Road to the NBA Finals: Predictions, Picks for Every NBA Play-In Tournament Game on Wednesday

The Road to the NBA Finals continues in the play-in tournament on Wednesday night, and I’m eyeing one side and one prop tonight with the Orlando Magic taking on the Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 7 seed in the East and the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers aiming to extend their season with a win in the No. 10 vs. No. 9 game in the West.

If you’ve been following our work here at SI Betting, you’ve seen my colleague Iain MacMillan bet on every NFL game during the season (Road to 272) and in the playoffs, and this year we decided to bet on every March Madness game as well.

So, it’s only right that I bet on every game this NBA postseason, and the rules are pretty simple:

Bet on every game through the play-in tournament and playoffs
Bet can be a spread, total, moneyline, player prop or game prop
ENJOY POSTSEASON BASKETBALL!

Placing bets at this high of a volume isn’t the best strategy for winning, but we’re looking to have some fun when it comes to these picks while giving fans of every team something to consider before the games.

Tuesday’s play-in action did not disappoint, as Charlotte won a wild game over Miami in overtime before the Portland Trail Blazers upset the Phoenix Suns in a game that came down to the final possession.

There’s a lot of pressure on Wednesday for the four teams in action to deliver two more great games, so let’s dive into a pick for each contest.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Philadelphia 76ers Moneyline (-130) vs. Orlando Magic

All season long, the Magic have fallen short of expectations, and I wouldn't be shocked to see them miss the playoffs entirely with Charlotte looming in Friday’s battle for the No. 8 seed.

Injuries are partially to blame for the Magic, but they have no excuses now with Franz Wagner and Anthony Black both back in action.

The Magic finished the regular season 18th in offensive rating, 13th in defensive rating and 25th in effective field goal percentage. Even though Orlando won five of six games to close the regular season, a loss to an extremely short-handed Boston team – with the No. 7 seed on the line – on Sunday encapsulated its season.

Orlando is just 18-21 against the spread on the road this season, and I am not sold on this team having the offensive chemistry to upset Philly.

The loss of Embiid is huge for the Sixers, but they had a better offensive rating than Orlando in the regular season and finished just one spot behind the Magic in net rating. Philly also was several games over .500 at home.

Both of these teams have flaws – a lot of Philly’s come on the defensive end – but Tyrese Maxey is the best player in this game and may be able to take it over for the 76ers. The Magic allowed over 26 points per game to opposing point guards in the regular season (sixth-worst in the NBA), which doesn’t bode well for them on the road on Wednesday night.

Steph Curry OVER 3.5 3-Pointers Made (-161)

Could this be one of the final postseason moments that we get from Steph Curry?

As a basketball fan, I hope not, but it’s unclear where this Golden State team will be a year from now with the team already dealing with so many injuries and aging veterans.

So, I’m buying Steph – who is coming closer to his usual minutes since returning from a knee injury – to have a big play-in showing against the Clippers.

Curry has made four or more shots from deep in three of his four games since returning to the lineup, and the star guard is extremely undervalued in this market. The greatest shooter of all time almost always is set at 4.5 3-pointers or higher, so I’m jumping on the OVER in this market.

Curry finished the regular season averaging 4.4 made 3-pointers, knocking down 39.3 percent of his attempts overall. He should see a slightly expanded role on Wednesday after playing less than 30 minutes in each of his first four games back in the lineup.

The Clippers are just 22nd in the NBA in opponent 3-point percentage and in the bottom half in the NBA in opponent 3-pointers made per game. I will gladly back Curry, who was 4-for-9 from deep in Sunday’s matchup against L.A.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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