Betting On Early NBA Play-In Tournament Odds

• The Minnesota Timberwolves have -115 odds to be in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament.
• The New Orleans Pelicans have +165 odds to be a play-in team.
• The New York Knicks have -110 odds to be in the Eastern Conference Play-In.
• The Indiana Pacers have +1400 odds to be a play-in team in the east.

NEW YORK – The NBA season is in full swing with teams having played around 10 games already and odds are already posted for teams to make the play-in tournaments from each conference. These odds will be available throughout the season and shift throughout as teams get eliminated from playoff contention towards the end of the season.

Western Conference Play-In Odds

• Portland Trail Blazers -120
• Minnesota Timberwolves -115
• Los Angeles Lakers +120
• Utah Jazz +125
• New Orleans Pelicans +165
• Golden State Warriors +175
• Los Angeles Clippers +175
• Dallas Mavericks +200
• Sacramento Kings +225
• Denver Nuggets +250
• Memphis Grizzlies +350
• Phoenix Suns +500
• San Antonio Spurs +1200
• Oklahoma City Thunder +1400
• Houston Rockets +2000

The Western Conference has been deemed the tougher conference for many years so it makes sense that legal betting sites have the odds set close together across the board. Two teams that stand out though to make the play-in though are the Minnesota Timberwolves and New Orleans Pelicans.

Looking at the T’Wolves NBA play-in odds first, they are just one of two teams with odds under +100 to be a play-in team. They are sitting in 10th place in the west and are just a half-game ahead of the OKC Thunder of being knocked out of the play-in. Holding them afloat has been their defense early on in the season as they are third in the league in total rebounds (46.1), and in the top 15 in steals (7.7) and blocks (5.6).

Luckily for them, on their remaining schedule, they have 13 games remaining against teams that are far out of play-in contention.

Looking at the New Orleans Pelicans odds, they offer some tremendous value given their hot start to the season. Their team is still learning how to play with one another given recent injuries and new acquisitions but are coming together.

They currently have three players averaging 20+ ppg, six averaging 5+ rpg, and three averaging 4+ apg. They are also the highest scoring team in the league early on averaging over 118 ppg and all at a +3.9 point differential as well. While these are all arguments of them being a top-6 seeded team, they still lack the playoff experience and chemistry that some of the other teams in the west have made them a strong bet to make the play-in.

Eastern Conference Play-In Odds

• Chicago Bulls -130
• New York Knicks -110
• Washington Wizards +115
• Brooklyn Nets +115
• Miami Heat +125
• Toronto Raptors +150
• Philadelphia 76ers +150
• Atlanta Hawks +150
• Charlotte Hornets +180
• Cleveland Cavaliers +425
• Detroit Pistons +1000
• Boston Celtics +1000
• Milwaukee Bucks +1200
• Indiana Pacers +1400
• Orlando Magic +1800

Moving on to the Eastern Conference, it is still wide open as it is regarded as the less competitive conference. With that, two teams to keep an eye on, on opposite sides of the odds board are the New York Knicks (-110) and Indiana Pacers (+1400).

As much as many like to clown the Knicks for making questionable moves and for not competing, it is time to take their odds seriously and they’ve proven that.

They are currently in the eighth seed and tied for the sixth seed at that, however, it is worth noting that far more talented teams such as the Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat have yet to get their wheels rolling and once they do, they could slide up into the top-six pushing other teams out.

The Knicks though have what it takes to stay in that 7-10 seed range with their tough defense. They are currently second in the league in rebounds (48.8) and in the top 15 in blocks (5.5). They also have the tenth easiest schedule remaining with nine games left against teams outside of the play-in looking in.

Before counting them out, the Indiana Pacers are worth sprinkling a fraction of a unit on off of their long odds alone. They are also tied with the Knicks for seeds 6-8. While they are young, they have a good mix of veteran and young players that are all contributing. They have four players putting up 18+ ppg and five players with 5+ rpg.

They also have 14 games remaining against teams that have less favorable odds of making the play-in as well.

News tags: basketball | Indiana Pacers | Minnesota Timberwolves | NBA | NBA Play-In Tournament | NBA Playoffs | New Orleans Pelicans | New York Knicks