2024 NBA Play-In Tournament Odds & Schedule: Lakers, Warriors, 76ers Among Teams in Play-In

The NBA Play-In Tournament field is set and features teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, two teams that led the NBA odds for the play-in down the stretch.

For the fifth season in a row, and third in the current format, the NBA Play-In Tournament will kick off the Association's postseason with games beginning on April 16. Multiple teams had their odds pulled before the NBA regular season's final week, with the Golden State Warriors (46-36), Chicago Bulls (39-43), and Atlanta Hawks (36-46) looking like play-in locks for much of the back half of the season. 

With the Hawks set to play the Bulls, joining them in the Eastern Conference play-in are two of the most prolific franchises in recent NBA history. The Miami Heat (46-36) and Philadelphia 76ers (47-35) will clash in a star-studded play-in matchup. 

In the Western Conference, there are even more brand names as LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers (47-35) go head-to-head with Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans (49-33). Meanwhile, Steph Curry leads the Warriors against De'Aaron Fox and the Sacramento Kings (46-36).

Our best sports betting sites expect a strong slate of play-in games between these stars with all four games having spreads no larger than 4.5 points as the No. 7 to No. 10 seeds in each conference play for a shot at the playoffs.

Here is our look at the top 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament odds from our best NBA betting sites.

2024 NBA play-in tournament odds

(Odds as of April 9)

Eastern Conference odds

Western Conference odds

April 15, 2024: No team looked more guaranteed to be taking the court in the play-in tournament than the Bulls. After Zach LaVine was lost for the season, DeMar DeRozan kept Chicago afloat, but there was never any realistic chance the Bulls would climb out of the play-in and into the No. 6 seed. Injuries played a role for both Atlanta and Philadelphia, too.

When the Hawks lost Trey Young for 23 games, there was just no way Atlanta could rise in the Eastern Conference. Luckily for Hawks fans, Young returned for the last three regular season games and looks set to go in the play-in tournament. Philadelphia saw a similar fate when Joel Embiid, an NBA MVP odds favorite, went down and the 76ers collapsed. But his return late in the season makes Philly dangerous, and we know that an NBA Play-In Tournament team is capable of reaching the finals - the Heat did it last year and hope to again this season.

Out in the Western Conference, the inconsistent play of the Warriors and Lakers made them heavy favorites for the play-in for much of the season. While they had a slim chance of reaching the No. 6 seed, their play-in chances never looked in doubt in the competitive West - especially after the Houston Rockets winning streak came to an end.

For New Orleans and Sacramento, there was a little more hope that they could earn that highly competitive No. 6 seed. However, the Dallas Mavericks surging to end the season hurt and the Suns played some of their best basketball, too. It looks like the Pelicans may be the scariest team in the West's play-in with Brandon Ingram returning to the lineup.

NBA Play-In Tournament betting analysis

It became blatantly clear down the stretch in the Eastern Conference which teams would be playing in the NBA Play-In Tournament. Our best sports betting apps had seen the Bulls sit atop the odds in the East for weeks prior to Chicago's odds being pulled, and then Atlanta saw the same fate as the Heat and 76ers took the top spots - the Indiana Pacers were the only other team really in the conversation over the last week of the season.

The West had followed a similar trajectory with the Warriors odds pulled, and the Lakers becoming an overwhelming favorite to reach the play-in. A difficult close to the season also locked the Kings in with the real question around which team would take the No. 6 seed between the Pelicans and Phoenix Suns - three straight wins to end the year earned Phoenix the last true playoff spot in the West.

NBA Play-In Tournament schedule

What is the NBA Play-In Tournament?

The NBA play-in tournament determines the final two seeds from each conference in the NBA playoffs, as only the top six seeds are guaranteed a spot. In the past, the top eight seeds were guaranteed a spot, but now the teams that rank ninth or 10th in the standings can play their way into the playoffs. 

NBA Play-In Tournament format

The ninth and 10th seeds will face off, with the winner of that game having the opportunity to steal the eighth seed from the loser of the game featuring the seventh and eighth seed.

You need to win only one game to make the playoffs if you finish the regular season as the seventh or eighth seed. For a team to qualify for the playoffs if it finishes ninth or 10th in its respective conference, two games must be won. 

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