NBA Picks 2025- Play In Tournament (Tuesday 15th April-Friday 18th April)

The 4-0-1 run for the NBA Picks in the 2024 Finals proved to be the difference between a winning and losing season for the selections.

Matching the Playoff run through the 2023 tournament was always going to be challenging, but back to back years with a profit returned cannot be ignored.

After a long regular season, and the second NBA Cup, we are back into the post-season beginning with the Play In Tournament from Tuesday through to Friday. We have seen the opening schedule for the Game 1s of the First Round with four to be played on Saturday and four to be played on Sunday and it is no surprise that the four teams that are able to come through the Play In Tournament will be featured on the second of those days.

Of course the final two places will not be decided until Friday and so those two teams will be the ones with the least amount of recovery and preparation before the Playoffs get underway, but that is the downside of either finishing as a the Number 9 or 10 Seed in either Conference or having lost the battle between the Number 7 and Number 8 Seeds.

Those opening games between the highest Seeds involved in the Play In Tournament have been set for Tuesday with the first elimination games played on Wednesday.

The regular season may still be tweaked in the years ahead to ensure games matter even more than they do now, although that does not mean it was a year devoid of storylines.

Even now, the trade made by the Dallas Mavericks to move Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers is being felt throughout the League and the former of those teams has to find a way to win two games and earn a spot in the First Round of the Playoffs. Anything less than that will have Mavericks fans wondering whether there should be firings in the executive areas of the team, namely Nico Harrison, especially as it would have happened less than twelve months since Dallas were playing in the NBA Finals.

It is a big week for the likes of the Golden State Warriors and Orlando Magic, two teams in each Conference that will certainly feel they can give the top Seeds something to think about if they are able to make it through the Play In Tournament. Others may value the experience that participating in the First Round of the Playoffs will give them, even if they are not expected to have a big impact in the Playoff and so there will be plenty of motivation on display when the first phase of the post-season this week.

As in previous years, the First Round Picks for the NBA Playoffs will be split into a couple of threads, but the first of those will be published on Friday evening/Saturday morning.

Before that, the focus is on the Play In Tournament with selections added to this thread over the next four days as the match ups are set.

Tuesday 15th April

Atlanta Hawks @ Orlando Magic Pick: The regular season series may have been split 2-2, but you cannot place a lot of stock in the Atlanta Hawks win over the Orlando Magic on the final day of the regular season. The Seeds for the Play In Tournament had already been set by then and both the Hawks and Magic knew they would be meeting in Orlando in the first of the Play In games with the teams holding the Number 7 and 8 Seeds.

The reason the Orlando Magic are hosting is thanks to a home win over the Atlanta Hawks last week and that was a game that had meant a lot to both teams.

It will give the Magic the mental edge in this game where the winner will move into the bracket for the Playoff with a Series against the Boston Celtics to come. The losing team will have a second opportunity to earn a spot in the post-season later in the week when hosting the winner of the Chicago-Miami Play In Tournament game, but neither Orlando nor Atlanta will be thinking about anything other than winning this one.

The top two Seeds in the Eastern Conference are both looking very strong and will be tough to beat, but the Orlando Magic may be the most dangerous opponent to meet. Injuries are perhaps the main reason Orlando finished 3 games out of the top six in the Eastern Conference with the likes of Frank Wagner and Paolo Banchero missing significant time during the regular season, but both have been influential to earning the top spot in the Play In Tournament.

Jalen Suggs is missing, which is a blow, but the Orlando Magic have continued to play strong Defensive basketball and that is expected to be key in this game. When beating the Atlanta Hawks at home last week, Orlando were a bit more careful with the ball, but the key was matching the three point output of the Hawks on the night.

They may need more of the same in this one with Atlanta still looking like a team that can rack up the points on any given night. Trae Young has shown his ability to perform in the pressurised environment of the post-season plenty of times and the Hawks finished the season in very consistent form on the Offensive side of the court, although they will have to respect how well Orlando have played against that.

There is also pressure on the Hawks Offensively as they have not performed as well on the other side of the court throughout the season. This Orlando team may not be that convincing Offensively, but they have those players like Banchero and Frank Wagner capable of doing enough and that is how this opening Play In Tournament may end up landings.

With the Magic better at home, they can do enough Offensively to keep the Hawks under some pressure and that should allow the Defensive schemes to just pressurise the road team to force up some shots. As long as the Magic continue to challenge on the boards as they did last week, Orlando can find a way to win this game and cover the spread set.

