With two final play-in games set for Thursday night, the bracket for the 2020-21 NBA postseason is almost set. Thursday’s games will reveal the eighth seeds in each conference, and then playoff series will get underway on Saturday and Sunday. There are questions for each team, of course — are LeBron and AD healed enough to guide the Lakers back to another title? Despite holding the seventh seed in the West, they are still the sports betting favorites to win the NBA championship. Will Milwaukee actually show some physicality in a playoff series, instead of wilting under the pressure? Can Brooklyn’s Big Three all contribute at the same time? Will Joel Embiid finally lead the 76ers where fans have hoped he would since he arrived? Will Chris Paul’s hamstring make it through four playoff series?
We have some NBA predictions for you to consider as the postseason gets underway.
NBA News: Betting Predictions for the Playoffs
Eastern Conference First Round Matchups
#1 Philadelphia 76ers vs #8 Washington-Indiana Winner
#2 Brooklyn Nets vs #7 Boston Celtics
#3 Milwaukee Bucks vs #6 Miami Heat
#4 N.Y. Knicks vs #5 Atlanta Hawks
Western Conference First Round Matchups
#1 Utah Jazz vs #8 Golden State-Memphis Winner
#2 Phoenix Suns vs #7 L.A. Lakers
#3 Denver Nuggets vs #6 Portland Trail Blazers
#4 L.A. Clippers vs #5 Dallas Mavericks
Dallas knocks off the Clippers and the Jazz…at least
When the Mavericks and the Clippers met in last year’s playoffs, Luka Doncic was limited with an ankle injury, and Kristaps Porzingis missed a lot of time with a knee injury. Even so, the Clippers needed six games to knock out the Mavericks. This time around, Dallas got off to a dreadful start, thanks to an early outbreak of COVID-19 and a considerable amount of inconsistency, but over the last 15 games of the regular season, they ranked sixth in the NBA with a +5.7 net rating. The Clippers posted a +3.8 rating over that same stretch, good for 11th. The key for Dallas won’t necessarily be Luka and KP, though. Instead, role players like Jalen Brunson, Tim Hardaway Jr and Dwight Powell will continue to play solid basketball. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are a terrific scoring tandem, but the team around them is not as solid as the team around Luka and KP.
What about Utah? Yes, they finished 7-3. But against teams in the top eight of either conference, they finished 1-2, losing at home to Portland and falling at Phoenix, while beating Denver. They also lost at Golden State down the stretch. Star guard Donovan Mitchell has missed time due to an ankle sprain. He expects to play in the postseason, but it remains to be seen how functional his ankle actually will be. Utah won two of the three games with Dallas this year, but Dallas won the most recent meeting, on April 5.
New York wins at least one postseason series
The Knicks were last in the playoffs eight seasons ago, and now they have an opening series against the Atlanta Hawks. They play ball the old-school way, ranked third in the NBA in defensive rating. They also have terrific three-point shooting despite running most of their offense in a halfcourt set instead of pushing for transition points. Derrick Rose brings leadership and playoff experience to the team. They pay a Hawks team that has a hard time on defense. New York has the home court advantage here, and they have played better ball since the All-Star break.
Phoenix sends the Lakers home
Yes, LeBron and AD are back from their extended injury absences. LeBron’s ankle showed some issues in terms of mobility in the Lakers’ play-in win over Golden State, though, even though he knocked down the game-winning three-ball. Phoenix is in the top ten in the NBA for both offensive and defensive rating. They can score inside, with Deandre Ayton, and Devin Booker and Chris Paul can score by taking it to the rim or knocking down shots. They play ball at a frenetic pace, which for a team whose stars have just come back from long absences due to ankle (LeBron) and Achilles/calf (AD) concerns, the series could aggravate their injuries, with the Suns taking advantage.
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