NBA Play-in Tournament Tips & Predictions

<p>The <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/huddle/nba">NBA</a> regular season has been run and won and now the postseason is upon us.</p> <p>As of 2020, the postseason tips off with the Play-in Tournament, a do-or-die series used to decide who the final four teams to qualify for the <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/basketball-us/nba-playoff-series">NBA playoffs</a> are.</p> <p>This year in the West, the Lakers, Timberwolves, Pelicans and Thunder are all fighting for survival.</p> <p>While in the East, the Heat, Hawks, Raptors and Bulls are all trying to stay alive in season 76.</p> <p>Who will make the cut and whose season will be cut short? Our NBA Play-in Tournament <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/huddle/nba/tips">tips and predictions</a> are below.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>How Does The NBA Play-in Tournament Work?</h3> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>For the uninitiated, the format of the Play-ins can be a bit confusing, so it’s important to outline just how it works before getting into the predictions for the games themselves.</p> <p>As is standard with the NBA, the Play-ins are separated by conference. There are three games played in each conference.</p> <p>The first game of each conference is between the No.7 and No.8 seed. The winner of that game wins automatic passage into the playoffs where they will face the No.2 seed in their conference. The loser is spared from instant elimination and gets to play the winner of the second Play-ins game to keep their season alive.</p> <p>The second game is between the No.9 and No.10 seeds. The loser is eliminated, while the winner moves on to game three of the Play-ins.</p> <p>The third and final game of the Play-ins takes place between the loser of game one and the winner of game two. The winner of this game joins the winner of game one and earns passage into the playoffs, where they will face the No.1 seed in their conference – gulp.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Western Conference:</h3> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction</strong></em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Contesting game one in the West are the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves.</p> <p>The winner of this tie moves on to face the No.2 seed the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs. But just who will that be?</p> <p>Despite winning their last three games, the Timberwolves are in all sorts. ‘Gun’ center Rudy Gorbet has been stood down after punching teammate Kyle Anderson in scenes that had to be seen to be believed.</p> <p>Meanwhile Gorbet’s teammate Jaden McDaniels has fractured his hand after punching a wall on his way to the half time talk. You can’t make this stuff up.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>As for their opponents, after a disastrous start to the season, the Lakers have recovered in miraculous fashion. They enter this game having won 18 of their last 26 games and should be able to easily account for the frustratingly inconsistent and haymaker-happy Timberwolves.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>New Orleans Pelicans vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction</strong></em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Game two in the West sees the New Orleans Pelicans and the Oklahoma City Thunder go head-to-head.</p> <p>There will be extra attention to this game Down Under and for good reason, with all of Australia feeling pretty Giddey at the prospect of our boy Josh advancing one step closer to the NBA playoffs.</p> <p>While it won’t be easy, the Thunder just have a certain feel-good factor about them at the moment and have enough quality to pip the Pelicans at the post and move on to face the winner of game one.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Eastern Conference:</h3> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>Miami Heat vs Atlanta Hawks Prediction</strong></em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Game one in the East pits the Miami Heat against the Atlanta Hawks. This is a rematch of last year’s playoffs, where the Heat who were No.1 in the East defeated the No.8 Hawks in five to send them packing for the season.</p> <p>No doubt the Hawks will be out for revenge, but they may not get it. The Heat had the wood over the Hawks in the regular season, winning three of the four games they played against each other.</p> <p>We expect this trend to continue and the Heat to advance to the playoffs where the No.2 ranked Boston Celtics lie in wait.</p> <p>Also, keep an eye on the matchup between Miami’s Jimmy Butler and Atlanta’s Dejounte Murray.&nbsp; One of the league’s best clutch players versus one of the league’s best on-ball defenders. This personal battle could decide the game.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>Toronto Raptors vs Chicago Bulls Prediction</strong></em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The second game in the East is due to be contested by the Toronto Raptors and the Chicago Bulls. The winner gets to live to fight another day, while the curtain comes down on the season of the loser.</p> <p>This is an intriguing matchup for a number of reasons, but the biggest talking point is definitely Demar DeRozan.</p> <p>The Bulls main man played eight seasons for the Raptors before defecting to Chicago and will not want to go quietly in front of the fans who once chanted his name.</p> <p>Yes, the Raptors have home ground advantage and they also boast an impressive record when playing in front of their own fans.</p> <p>They also have the upper hand in the head-to-head stakes against the Bulls, winning two of the three games they have played against them this season.</p> <p>We expect the result to reflect the odds and even though Demar DeRozan will do everything in his power to deny his former employers, it should be the Raptors who move on.&nbsp;</p>