Barring an insane collapse or an incredible run over the last few weeks of the season, we know 15 of the 16 teams that will be in the NBA playoffs. The Western Conference is essentially set as the Spurs, Clippers, and Thunder are all seven games up on ninth-place Sacramento with 10 games to play, so only seeding is to be determined out there. The Eastern Conference is largely set too, but there is still the matter of who wins the Southeast Division. No team is above .500, and four teams are within 5.5 games of each other. Although the eventual winner is likely to be one and done in the playoffs, it’s one of the few storylines regarding a playoff push, and the Miami Heat are leading the chase after winning eight of their last ten.
NBA Opening Lines at BookMaker.eu
Minnesota Timberwolves at Charlotte Hornets (Check Back Later)
No line has been released for this game as the Timberwolves will be without at least five players and may start shutting down others with their playoff hopes extinguished. Robert Covington, Luol Deng, Derrick Rose, and Jeff Teague will all miss tonight’s game, and Taj Gibson is considered questionable.
This is a must-win for Charlotte if the Hornets are going to get to the postseason. Their chances are rapidly diminishing, and with Kemba Walker potentially on his way out this offseason, they may quickly bottom out. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will miss tonight’s game and both Joe Chealey and Cody Zeller are gametime decisions.
Denver Nuggets at Washington Wizards (DEN -6, O/U 228.5)
The Wizards’ chances of making the postseason are even slimmer than those of the Hornets, and they locked in a losing record with their 42nd loss of the year on the road against Chicago on Wednesday night.
Washington has been solid at home this season, but it might be time to shut it down. The Nuggets have had two days of rest coming into this one, and they don’t lose to bad teams on the road. Don’t expect too much movement in this line though unless there is breaking news in the lead-up to the game.
Utah Jazz at Atlanta Hawks (UTAH -7, O/U 226.5)
The total has taken a hit in this one. The over/under opened at 228 and has since dropped to 226.5.
Atlanta is a young, fun team that likes to score in bunches, but the Hawks might be wearing down. They could only muster 91 points against Orlando and 105 points against Houston in their last two games, and now they are facing one of the best defensive teams in the league.
Dallas Mavericks at Sacramento Kings (SAC -8.5, O/U 229)
The Mavericks have been dreadful on the road this season and their recent freefall has made Sacramento a sizeable favorite. Sacramento opened as an eight-point favorite, but now the Kings are favored by 8.5, and the total has dropped by a point. They are out to bounce back from a stunning fourth-quarter collapse against Brooklyn where they blew a 25-point lead in the final 12 minutes.
Detroit Pistons at Phoenix Suns (DET -7, O/U 218.5)
Detroit hasn’t been good on the road this year with a 13-21 record away from the Motor City, but the Pistons are going against the second-worst team in the NBA in Phoenix tonight. The Pistons are fully healthy with no one on their injury report, and their bigs will look to test last year’s No. 1 pick DeAndre Ayton. In their first meeting, Ayton went 11-13 and grabbed 13 boards, so he could have another solid game.
Indiana Pacers at Golden State Warriors (GS -11, O/U 220.5)
The Warriors still haven’t flipped the switch even though we’ve been waiting for it. Golden State is just 5-5 in its last 10 games and that has kept the team from pulling away from Denver for the top spot in the conference. They have much more talent than this Indiana team, but the Pacers could be a solid play because they continue to scratch and claw to eek out victories. Indiana feels like one of those teams that gets more wins than it should in the regular season, but can’t rise to another level in the playoffs.
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