NBA Play-In Tournament betting tips & best odds – 14/4/2022

The NBA Play-In Tournament carries on this Thursday (AEST) with two more games on the schedule. In each game, one team will have their playoff lives carry on, and when that happens, the intensity is usually present. These are going to be some interesting games, so here’s a pick for each of them.

Charlotte Hornets at Atlanta Hawks

These two teams are very similar. Both squads had weird, streaky seasons where it’s been hard to peg how legit each of them are. One thing that is for sure is the fact that both teams don’t play great defence. Each of these teams have been shooting well and will come into this game on good runs. Atlanta is 7-2 in their last nine and Charlotte is 11-4 in their last 15. Trae Young of the Hawks and LaMelo Ball of the Hornets are both elite offensive options who tend to struggle defensively. We expect both of these teams to continue playing good offensive basketball and for this game to be high scoring. While the over is a high total at this point, these teams have the capability to cover it with ease. Take the over and root for made baskets.

San Antonio Spurs at New Orleans Pelicans

The Spurs were essentially tanking this season but still qualified for the play-in tournament. They always overachieve under their coach, Gregg Popovich, but being in this tournament with their roster is quite a feat. Unfortunately, their road will likely end in this game. Simply put, they do not have the talent to keep up with the Pelicans. While they have a legitimate stud in Dejounte Murray, the rest of the rotation leaves a lot to be desired. While New Orleans aren’t stacked by any means, they have substantially more talent than the Spurs and shouldn’t struggle too much with San Antonio.

It’s a season of ‘what could have been’ for New Orleans. The Pelicans have played the whole season without their best player, Zion Williamson. Despite him not returning for these playoffs, the Pelicans still have a clear talent advantage over San Antonio. Star forward Brandon Ingram and midseason pickup C.J. McCollum finally figured out how to coexist and that has raised the profile of this team. New Orleans will play at home and that could be the difference. This game likely won’t be a blowout, but New Orleans should still cover and take home the win.

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