Let's Set Odds: Who Gets Last Play-In Spots in NBA Playoffs?
We are close to every team in the NBA playing half of their games and that means we can start looking at playoff seeding. Both conferences are extremely tight, with the the No. 5 and No. 9 seeds in the West being separated by 2.5 games and the Eastern conference having no more than one-game gaps between the seeds until the 11th and 12th seeds.
The top of each conference will be figured out, but I’m interested in who will end up in the 10th seed – the last spot in the play-in. There are several teams in each conference that can make it and while WynnBET doesn't have odds for the play-in, we can still set the odds for the final spot.
Odds to make the Play-in Tournament
Eastern Conference Standings
- 8. Toronto Raptors -140
- 9. Washington Wizards +140
- 10. Boston Celtics +100
- 11. New York Knicks +160
- 12. Atlanta Hawks +250
In the Eastern Conference, I would take the Raptors, Celtics and Knicks to take the last three spots, with the Knicks being the No. 10 seed. The Wizards have slid down to the No. 9 spot and will be without Bradley Beal for sometime after he got placed on the COVID list. Without legitimate scoring on their team, I don’t see them keeping their one game lead over the Celtics or the Knicks.
Even though Atlanta has the best player out of all of these teams, the Hawks are without a doubt the most inconsistent. They can’t string wins together and if Clint Capela is forced to miss time, they will be in real danger.
Toronto has resurrected itself and is back in control of its destiny. Although its lead on the No. 10 seed is just 1.5 games, the Raptors are healthy and in a good rhythm.
Western Conference Standings
- 9. Minnesota Timberwolves -250
- 10. Portland Trail Blazers +185
- 11. San Antonio Spurs +200
- 12. Sacramento Kings +350
- 13. New Orleans Pelicans +400
The West has a little bit of a tighter race. The three teams out of the No. 10 spot are no more than 1.5 games back. I would take the Timberwolves to be in the No. 9 seed (at worst) and the San Antonio Spurs to get the final spot.
Although the Blazers will get Damian Lillard back, I can’t get over just how bad their defense is. Portland is 0.1 points ahead of the Houston Rockets – the worst team in the league – in defensive rating. San Antonio’s net rating shows they are better than their record says, and I trust Gregg Popovich to led them to the play-in.
As for the Kings and Pelicans, both of their franchises are unstable and need a lot of work before they can make the proper run to get into the play-in.