The Number 7 Seed is 6-2 in the Play In Tournament since this format was introduced and the Orlando Magic can extend that further with the win and cover.

Memphis Grizzlies @ Golden State Warriors Pick: They were one of a handful of teams that had so much riding on the final regular season game, but the Golden State Warriors were beaten at home in Overtime by the LA Clippers. Despite being one of the hottest teams in the NBA since the All Star Game, that defeat has cost the Warriors an opportunity to take their place in the First Round of the NBA Playoffs and instead they enter the Play In Tournament.

This is still a veteran team that will feel they can have a major impact in the post-season, but the key for the Warriors may be winning this first of potentially two Play In Tournament games. Winning this one would mean facing the Houston Rockets in the First Round, which feels a much more winnable Series than having to go in with the Number 1 Seed and title favourites Oklahoma City Thunder.

Head Coach Steve Kerr will not be too concerned, but it does feel the Number 7 Seed in the Playoff will offer Golden State a much better chance to really build momentum. With players like Draymond Green, Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler in the rotation, the Warriors are going to be very dangerous if they can play their way into the First Round.

This opening Play In Tournament game sees the Warriors hosting the Memphis Grizzlies, who had a late, disappointing collapse in their own bid to earn a top six finish in the tough Western Conference. Memphis did win four of their last six games, but consecutive defeats to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets saw those two teams earn one of the top six places and with Memphis now scrambling for a spot in the First Round.

The losing team is likely going to be a favourite in the last elimination game later this week, but having to face the Thunder in the First Round instead of the Rockets will mean there is plenty of motivation to avoid that pressurised final game.

With Ja Morant in the lineup, there has not been a lot wrong with the Memphis Offensive approach down the stretch, although this is a tough test for them against the Golden State Defense. It becomes that much more challenging on the road and the Grizzlies may be put under pressure by the continued absence of Jaylen Wells.

His absence has really been felt on the Defensive side of the court and that may be the case again on Tuesday as they prepare to face an opponent that won three of the four regular season games. That includes the Golden State Warriors winning as a road favourite at the Memphis Grizzlies earlier this month when Steph Curry put up 52 points and was well backed by Jimmy Butler (27 points).

This feels like a decent enough match up for the Warriors and they should have had ample time to recover emotionally and physically from the Overtime loss to the Clippers on Sunday. That game was played in the afternoon and this one is set for Tuesday evening so there will be no excuses for Golden State as they look to avoid an elmination from this Play In Tournament format for the third time in five years.

Last year they were beaten as the Number 10 Seed, while losses to the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies saw the Warriors eliminated in 2021. It has been a few seasons, but revenge can be earned for that home defeat in 2021 with a strong victory over Memphis to take their place as the Number 7 Seed in the Western Conference Playoff bracket.

Wednesday 16th April

Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls Pick: The regular season has been completed and we move into a portion of the schedule where experience can be more valuable than outright talent.

The experience edge has to be with the Miami Heat in the first elimination game played in the Play In Tournament in 2025 when the Number 10 Seed visit the Chicago Bulls. However, it is the Number 9 Seeded Bulls hosting this game and they will point out that they have won all three regular season games between these rivals and all have been played since February.

That includes the Bulls beating the Miami Heat by 8 points last week, which is effectively why Chicago are hosting rather than travelling to South Florida. In saying that, the situation is a bit different in this Play In Tournament game compared with the three regular season games and that is because the Bulls have been set as the favourite, albeit narrow favourite, for the first time.

Players and fans will know that and that does build pressure with a sense of expectation around the team.

Trades were made by both Chicago and Miami during the regular season which will have dampened enthusiasm for a deep post-season run and both know that their only opponent in the First Round is the Number 1 Seed Cleveland Cavaliers. Even reaching that Round will mean winning two games in a row this week, but the focus has to be on Wednesday when the 'win or go home' state first comes up.

Seeding has tended to be important in the opening Play In Tournament games and the Number 9 Seed has a 6-2 record against the Number 10 Seed. That includes Chicago winning as a host in 2024, while in 2023 the Bulls were one of the Number 10 Seeds that have secured a road upset to move through.

In saying that, it will not have been lost on anyone that both the 2023 and 2024 Play In Tournament runs ended in the Number 8 Seed Game and both times the Chicago Bulls have fallen at the hands of the Miami Heat.

This is going to be a mental factor that the Bulls have to overcome if they are going to progress and earn one more shot at taking their place in the post-season.

