NBA Playoffs Betting Lines: Play-In Tournament Hunt

2 Week left of Regular Season: Who’s In, Who’s out, and Who’s on the Hunt for the NBA Play-In Tournament

MyBookie NBA Playoffs 2024 | NBA Money Line Today

We are now very much in the homestretch in the NBA regular season, but even as we head into the final couple of weeks, there is still a lot to be decided. Yes, we essentially know which teams are in and out at this point, but there is still the matter of the final seedings to be taken care of, as well as figuring out who will be in the play-in ahead of the actual playoffs. If you haven’t been following the NBA for the past few seasons, you might not be aware of the current postseason format. Simply put, the top 6 teams in each conference get an automatic berth, while the next 4 in the East and West go into the play-in tournament, with 2 teams from each conference moving into the final 8. The reward for those teams is a matchup in Round 1 against seeds 1 and 2, so it may end up being a rather short-lived foray into the playoffs proper. With all that in mind, let’s look at how things currently stand with both conferences.

Eastern Conference

Before we get to the play-in portion of this piece, it might not be a bad idea to look at how things are going above the cut line. The Boston Celtics have basically run away with the #1 seed and now have a 12-game lead at the top. They are the team to beat this season, and you have to wonder who might challenge them in the East. The Bucks are sitting 2nd, but they are highly inconsistent, while the Cavaliers are 3rd, but also winners of just 4 games in their last 10. The Orlando Magic and New York Knicks are both a game and a half out of 3rd, with the Indiana Pacers sitting a game and a half back of those two.

This brings us to the play-in zone, and with the way things look at the moment, we might yet see some changes to the final standings. The Miami Heat are currently sitting in the #7 spot, but they are also just a half game back of the Pacers for the final automatic berth. The Heat have won 3 in a row and 7 of their last 10, so they could eventually move up.

The 76ers are once again showing some signs of life after winning back-to-back games, but they are also still a game and a half back of the surging Heat. The Bulls are in the #9 spot and will be in the play-in, but it will be as the #9 or #10 seed, as they are 5 games back of the 76ers. It looks increasingly as though the Atlanta Hawks will also be in that part of the play-in, as they are now 6 ½ games up on the Brooklyn Nets, the only other team with a shot at getting in, slim as that shot may be.

In short, the top 10 teams in the Eastern Conference appear to be set in stone, although where they will all finally land remains to be seen. The battle for that #6 seed is going to be fun to watch as we head into the final batch of games.

NBA Eastern Conference Odds

Boston Celtics -130
Milwaukee Bucks +300
Philadelphia 76ers +1200
Cleveland Cavaliers +1300
New York Knicks +1400
Miami Heat +1500
Indiana Pacers +6000
Orlando Magic +7000
Atlanta Hawks +30000
Chicago Bulls +30000

Find all Eastern Conference betting odds to Win
NBA Online Betting | Week 24

Western Conference

Once again, let’s start with a look at the top 6 in the Western Conference before we dive into the play-in zone. Unlike the East, where things are all tied up in a neat little bow at the top of the standings, we have an amazing race going on for the #1 seed in the West. Right now, it is the defending champion Denver Nuggets who have the top spot, but it’s about as tight as it gets, with both the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Oklahoma City Thunder sitting just a half game out of the lead. Those 3 teams are officially in, but how they end up seeded is anyone’s guess at this stage of the proceedings.

The Los Angeles Clippers are down in the #4 spot and on a little bit of an island. They are 5 games back of the top 3, which is a gap that they are not going to be able to bridge, whilst being 2 games up on the teams sitting behind them. The #4 seed looks the most likely landing spot for the Clippers, assuming they don’t fall apart coming down the stretch. The Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans are in the #5 and #6 spots, 2 games back of the Clippers, but they are not safe in those spots by any stretch of the imagination.

We could yet see some changes to the top 6 before we get to the start of the playoffs, as things are incredibly tight down by the cut line. The Sacramento Kings are on the move after winning 2 in a row and are now just a game back of the #6 seed. The Phoenix Suns are in the #8 spot, but they are tied with the Kings and also in with a shot at working their way into one of the automatic playoff berths. That is going to be a race to keep an eye on.

The Los Angeles Lakers appear to be finishing strong, winning back-to-back games and 7 of their last 10 to take control of the #9 seed. They are a game and a half back of the 2 teams directly above them, so they will have their work cut out to move up and out of the play-in zone. The Golden State Warriors are in possession of the #10 seed, sitting a game and a half back of the Lakers. They too are playing well, winning 7 of their last 10. The Warriors are now 3 games up on the Houston Rockets, the only other team with a shot at moving into the play-in zone, which is starting to look increasingly unlikely.