NBA 2023 Play-in tournament odds and predictions: Who are the favorites to make the playoffs?

In the wake of one of the most exciting season-endings in the NBA Western Conference and finding the seed order just the last day of the regular season, things are now set for the first postseason contest, the play-in tournament. Four teams seeded from 7th to 10th in both conferences will battle for the last two spots in the 2023 playoff tournament bracket.

Eastern Conference

The 7th- and 8th-seeded Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks are two muted teams in the Eastern Conference that could be good in the playoffs, considering their previous NBA history and playoff experience. They might not be the teas filled with good players and superstars like the Celtics, Bucks, or Sixers; however, both might be teams you do not want to face this postseason. Both of these teams also acquired decent players. The Heat brought Kevin Love, while the Hawks upgraded with Saddiq Bey. With this new firepower on their rosters, the ceiling is now slightly higher for each of them.

The 9th- and 10th-seeded Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls are generally projected by the NBA experts to miss the playoffs. The Raptors sit eighth in the conference as the mighty trio of Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and Jakob Poeltl gives them a chance to string wins together at the right time. Toronto may stay in contention; however, the Bulls have a lot of work to do if they want to rise in the NBA playoff predictions.

Western Conference

The 7th-seed Lakers are flying; seeing them in this place is unexpected. King James is now officially back, especially seeing his last game of the season performance and the long three-pointer he dropped in against Utah at the end of the game. With the play-in tournament underway, it could not have come at a better time. Los Angeles has a 9-1 record in the last ten games, despite not making it to the sixth seed; this is a dangerous team, and they will sit in seventh place in the Western Conference at the end. The same can be said for the 8th-seed Minnesota Timberwolves, who managed to swap places in the standings with the Pelicans, beating them 113-108 in the last game of the regular part of the NBA season. Anthony Edwards was brilliant, and although Rudy Gobert was expelled from the team during the second quarter for an altercation involving his teammate Anderson, they beat the Pelicans with high team spirit.

As for the 9th-seeded Pelicans and 10th-seeded Thunder, one thing is sure, they have talented lineups, which helped them sneak into the postseason picture. For the Pelicans, the biggest problem is Zion’s injury and the time assessment of when he will be ready to play. The Oklahoma City Thunder are also in this grouping after a second-half surge. But now they’ll have to continue their momentum in the Play-In Tournament.