Chicago will need their key players to be healthy and all of the talk in the City is about Josh Giddey and his availability after it was announced he has been dealing with tendinitis issue that could affect his three point shooting capabilities. Like many of the starters, he was rested at times down the stretch in order to be ready to compete and his status is going to be important.

The expectation is that he will suit up and this is a Bulls team that have dominated those they will have expected to beat in recent games. However, the team have struggled against the top teams and so anything more than a First Round Playoff run would be seen as a huge success.

They will be able to attack a Miami team that have not been as strong since trading Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors, but a team that could benefit from the development some of the younger players have had. Like Chicago, the Heat were focused on the Play In Tournament when concluding the regular season and they will be confident that they can create the situations to hurt a Bulls team missing some of their better Defensive talent.

However, the Heat no longer have that go-to player who can take a post-season game over, while the team lost four of their last six games to close out the regular season. When they played here last week, the Heat actually won the turnover battle, but that was still not enough to secure the victory and Josh Giddey's availability would see this game lean in favour of the hosts.

This is not a big spread so it is reasonable to point out that the Heat have struggled as road underdogs with a 6-14 record in twenty games played in that spot. It is the first time they are being given points against Chicago this season, but those three regular season wins have to count for something and recent history continues to give the Number 9 Seed the advantage in this elimination Play In Tournament game.

Dallas Mavericks @ Sacramento Kings Pick: Both of these teams made big moves by trading away their best Guard ahead of the trade deadline, but there is little doubt that the biggest noise continues to be around the one that the Dallas Mavericks made.

Most teams may have shopped around for the best haul when talking about moving a potentially generational talent, but Nico Harrison has been hugely criticised for not only deciding that the Mavericks are better off without Luke Doncic. Furthering the disgust of the fans has been the news that Harrison had focused only on Anthony Davis as the trade piece he wanted back and so Dallas quietly moved behind the scenes to make a really poor trade with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Poor for the Mavericks, not for the Number 3 Seeded Lakers.

This is going to go down as a historically poor trade and even winning the NBA Championship may not be enough to excuse Nico Harrison's thinking.

The reality is that the Dallas Mavericks made the NBA Finals last year with Luka Doncic a huge piece of that run, but this year they have almost backed into the Play In Tournament and Kyrie Irving has been injured and ruled out for the remainder of the season. Many were baffled that Harrison was so keen to bring in injury-prone Anthony Davis and that is how it has worked out with Davis missing considerable time, although available for this Play In Tournament game.

When the Sacramento Kings moved De'Aaron Fox days after the Doncic trade, it barely made a blip on the radar that was still shaking by what Dallas had done.

The Kings have not exactly been flying since their own trade, but they have been solid and they look to have a team that can produce too much scoring for the current Dallas Mavericks roster. Being at home is another advantage, while the Kings have won both regular season games against the Mavericks since February.

Four losses in five games to round out the regular season offers little encouragement for fans of the Dallas Mavericks and they are likely going to need some fortune if they are going to prolong their season for a few more days. Ultimately they will need the Sacramento shooters to have a poor evening shooting the ball if the Mavericks are going to be able to impose their size on this Play In Tournament game, but that feels like a big ask and Sacramento may have too much.

Sacramento blew out the Golden State Warriors in this exact same spot twelve months ago and there is a chance that this gets out of hand for the Dallas Mavericks.

In recent games, the Dallas Mavericks have been inconsistent when it comes to shooting the three point shot and there is every chance this game becomes ugly if they are being forced to throw up too many of those shots. They are also playing a Kings team that have been pretty good Defensively over the last couple of weeks and one that has the Offensive talent to really push the pace against their opponent.

Nico Harrison is going to have some big questions to answer from those above him if the Mavericks are bounced out early having reached the NBA Finals in 2024, but that looks the only likely outcome of this elimination game. Fans will be wondering what may have been if someone could have stopped the trade that rocked the NBA world, and that may become even more painful to watch and/or read if Dallas do not make the First Round of the Playoff and the Los Angeles Lakers have the kind of run that many feel they can.

Friday 18th April

Miami Heat @ Atlanta Hawks Pick: These two teams could not be heading into this lasr Play In Tournament game in different moods, but the results since the introduction of this stage of the post-season have perhaps been surprising.

You may anticipate that the team that won the first game would have the momentum in the Play In Tournament, but it is the higher Seed that lost the opening Tournament game who have won five of the eight elimination games played. That includes winning the last four in a row and so it cannot be underestimaed the edge home advantage can give any team.

