on Friday might not be the worst thing.
