Winners Club: Let the Play-In Tournament Begin
Each team in the NBA played its 82nd game on Sunday. It was a weird mixture of teams sitting starters with playoff positions already locked up, other teams sitting their starters with the postseason out of reach, and some teams going all out to improve their seeding—some successfully, some not.
The play-in tournament matchups are now set, as are the playoff matchups that aren't dependent on the outcome of the play-in games.
Play-In Preview
The NBA's second annual play-in tournament gets underway on Tuesday, and it will once again include some of the league's top stars. A year after featuring LeBron James and Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Paul George and Trae Young are all fighting for their playoff lives.
It's win-and-in for the seventh and eighth seeds in each conference—Brooklyn, Cleveland, Los Angeles and Minnesota. The loser of the seven-eight game gets another shot to punch their playoff ticket as the eighth seed when it faces the winner of the nine-ten game, a win-or-go-home game. Charlotte, Atlanta, New Orleans and San Antonio are all in the high-pressure nine and ten spots.
Seth Wenig/AP
Tuesday
7 p.m. ET (TNT): Cavaliers vs. Nets (-7.5)
9:30 p.m. (TNT): Clippers vs. Timberwolves (-2.5)
Wednesday
7 p.m. (ESPN): Hornets vs. Hawks (-4.5)
9:30 p.m. (ESPN): Spurs vs. Pelicans (-5.5)
The games for the eighth seed in each conference between the losers of Tuesday's games and the winners on Wednesday will take place Friday night.
Rohan Nadkarni singled out one big question that might decide how each matchup plays out.
- Will the Cavaliers defense be up for the challenge against the Nets' All-Star duo?
- Can Karl-Anthony Towns play big against the Clippers' small-ball lineups?
- Which team in the Hawks-Hornets game will be able to get a few stops?
- Do the Spurs have what it takes to limit C.J. McCollum and Brandon Ingram?
Read Nadkarni's full article for more on each big question and visit SI Betting later today for an in-depth play-in preview and look out for picks all week long.
We Talking About Playoffs?
Playoff seeding is set as well. The top two seeds in the Eastern and Western Conference must await the results of the play-in tournament to find out who they'll be playing, but the other four series are decided.
East
No. 1 Heat vs. No. 8 Seed
No. 2 Celtics vs. No. 7 Seed
No. 3 Bucks vs. No. 6 Bulls
No. 4 76ers vs. No. 5 Raptors
Lynne Sladky/AP
West
No. 1 Suns vs. No. 8 Seed
No. 2 Grizzlies vs. No. 7 Seed
No. 3 Warriors vs. No. 6 Nuggets
No. 4 Mavericks vs. No. 5 Jazz
The Suns (+125) and Bucks (+240) are the favorites to win their respective conferences for the second year in a row.
Phoenix and Milwaukee also have the best odds to win it all, per SI Sportsbook. Here's how the top contenders' futures odds shake out:
Suns +275
Bucks +500
Nets +700
Warriors +900
Heat +900
Rick Bowmer/AP
More NBA news:
Doncic Injures Calf in Season Finale: Mavs star Luka Doncic left Sunday's game against the Spurs early. There is optimism that the injury is not significant. The Dallas-Utah playoff series begins Saturday afternoon.
Matisse Thybulle Unable to Play in Toronto: The 76ers defensive standout is not fully vaccinated and will not be able to play in road games during Philadelphia's first-round series against the Raptors.
Murray, Porter Jr. Unlikely to Join Denver: The Nuggets will reportedly be without Nikola Jokic's fellow stars Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. for their postseason run. Murray has not played all season, and Porter Jr. played in just a handful of games.
Lakers to Part Ways with Coach Vogel: Los Angeles missed the playoffs entirely two seasons after winning the NBA championship, and coach Frank Vogel reportedly coached his final game on Sunday. The Lakers finished the season 33-49.
In Other News
Scottie Scheffler Aces his Masters Test: The top-ranked golfer in the world added a Masters win to his quickly growing resume after some drama on the 18th hole.
Remembering Dwayne Haskins: The 24-year-old Steelers quarterback and Ohio State star died Saturday morning after being hit by a car in South Florida. Albert Breer told the story of the young player's promising life.
Thanks for reading Winners Club. I'll talk to you again Wednesday morning.
