All good things must come to an end. The 2023-24 NBA regular season has ended, and what a season it was. Thankfully, we have the postseason to continue the fun. I have curated the best NBA bets for the play-in tournament. This will be a two-part series. The first article in this series will focus on the Western Conference.
Best NBA Bets For The West Play-in Tournament
Kings vs Warriors
7:30 PM EST
New Orleans, LA
Smoothie King Center
This is a play-in tournament game between the 7th and 8th seeds. The winner here will play against the Denver Nuggets, who finished the season as the second seed. Fortunately, for the losing team, they will get a second chance at playing in this year’s playoffs. They will face the winner of the 9th/10th team play-in game for the right to be the eighth seed.
Injury Report
Missing tonight
Jarred Vanderbilt (foot)
Christian Wood (knee)
Questionable
Anthony Davis (Back)
Probable
LeBron James (Ankle)
Pick: Lakers ML (+100)
This will be the fifth meeting of the season between both ball clubs. The Lakers lead the season series 3-1. The most recent encounter between both teams happened just two days ago. The Lakers pulled off a 16-point win in New Orleans to set up this game. This current core of the Lakers’ roster is undefeated in single-elimination games. They went undefeated en route to the In-season Tournament title. Last year they also won their 7th/8th play-in game albeit as the 7th seed.
The Lakers are experienced in playoff-like games, and when the lights shine brightest, they step up. A huge reason for this is the elite duo of LeBron and Davis. They are going to be the best players on the court. While Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram are borderline all-stars, they are no LeBron and AD. Zion is untested in the playoffs. That matters in high-pressure situations like a play-in game. As long as LeBron and Davis suit up to play which is very likely considering the importance of this game the Lakers should win based on this elite experience.
We have an idea about how both teams will fare in tight, high-pressure situations. In the clutch, the Lakers have the best record in the NBA, posting a win percentage of 72.7 (24-9 record). In contrast, the Pelicans have a win percentage of 48.3 and a 14-15 record. Both teams head into this game in good form. The Pelicans have won four of their previous five, while the Lakers have won 11 of their last 14. On a closer look at previous results, the Lakers have the advantage momentum-wise. The Pelicans have lost five straight games at home. The Lakers have won five games in a row on the road.
Sacramento Kings vs Golden State Warriors
10 PM EST
Sacramento, CA
Golden 1 Center
Injury Report
Missing tonight
Malik Monk (Knee)
Kevin Huerter (Shoulder)
Gary Payton II (Calf)
Pick: Warriors -2.5 (-110)
This will be the fifth meeting of the season for these division rivals. Both teams have exchanged two-win streaks to have a 2-2 tie in the season series. Something’s got to give. The most recent encounter ended in a close one-point win for the Kings. The Kings have struggled for consistency in the absence of Malik Monk. Their bench just doesn’t score enough. Davion Mitchell has failed to seize the opportunity to be a big role player for the Kings. This tie has been a tight affair all season with three games ending with exactly one-point margins. Both teams have finished with a similar win percentage in the clutch (51.3 for the Kings and 50.0 for the Warriors).
As mentioned earlier, Monk has been a huge lose for the Kings. Since March 29th when he got injured, they have scored more than 107 points five times in 10 games, winning just four games. Three of those wins came against the Jazz, Nets, Trailblazers, and a Kawhi Leonard-less Clippers. Not a murderer’s row. The Warriors have been scary in flashes, and I think they could hand the Kings a heavy beat down. They have a strong bench now that almost everyone is healthy. Stephen Curry is still a matchup nightmare. They have been strong on the road all year. Over the last two months, they have lost just four of 18 road games. Back the Warriors to be in the play-in final.
These are my best NBA bets for the West play-in tournament. Let’s repeat some recent successes.
Good luck with your bets.
Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of approximately 04:00 p.m. EST on April 16. These are for entertainment purposes only and by no means a guarantee. Wager responsibly.
