We’re a couple of weeks away from the 2022 version of the NBA playoffs. In the Eastern Conference, the top four teams all sit within two games of each other, and seeds five through seven are also close, even though the Bulls have tiebreakers over the Cavaliers and the Raptors. Brooklyn still has the eighth slot, but they could lose it to the Hornets and the Hawks. In the Western Conference, it looks like Phoenix and Memphis will finish 1-2, and Dallas has clinched a top-six playoff spot, but the next four slots are all close. The Clippers appear to have a lock on eighth, while the Lakers are doing their best to slide down past San Antonio and even miss the play-in tournament. As you consider your NBA betting for the postseason, here are some of our predictions.
NBA News: 2022 Playoff Predictions
Utah loses in the first round
Despite the fact that Utah has become a perennial playoff team, cracks are forming in the team that could lead to a breakup between Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. The Jazz have dropped five in a row, including a loss to the Clippers on Tuesday that saw the Jazz blow a 25-point lead. Mitchell said after the game that this was the 2021 postseason all over again, when the Clippers trailed 2-0 in the best-of-seven series before rallying to win. Gobert and Mitchell have experienced frustration in their relationship. The Jazz are in fifth in the West as of this writing, but they could slide to sixth or even seventh – and into the play-in tournament. As the sixth seed, they would likely play Golden State (with a healthy Stephen Curry) or Dallas (with a rejuvenated Luka Doncic) without home-court advantage. If the Jazz slide to seventh (and make it out of the play-in tournament), they would face either Phoenix or Memphis, depending on how the play-in works out. None of those scenarios bode well for the Jazz advancing, and the team could decide to break up their roster and even send coach Quinn Snyder packing.
The Lakers don’t get into the playoffs at all
Injuries and a lack of chemistry have kept the Lakers from contending this season. Anthony Davis has missed the most time, but LeBron James has gone down with an ankle injury. He could play Friday against New Orleans; the latest update is that he plans to test the ankle before the game. The Lakers need to beat the Pelicans, as the Pelicans are in ninth place, two games ahead of the Lakers in the standings. Los Angeles actually is in 11th place as of this writing, tied with San Antonio at 31-45 but with the Spurs holding the tiebreaker. After Friday’s date with New Orleans, the Lakers play Denver twice, Phoenix, Golden State and Oklahoma City. That’s a tough enough slate with a healthy LeBron, but with James either hobbling or out, it’s easy to see the Lakers losing the rest of their games and certainly winning no more than one or two. The Pelicans and Spurs have somewhat easier schedules to finish the season. Missing the postseason would likely lead to the team trading away Russell Westbrook and ditching yet another head coach in Frank Vogel, as the team is never going to fire LeBron.
Brooklyn loses in the first round
Right now, the Nets are in eighth in the Eastern Conference, which would put them against Miami in the first round. If they can catch the Cleveland Cavaliers, who will not have Evan Mobley for a minimum of three games, they would face Milwaukee. The Bucks should mounted a furious comeback to beat Brooklyn, who would like to see Ben Simmons on the court, but he continues to rehab an injury. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, playing full-time, make for a dynamic pairing, but Miami and Milwaukee both have the playmakers to absorb the damage from those two scorers and win anyway.
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