The Miami Heat have earned their place in this Play In Tournament game by crushing the Chicago Bulls on the road and they are just the third Number 10 Seed that have made it through to the Number 8 Seed game. The previous two were both beaten and Miami will know that it is going to be a challenge for them to continue producing on the Offensive side of the court at the high level that they have been.

Facing the Atlanta Hawks, who were blown out by the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, will give Miami the mental edge after winning the last two regular season games between these rivals. However, both were at home and the Heat have lost twice in this Arena already this season.

Miami came out very quickly against the Chicago Bulls and then suffocated them Defensively by holding them to just 90 points. This has to give the Heat plenty of reason to believe they can win here and this is a team that will look to the strong Defensive play to spark what they do Offensively with turnovers the key.

There is no doubting that the Miami Heat have been shooting the ball well in recent games and they can put some pressure on the Atlanta Hawks, although there are players in the home uniform who will also feel they can make a big Defensive impact on the game.

A concern has to be that Atlanta struggled to deal with the Orlando Magic Defensive schemes on Tuesday, even before Trae Young was ejected from the game. They are gong to need to organise more effectively on this side of the court and the Hawks have to play a cleaner game than the Miami Heat in terms of turnovers and rebounding numbers and this has the feeling of a very close game.

Neither is expected to offer too much resiliency against the Number 1 Seed Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference, but the narrow lean has to be with the Miami Heat to become the first Number 10 Seed to earn a spot in the First Round of the Playoff. Nothing will come easy, but Miami may feel that their Defensive work gives them the edge, as long as they can find someone to step up and perform Offensively as they have seen in recent games.

Dallas Mavericks @ Memphis Grizzlies Pick: The Dallas Mavericks upset the odds to beat the Sacramento Kings and that has earned them the right to compete in the Number 8 Seed in the Western Conference Play In Tournament. They are just the second Number 10 Seed to make it through the opening elimination game and that occurred just hours after Miami Heat had become the first to do that.

Making the First Round may not appease the unhappy fans, but the knives could be out for Nico Harrison if Dallas fail to make the Playoff.

He will have been very satisfied watching Anthony Davis lead the Mavericks to that win earlier this week, but this is another big test for Dallas when they head out to face the Memphis Grizzlies. A narrow loss to the Golden State Warriors has forced the Grizzlies into this Number 8 Seed game, but they will be encouraged by the overall performance and a couple of blowout wins over the Mavericks since the Luka Doncic trade will also help.

One of those may not matter too much with it being played on the final day of the regular season, but the win in March is important and will give Memphis plenty of belief to take into this game.

However, there is one concern that Ja Morant may miss out.

While he has not reached previous levels, Morant's recent performances have been much more encouraging and his absence will hurt Memphis. The Grizzlies are 18-14 without Ja Morant this season, but they will give him all of the time he needs to get himself ready to play having hurt his ankle in that loss to the Warriors.

The Grizzlies will know that their Offensive plans will be impacted without Ja Morant, although they can still give Dallas more to think about than the Sacramento Kings did in a disappointing home loss. The Mavericks will try and use their size to dominate the boards and limit the Memphis Grizzles to one and done, while grinding it out has to be part of the plan Offensively.

Most teams in the NBA will look to really get going from the three point range, but that is not a strength for Dallas and instead they will want to get the ball down into Anthony Davis and use him to open things up for others. The Mavericks did hit 14 three pointers in the win over the Kings and at 50% of the shots thrown up, but this Memphis team has plenty of intensity when getting out to the shooters and that could prevent that happening again.

Klay Thompson did remind people of his obvious talent in that win over the Kings to support Davis, but the veteran is not the force he once was. Replicating that effort will be tough and it gives Memphis the edge, even if Morant has to sit out.

This is a big spread if Dallas can impose themselves on this Number 8 Seed game, but the feeling is they may not have the consistency to do that as they did when beating the Sacramento Kings. This may just give Memphis the impetus to pull away in the Fourth Quarter and cover this mark set for the last Play In Tournament game.

MY PICKS: 15/04 Orlando Magic - 5 Points @ 1.90 Paddy Power (1 Unit)

15/04 Golden State Warriors - 6.5 Points @ 1.83 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

16/04 Chicago Bulls - 1 Point @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

16/04 Sacramento Kings - 5 Points @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)

18/04 Miami Heat + 1 Point @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

18/04 Memphis Grizzlies - 6 Points @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)

Play In Tournament: 3-3, - 0.28 Units (6 Units Staked, - 4.67% Yield)

NBA Play In Tournament Picks 2022 (April 12-15)

The NBA regular season has come to a close and that means we know the identity of the twenty teams that will make up the PlayOffs and the Play In Tournament.

