2017 NBA Playoff Race And How To Bet On It

With less than two weeks of action left in the regular season, NBA betting enthusiasts everywhere are gearing up for what looks like a thrilling postseason just waiting to happen. Before that happens though, there is still some significant money to be made by betting many of the teams involved in the playoff chases still taking place in both conferences.

So, what’s on the line over the next 10 days or so? Let’s find out right now, which teams are still jockeying for playoff position or simply to keep their postseason hopes alive.

Here’s A Closer Look At The 2017 NBA Playoff Race And How To Bet On It

Eastern Conference

Race for No. 1 Celtics vs. Cavaliers

Just two weeks ago, the Cleveland Cavaliers (49-27) looked like virtual locks to win the Eastern Conference (again), but things have changed quite drastically for the Cavs since then and now trail the conference-leading Boston Celtics(50-27) by a half-game as they get set for their huge clash in Beantown on Wednesday night. The Celtics are openly saying they want to win the Eastern Conference, but James and company won’t go down easily – if at all.

Race for No. 3: Wizards vs. Raptors

The Raptors (47-30) are a full game ahead of the Wizards (46-31) in the race for third place in the Eastern Conference but Toronto owns the regular season series tiebreaker 2-1 if they should finished tied. Toronto faces a desperate Pacers team the next time out and an equally desperate Miami squad two games later before finishing up at home against Cleveland two games after that.

Washington has picked a bad time to drop three straight and got completely obliterated by Golden State on Sunday. The Wizards face desperate Miami in two of their final three regular season games.

Race for the Final Two Berths

Just three games currently separate fifth place Milwaukee and ninth place Indiana with 10 days to go and only five games separate fifth place from 11th place.

Okay, so the Hornets and Pistons are both long shots at this point, meaning the race for the final two playoff berths in the Eastern Conference will likely boil down to a five-team race between Milwaukee, Atlanta, Chicago, Miami and Indiana.

Milwaukee (40-37)

The Bucks play at the Thunder, Pacers, Sixers, before hosting the Hornets and finishing up on the road against the Celtics

Atlanta (39-38)

The Hawks have the toughest remaining schedule in this group with a home date against Boston, followed by a home-and-home series against Cleveland and a home date against Charlotte and a road matchup against Indiana.

Chicago (38-39)

The Bulls have the easiest path to the postseason with road games at New York, Philly and Brooklyn before finishing up at home against the Magic and Nets.

Miami (37-40)

The Heat have a tough way to go s they hit the road over their next three games to face Charlotte, Toronto  and Washington before finishing up at home against Cleveland and Washington.

Indiana (37-40)

The Pacers host Toronto on Tuesday night and Milwaukee on Thursday before hitting the road to face Orlando and Philadelphia and finishing up at home against the Hawks.

Charlotte (36-41)

The Hornets face an uphill battle to reach the playoffs as they hit the road to face Washington before coming home to host Miami and Boston and finishing up on the road at Milwaukee and Atlanta.



Detroit (35-42)

The Pistons also have a tough way to go as they host the Raptors before hitting the road to face Houston and Memphis. Detroit finishes up at home against Washington and on the road at Orlando.

Western Conference

Race for Last Place

The Denver Nuggets (36-40) are currently two games behind eighth place Portland (38-38) as they get set to hit the road to face New Orleans and Houston before coming back home to host the Pelicans and Thunder and finishing up at Dallas.

The Blazers have road games at Minnesota and Utah before finishing up with a trio of home dates against Minnesota, Utah and San Antonio.

Race for Fourth Place

Clippers vs. Jazz

Utah (47-30) has a tough final five games as they host Portland and Minnesota before hitting the road to face the T-Wolves and Warriors and finishing up at home against San Antonio.

The Clippers (47-31) host Dallas and hit the road to face the Spurs before finishing up with a pair of home dates against the Rockets and Kings.

Saturday’s Playoff Clinching Scenarios

Dallas is eliminated after Portland defeated Phoenix Saturday.

Minnesota is eliminated after losing to Sacramento and after Portland defeated Phoenix Saturday.

NBA Tie-Breaker Rules

In the event two or more teams are tied in the standings, a series of tiebreakers are applied to determine which team receives the higher seeding.

Two-Team Tiebreaker

1. Better record in head-to-head games
2. Division winner (this criterion is applied regardless of whether the tied teams are in the same division)
3. Higher winning percentage within division (if teams are in the same division)
4. Higher winning percentage in conference games
5. Higher winning percentage against playoff teams in own conference
6. Higher winning percentage against playoff teams in opposite conference
7. Higher point differential between points scored and points allowed

Three-Team Tiebreaker

1. Division winner (this criterion is applied regardless of whether the tied teams are in the same division)
2. Best head-to-head winning percentage among all teams tied
3. Highest winning percentage within division (if teams are in the same division)
4. Highest winning percentage in conference games
5. Highest winning percentage against playoff teams in own conference
6. Highest point differential between points scored and points allowed