2023 NBA Play-In Tournament Odds and Predictions

On Tuesday, April 11, the 2022-23 NBA Play-In Tournament officially gets under way as each conference’s No. 7 team in the standings will host the No. 8 team. The following day, each conference’s No. 9 team will host the No. 10 team in the standings.

The first round of the 2022-23 NBA Playoffs will tip off on Saturday, April 15, after the Play-In tournament has concluded and the two remaining Playoff seeds for each conference have been decided.

If this is confusing, don’t worry because we’re breaking down everything you need to know about this year’s Play-In tournament and which bets to make at the best online NBA betting sites.

What Is The NBA Play-In Tournament?

The NBA Play-In Tournament is a postseason event that takes place following the regular season schedule and before the official start of the NBA Playoffs.

Ultimately, the Play-In Tournament determines the 7th and 8th Playoff seeds in the Eastern and Western Conferences. The No. 7 to No. 10 seeds in each conference’s standings will duke it out in a mini-tournament for the final two spots in the Playoffs.

The Play-In Tournament was designed to curb the amount of tanking that goes on in the NBA. Now, 10 of each conference’s 15 teams have a realistic shot of making the postseason due to the Play-In Tournament.

NBA Play-In Tournament Schedule

Tuesday, April 11:

• 7:30 p.m. EST – (No. 8) Atlanta Hawks vs. (No. 7) Miami Heat
• 10:00 p.m. EST – (No. 8) Minnesota Timberwolves vs. (No. 7) Los Angeles Lakers

Wednesday, April 12:

• 7:00 p.m. EST – (No. 10) Chicago Bulls vs. Toronto Raptors (No. 9)
• 9:30 p.m. EST – (No. 10) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. New Orleans Pelicans (No. 9)

On Friday, April 14, the bracket for the 2023 NBA Playoffs will be set after the two losers of the No. 8 vs. No. 7 matchups face the two winners of the No. 10 vs. No. 9 matchups.

The winners of the No. 8 vs. No 7 Play-In games will receive an automatic invite to the NBA postseason as the 7^th Playoff seed of their respective conference. The losers will move on to Friday’s showdown for the final Playoff spot. 

They (No. 7 vs No. 8 loser) will play against the winner of the No. 10 vs. No. 9 Play-In games for the 8^th Playoff seed of their respective conference. There are no second chances for the squads that lose the No. 10 vs. No. 9 Play-In games¹.

2022-23 NBA Play-In Odds

The NBA Play-In odds for the first four games are on the board at Bovada. You can bet on the spread, moneyline, and total for every Play-In Tournament showdown.

Along with NBA Play-In odds, Bovada has NBA Playoffs series odds and prop bets for the first round. Additionally, there are NBA Finals futures odds available for wagering. In short, there are a variety of NBA bets that can be made on the 2023 NBA Playoffs.

(No. 8) Atlanta Hawks vs. (No. 7) Miami Heat

After leading the Eastern Conference last season, the Heat finished 7th with a record of 44-38. They were a game behind the Brooklyn Nets for a guaranteed spot in the playoffs².

A trip to the Play-In Tournament is not how Pat Riley envisioned this season going. Acquiring Kyle Lowry has not panned out how the Heat expected.

Lowry is 37 years old and spent years playing physical basketball with the Raptors. The Heat bought a false bill of goods.

Despite their shortcomings this season, the Heat are not a squad that anyone wants to see.

Miami positioned themselves as one of the best defenses this season. They’re second in the NBA with 109.8 points allowed per game.

Nothing has changed from recent seasons in this regard. However, the offense has been a major letdown in 2022-23. The Heat are dead last in the league as they score 109.5 points allowed per game.

It is partially by design, as the Heat like to play at a snail’s pace. They are 29th in the league in pace per game³.

Tuesday night’s play-in game time is set – 7:30pm 📺 TNT

You’ll want to be in the building for this one! Get your tickets now 🎟 https://t.co/UR1lGBEo3n pic.twitter.com/VJV6gH1mzl

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) April 9, 2023

Hawks vs. Heat NBA Play-In Prediction

Fortunately, the Heat are at home in the Play-In Tournament. This has been a much better team at home than on the road. The Heat are 27-14 at home as opposed to a record of 17-24 on the road⁴.

The Hawks had a mediocre campaign at 41-41 in the regular season. If you want the opposite of the Heat, you have it with the Hawks.

They are second in scoring at118.5 points per game, but they’re allowing 118.1 points per game for 25th in the league⁵. There are plenty of scorers on this roster.

Nevertheless, Trae Young and Dejounte Murray aren’t going far in the postseason without a stiff defense. Expect the Heat to advance to the 2023 NBA Playoffs with a 116-108 victory.

(No. 8) Minnesota Timberwolves vs. (No. 7) Los Angeles Lakers

In 2022, the Lakers completely missed out on the Play-In Tournament and Playoffs. It was a horrific year that Lakers fans want to forget.  

While this season was filled with many ups and downs, the Lakers appear to be reaching their full potential as they head into the Play-In tournament with a 43-39 regular season record.

The Lakers have won six of their last seven games including defeating the Utah Jazz by a score of 128-117 on Sunday⁶.

When LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and D’Angelo Russell are healthy, the Lakers can be a really good team. However, staying healthy has been a recurring problem for this team.

