The NBA play-in tournament ends on Friday, with the final two playoff spots on the line. The Miami Heat are favored to play the Chicago Bulls for the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference, while the Sacramento Kings are favored to play the New Orleans Pelicans for the 8th seed in the Western Conference. be.
Injuries have affected the odds for these games, with Zion Williamson out for the Pelicans and Jimmy Butler and Alex Caruso injured in Wednesday's game. The Heat are only small favorites at home against a Bulls team that won just 39 games in the regular season.
For those looking to bet on Friday's games, we have a preview of each where our staff picks the winner.
All odds are from BetMGM. Find great tickets at StubHub.
No. 9 Bulls in No. 8 Heat
How to watch: 7pm ET on ESPN
Remix! The Heat and Bulls will be competing again in this game. Last year, the Heat entered the play-in tournament as a No. 7 seed and lost Game 1 at home, while the Bulls won in Toronto as a No. 10 seed. This time, the Heat are the 8th seed and the Bulls are the 9th seed, but in this game they will be back and playing in Miami once again. Last year, Miami fell behind in the final minutes but made a comeback to close out the game and continue its memorable run to the NBA Finals.
Butler did not play in Wednesday's playoff jimmy in Philadelphia. Butler had four steals in the first half, giving the Heat a 12-point lead at halftime, but Philadelphia fought back and Butler injured his knee late in the first quarter. Butler played 40 minutes but is expected to be out for several weeks with an MCL injury.
With Butler out, the Bulls have a great chance to win on the road. The Bulls also have new injuries, and Alex Caruso has discovered something that will surprise no one. It's not fun for him to get run over by Andre Drummond. Drummond collided with Caruso as he tried to return to defense in the second quarter, and Caruso ultimately left the game. Caruso is the Bulls' best perimeter defender and likely would have been tasked with guarding Butler. Apparently neither of them play.
Alex Caruso suffered an apparent injury after this collision with Andre Drummond.
He has not returned to the game yet. pic.twitter.com/5Uc4c0WiKk
— ESPN (@espn) April 18, 2024
On offense, Coby White scored a career-high 42 points against Atlanta on Wednesday. It's hard to find fault with White's performance: 15-of-21 shooting, nine rebounds, six assists, and no turnovers. He might need to do something like that against a Miami team that is much better defensively than Atlanta.
The winner advances to face the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
chosen by experts
9th place Kings vs. 7th place Pelicans
How to watch: TNT 9:30pm ET
Can we call Tuesday's game Zion Williamson's playoff debut? Regardless, it was a great performance in an important match. Williamson looked like the unguarded force expected when he was drafted nearly five years ago.
Against the Los Angeles Lakers, he scored 40 points on 27 shots and grabbed 11 rebounds. The problem, as it has been for most of Williamson's career, was injuries. He was ejected in the final minutes of the fourth quarter of a close game in which Williamson was out and the Lakers were shut out.
Williamson is expected to miss Friday's game with a hamstring injury. As a result, the Kings are favored in New Orleans.
The Kings are coming off an emotionally cleansing victory over the Golden State Warriors. After losing to the Warriors in Game 7 of the first round at home a year ago, this time the Kings knocked out the Warriors in a do-or-die game and did it in style. The Kings pulled away in the second half and cruised to a 24-point victory.
Sophomores Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis made strides. Will these young players be available in an elimination game? With Williamson sidelined, that may not be necessary.
The winner will face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs.
chosen by experts
More NBA Playoffs coverage
NBA postseason coaching staff: What's at stake for Rivers, Hamm, Mazzula and others?
Coby White is the real deal, as his 42-point outburst in the play-in tournament win over the Hawks showed.
Zion Williamson's dreamlike performance turns into a nightmare.Now the Pelicans are on the brink.
(Kion Ellis Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
