The top seven seeds in the Western half of the NBA Playoff bracket have been claimed for 2024. The remaining seeds for the NBA’s Eastern and Western Conferences are still up for grabs and will be claimed this Friday in the final games of the Play-In Tournament.
Last night, the Los Angeles Lakers took the seventh seed in the West by beating the New Orleans Pelicans on the road. NO was favored by 1.5 points and rallied late but fell short following an untimely injury to Zion Williamson.
Zion suffered an aggravated hamstring and will test it out today to see if he can suit up Friday night against the Sacramento Kings, who just dispatched the Golden State Warriors in the 9 vs. 10 game.
NBA sportsbooks have posted the following line for Friday’s Kings vs. Pelicans matchup that suggests NO will earn the 8 seed in the West by beating Sacramento.
Sacramento Kings vs. New Orleans Pelicans Betting Line
- Point Spread: Kings +1.5, Pelicans -1.5
- Moneyline: Kings +105, Pelicans -125
- Over/Under: 218.5
Tonight, the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers will battle for a spot in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers Betting Line
- Point Spread: Heat +5.5, 76ers -5.5
- Moneyline: Heat +180, 76ers -220
- Over/Under: 207.5
Despite Miami’s recent success in the postseason, they are an underdog to Philadelphia, who has now won 8 straight games. The winner between the Heat and 76ers will get the Eastern Conference’s 7th seed, and the loser will face the winner of the Chicago Bulls-Atlanta Hawks game this Friday.
Atlanta Hawks vs. Chicago Bulls Betting Line
- Point Spread: Hawks +3.0, Bulls -3.0
- Moneyline: Hawks +130, Bulls -150
- Over/Under: 222.0
Hawks-Bulls betting lines imply that it will be Chicago who moves on to face the loser of the Heat-76ers game. However, since Atlanta and Chicago finished 7 games and 10 games behind the Heat in the final standings, respectively, either team will likely be an underdog on Friday.
Current 2024 NBA Playoff Picture
Western Conference
- #1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. #8 Pelicans-Kings Winner
- #2 Denver Nuggets vs. #7 Los Angeles Lakers
- #3 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. #6 Phoenix Suns
- #4 LA Clippers vs. #5 Dallas Mavericks
Eastern Conference
- #1 Boston Celtics vs. #8 (Heat/76ers/Hawks/Bulls)
- #2 New York Knicks vs. #7 76ers-Heat Winner
- #3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. #6 Indiana Pacers
- #4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. #5 Orlando Magic
Futures for NBA Finals betting places the Boston Celtics as the most likely franchise to win it all this year. If they cut down the nets at the end of the 2024 NBA Finals, it will be the 18th time they have done so in team history.
The Denver Nuggets are the defending 2023 NBA Champions. Their current odds suggest they’ll be the team that comes out of the West to play the Celtics in the Finals.
The only playoff franchises with rosters resembling their championship teams are the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Denver Nuggets. If you are looking for a sleeper to bet on to win the NBA Finals, consider a wager on the Nuggets, Bucks, or Lakers futures right now.
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