2022 NBA Playoffs Best Bets for Play-In Tournament

The NBA playoffs are here! The NBA playoffs are here!

Although we still must get through an unnecessary, albeit intriguing, fun-to-bet-on play-in tournament that seems here to stay. OK, fine. The playoffs, for purists, truly begin on Saturday.

The big three (NFL, NBA and MLB) continue to tinker with postseason play. If you seek more excitement for fans, NBA, ditch the play-in tourney and go back to a best-of-3 playoff series (the last time that happened was 1983; ahh the good old days) but here’s the kicker: use that format (1-1-1) for the first-round matchups between the No. 1 seeds and the No. 8 seeds. Then, the Heat and Suns would be on serious upset alert.

That will never happen, of course, because major sports are all about more games, more advertising, and more money. The NFL would play seven days a week if it could. Not exactly a hot take, I realize, but I long for that era.

Moving on. Speaking of money, we here at OddsSeeker will provide you with our comprehensive list of the best online sportsbooks out there so you can see what’s available in your state or at least a bordering one.

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Finally, you can make wagers whenever and wherever you want by using one of these awesome betting apps and also check in on the best, most up-to-date odds as you consider your money-making moves and plays.

Ready? Let’s go. We’ll start with the play-in tournament games and the spreads seem pretty spot-on (except for one) so I’ll start with a couple of prop bets (Find ‘em at BetMGM at NBA/Specials – lots of options there) I like.

Karl-Anthony Towns (UNDER 27.5 points, -110, vs. Clippers)

In the four-game season series against the Wolves, which the Clippers won 3-1, Towns managed a mere 15.3 points on 42.1 percent shooting. So he’ll have 12 more points in this one? Nah. L.A. won’t let KAT beat them, although Anthony Edwards might.

CJ McCollum (UNDER 26.5 points, -110, vs. Spurs)

Another talented scorer who’ll miss his number set by Vegas. The Pelicans, a top-10 scoring team since the trade for McCollum, will realize they can’t rely on his shot too much, not when Spurs coach Gregg Popovich can get ace defender Dejounte Murray, finally recovered from a respiratory issue, to harass him for much of the game.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (+3) at Minnesota Timberwolves

Do you think Los Angeles will be up for this game knowing that if it can send the T-Wolves packing into the offseason with a victory, Kawhi Leonard might be back in the Clippers lineup Saturday against Ja Morant and the Grizzlies? Me too. I know Paul George is gonna give it his all as he’s done all year, battling through injuries and being a general bad-ass.

Charlotte Hornets at Atlanta Hawks (OVER 236.5 total points),

Trae Young (OVER 31.5)

This is a two-fer since it’s my belief that Trae Young will go for at least 40 against the hapless Hornets defense and that the two teams will light each other up in a wild, high-scoring track meet. And both teams are among the league’s bottom 10 teams in defensive ratings. 236.5 is a ton of points but what if LaMelo has 30 of his own? That’s at least 70 points right there from just two players. Final score prediction: Hawks 128, Hornets 122.