The NBA play-in tournament is underway. The Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Lakers clinched the No. 7 seeds in their respective conferences with victories on Tuesday. The No. 8 seeds will be decided on Friday in a pair of high-stakes battles. Here are the latest odds on the play-in tournament at NBA betting sites, the complete schedule, matchup previews, and details on how it all works.
Latest NBA odds
Below are the latest odds for upcoming NBA games. If you see a bet that you want to place, just click on the odds. Doing so will redirect you to the sportsbook where you can place the wager. Here is a brief basketball betting guide and topic list:
Play-In Schedule | Play-In Matchups | To Make the Playoffs Odds | What is the Play-In Tournament?
2023 NBA play-in tournament schedule
Friday, April 14
- Chicago Bulls at Miami Heat 7:00 p.m. ET, TNT
- Oklahoma City Thunder at Minnesota Timberwolves 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
NBA play-in tournament matchups
Chicago Bulls at Miami Heat
- Spread: Bulls , Heat
- Moneyline: Bulls , Heat
- Total: Over/under
The Bulls kept their playoff hopes alive with a win over the Raptors on Wednesday. The Heat fell to the Hawks by 11 points on Tuesday with the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference on the line. Oddsmakers have installed Miami as the favorite to clinch the No. 8 seed. The Heat are 27-14 at home this season, while the Bulls are 18-23 on the road.
Oklahoma City Thunder at Minnesota Timberwolves
- Spread: Thunder Timberwolves
- Moneyline: Thunder , Timberwolves
- Total: Over/under
The Thunder advanced on Wednesday with a five-point victory over the Pelicans. The Timberwolves gave the Lakers all that they could handle on Tuesday, but ultimately came up short in an overtime loss. Minnesota has been installed as the favorite to take the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. Oklahoma City is 16-25 on the road, while the Timberwolves are 22-19 at home.
NBA play-in teams’ odds to make the playoffs
There are four teams remaining in the NBA play-in tournament. Here are the latest odds on which of them make it to the playoffs.
What is the NBA play-in tournament?
The NBA instituted a play-in tournament for the 2020 season and has stuck with it since then. This will be the fourth year that the league has kicked off the postseason with a play-in format. The top six teams in each conference automatically qualify for the playoffs.
That leaves two spots up for grabs in both the Eastern and Western conferences. The next four teams in each conference do battle to sort it out. All told, there are eight teams in the play-in tournament, but just four of them will advance to the first round of the NBA playoffs.
How does the NBA play-in tournament work?
For the NBA playoffs, the top eight teams in both conferences qualify for a total of 16. The top six seeds on the two sides gain automatic berths. Teams that finish seventh through 10th in the conferences have to earn their way in.
The play-in tournament begins with meetings of the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds. The winners of those games clinch the seventh seeds. The losers still have one more shot. They get to play the winners of the No. 9 vs. No 10 matchups, with the eighth and final seed up for grabs.