In any event, the Lakers will have their starting core together against the Timberwolves. The Lakers finished in the Top 10 in scoring at more than 117 points per game.

They liked to push the pace with LeBron this season and it worked for the offense. The Lakers were third in offensive pace and will look to get out and run on Tuesday⁷.

Unfortunately, there is a flip side to running the floor. Los Angeles didn’t get back on defense consistently. The Lakers gave up 116.5 points per game, which was 19th in the league⁸.

Los Angeles is just 2-7 in their last nine attempts against the Timberwolves⁹. This hasn’t been a team that they’ve matched up exceptionally well against in the past.

Minnesota was expected to be a sleeper contender in the Western Conference this season. An eighth seed and a trip to the Play-In Tournament weren’t in the plans.

The Lakers are in the Play-In Tournament for the second time in three years 👀 pic.twitter.com/7gsLzJyElq

— ESPN (@espn) April 9, 2023

Timberwolves vs. Lakers Play-In Prediction

This should be a fun matchup between teams with similar styles. The Lakers like to push the pace and the same applies to the Timberwolves.

Minnesota is sixth in pace this season, which is only three positions behind the Lakers. Overall, the Timberwolves are 12th in scoring at 116 points per game. Similar to the Lakers, their defense was below average as they allowed 116 points points per contest¹⁰.

Are the Lakers really 7 points better than the Timberwolves? The incident between Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson might have something to do with the 6.5-point spread.

Despite that, there isn’t a lot that separates the Timberwolves and Lakers. Los Angeles should advance, but laying 6.5 points isn’t the best value at the top sports betting sites.

(No. 10) Chicago Bulls vs. (No. 9) Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors might be in the midst of head coaching drama, but they are in the Play-In Tournament as a No. 9 seed. Nick Nurse is likely on the way out following this season as the front office expected more out of this team in 2022-23.

The Ime Udoka watch is already on while the Raptors are still competing for a postseason spot. In fact, BetUS has a prop bet on Udoka going to the Raptors. It could be a wise NBA betting strategy to wager on Udoka going to the Raptors before the team is eliminated and Nurse is fired.

Despite Nurse not getting the most out of this roster, it isn’t the most well-constructed unit. There is talent, but everything seems rather disjointed most of the time. Iso ball is the offensive philosophy Toronto.

When the iso works, the team looks great. Unfortunately, when the offense isn’t fluid, the Raptors look incredibly sluggish and prone to droughts. They do not move the ball nearly as well as their championship team in 2019.

The Raptors will look to limit the Bulls’ opportunities with their defense. Coach Nurse’s system is not as effective as it once was in the past. Teams are figuring it out, but the Raptors are still capable of playing effective defense.

Toronto is a Top 5 defense with 111.5 points allowed per game. The Raptors are 23rd with 112.8 points scored per game¹¹.

DeMar DeRozan today:
31 PTS – 5 REB – 7 AST

Zach LaVine today:
36 PTS – 3 REB – 9 AST

W. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/0rISicgTzk

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 2, 2023

Bulls vs. Raptors Play-In Prediction

The Bulls are seventh in the NBA with an average of 112.2 points allowed per game. The offense has been a touch more efficient than the Raptors. They’ve notched 113.2 points per game going into the postseason¹².

DeMar DeRozan should be plenty motivated going back to Toronto. In a must-win game, expect Derozan and Zach LaVine to show up. The Raptors’ NBA Play-In odds at -185 look too pricey.

The Raptors are already thinking about a new head coach while they still have basketball to play. If the Bulls can frustrate the Raptors early, do not expect a strong response from the home team.

Consider backing the Bulls to cover 4.5 points on the road.

(No. 10) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (No. 9) New Orleans Pelicans

The Oklahoma City Thunder head to New Orleans for their first postseason game since the 2019-2020 season.

A No. 10 seed with a 40-42 record doesn’t look like much, but there is reason to be optimistic about the future. There is young talent galore and the Thunder have a stockpile of draft picks because of their business deals with the Clippers.

They are not ready to compete against the top teams in the league, but in a few years from now this squad could be a Western Conference powerhouse.  

Currently, the Thunder are led by a talented duo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey. These rising stars are capable of taking over a game and could very well do it against this Pelicans squad.

The Thunder are one of the most dynamic offenses in the NBA. They are fifth in points per game and offensive pace this season¹³.In a pure offensive showdown, the Thunder have the workhorses to run down the Pelicans.

The Pelicans are 15th in scoring and pace per game. That being said, the Pelicans are fifth with a defensive rating of 112.6¹⁴.

Most 30-Point Games this season:
45 – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
44 – Joel Embid
44 – Luka Doncic
42 – Jayson Tatum
39 -Giannis Antetokounmpo pic.twitter.com/l7IGTadomy

— Thunder Nation (@ThunderNationCP) April 10, 2023

Thunder vs. Pelicans Play-In Prediction

For the 42-40 Pelicans, the Play-In Tournament is going to come down to which team shows up. This team has looked tremendous at times, but have also fallen flat in other outings.

Zion Williamson is unlikely to be available on Wednesday evening. The Pelicans have proven that they can win without Zion, but the team would be scarier if they had their talented superstar.  

It is tough to count Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey out of this matchup. They have something to prove and so does the rest of OKC. Taking the Thunder at +5 points is one of our favorite NBA picks for the Play-In Tournament as there is plenty of value.