NBA playoff matchups set and here's who is most likely to win it all
The NBA postseason race is officially on.
With the regular season coming to a close on Sunday, 20 of the NBA’s 30 franchises still have a shot at winning it all this year.
Four teams from the Eastern and Western Conference will each face off in the NBA’s play-in round tipping off on Tuesday, with two teams from each conference then making it into the best-of-seven first round.
Though every team is still technically in competition for the Larry O’Brien Trophy, tiers of contenders have clearly separated themselves at this point in the NBA calendar.
Oddsmakers at FanDuel Sportsbook have placed the Oklahoma City Thunder (+180), last year’s champion Boston Celtics (+190), and Cleveland Cavaliers (+490) as the championship favourites.
- Oklahoma City Thunder, +180
- Boston Celtics, +190
- Cleveland Cavaliers, +490
- Los Angeles Lakers, +1,700
- Golden State Warriors, +2,300
- New York Knicks, +2,800
- Denver Nuggets, +3,100
- Minnesota Timberwolves, +3,700
- Los Angeles Clippers, +3,900
- Indiana Pacers, +6,500
- Houston Rockets, +7,500
- Milwaukee Bucks, +16,000
- Memphis Grizzlies, +20,000
- Detroit Pistons, +41,000
- Orlando Magic, +100,000
- Chicago Bulls, +100,000
- Sacramento Kings, +100,000
- Dallas Mavericks, +100,000
- Miami Heat, +100,000
- Atlanta Hawks, +100,000
The biggest knock against the Thunder is that they haven’t had a deep run before. Led by Canadian All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City made the playoffs just once in the last four seasons, winning in the first round last year before bowing out to the Dallas Mavericks in six games. But their 68-win season is tied for the fifth-most in a single NBA season, with four of the previous six teams to hit that mark winning the championship.
The Cavaliers and Celtics, meanwhile, have paced the Eastern Conference for pretty much the whole season. Like the Thunder, the Cavaliers face similar questions about their playoff resume, having just one playoff series win under their belt since LeBron James departed for Los Angeles in the summer of 2018.
Speaking of LeBron, he and the new-look Lakers have the fourth-best odds to the NBA title, while the Steph Curry-led Golden State Warriors round out the top five.
Eastern Conference playoff matchups
- Cleveland Cavaliers (1) vs. Play-In Winner (8)
- Boston Celtics (2) vs. Play-in Winner (7)
- New York Knicks (3) vs. Detroit Pistons (6)
- Indiana Pacers (4) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (5)
Western Conference playoff matchups
- Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs. Play-In Winner (8)
- Houston Rockets (2) vs. Play-In Winner (7)
- Los Angeles Lakers (3) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (6)
- Denver Nuggets (4) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (5)
The first round of the NBA Playoffs will begin on Saturday, April 19.
NBA Play-In Tournament schedule
Tuesday, April 15
- Atlanta Hawks (8) vs. Orlando Magic (7): 7:30 p.m. EDT/4:30 p.m. PDT
- Memphis Grizzlies (8) vs. Golden State Warriors (7): 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PDT
Winners advance to playoffs as No. 7 seed, losers play on Friday at home
Wednesday, April 16
- Miami Heat (10) vs. Chicago Bulls (9): 7:30 p.m. EDT/4:30 p.m. PDT
- Dallas Mavericks (10) vs. Sacramento Kings (9): 10 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. PDT
Loser of each game on Wednesday is eliminated
Friday, April 18
- East 9/10 winner vs. East 7/8 loser | TBD*
- West 9/10 winner vs. West 7/8 loser | TBD*
Winner of each game on Friday advance to playoffs as No. 8 seed, loser is eliminated