Four of those teams are only going to be experiencing the Play In Tournament this week, but this is the time of the season when the big stars tend to show off all of their talent.

Some will be missing- LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers failed to make the top ten in the Western Conference and have a big off-season ahead, while my New York Knicks returned to type after a strong 2020/21 season.

But that doesn't mean the next two months are not going to be filled with some top quality Basketball. There is every chance we are going to get some big time First Round Series and I am looking forward to seeing how the PlayOffs shake up.

If I was asked to pick a potential NBA Final now I think my lean would be with the Phoenix Suns returning to the Finals to represent the Western Conference. The Eastern Conference looks wide open, but the Brooklyn Nets may just be coming together at the right time, although they will have to negotiate the Play In Tournament as well as the Boston Celtics or Miami Heat in the First Round.

The Nets may actually benefit by losing on Tuesday and then earning their way into the PlayOffs as the Number 8 Seed rather than the Number 7, but teams won't be thinking about that now and it is all about making sure you win each time you step on the court.

I will have all of the NBA Play In Tournament Picks in this thread and will then open a new thread for Games 1 through 4 of the First Round of the PlayOffs, which begins on Saturday.

Getting the PlayOffs off to a good start is the key this week before the First Round begins and there are some good games to get the post-season kicked off.

Tuesday 12th April

Cleveland Cavaliers @ Brooklyn Nets Pick: These teams both finished with the same record in the regular season, but a win for the Brooklyn Nets earlier this month was enough to win the tiebreaker over the Cleveland Cavaliers. That meant finishing the season in the Number 7 spot in the Eastern Conference and earning the right to host this opening Play In Tournament game.

With two shots to reach the PlayOffs, the Brooklyn Nets will feel they are in a strong position to make the First Round of the post-season. It has not been the season they would have wanted, but the Nets know the PlayOffs is almost a reset on the year they've had so far and the likes of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have previously played on NBA Championship teams to give Brooklyn plenty of experience to call upon.

A disappointing end to the regular season should not cloud how well the Cleveland Cavaliers have done to return this kind of level. It should be said that a few weeks ago they looked sure things to finish in the top six in the Eastern Conference, but an injury to Jarrett Allen seemed to spark a downturn in form and now the Cavaliers have to find a way to win one of a potential two games this week to earn their First Round Series.

Jarrett Allen has missed the end of the regular season, but he was practicing on Sunday before the final game and there is a feeling that he is trending towards being back in the rotation. However, the question for the Cavaliers is whether they want to bring Jarrett Allen back for this game or whether they should give him a few more days rest for a potential 'win or go home' game.

The Cavaliers are a pretty big underdog so it would make some sense, but this is also a team who have looked very vulnerable Defensively ever since Jarrett Allen went down. Having him back in the rotation may give them an opportunity to try and slow down the high-powered Brooklyn Offense which helped the team rally in the Fourth Quarter to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers by 11 points last week.

On the Offensive side of the court, the Cavaliers will feel they can at least push the Brooklyn Nets, but I have a lean that the latter having the best two players on the court can use that experience to pull clear of their visitors. The Nets will be facing a team that have struggled to stop the three ball and Brooklyn also look like they have an edge when it comes to the rebounding numbers.

I do think that will help the Brooklyn Nets pull clear of the Cleveland Cavaliers and both home wins over them in the regular season have come by at least ten points.

Over the course of the season the Nets have been over-rated by the layers and that has seen them struggle to cover big spreads, but they did manage to cover this same line in the last regular season game between these two teams last week.

Some of the betting trends are really going against the Brooklyn Nets, but they are facing a Cleveland Cavaliers team that is just 1-5 against the spread in their last six as the road underdog.

Like many of the home fans, I do think the likes of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were signed by Brooklyn to win these kind of games and I expect their scoring to help the team pull clear. The season may not have been the one that was expected, but Brooklyn can change that narrative very quickly and one of the most dangerous Play In teams could earn the Number 7 Seed in the Eastern Conference on Tuesday with a strong win.

Los Angeles Clippers @ Minnesota Timberwolves Pick: For a number of weeks the Los Angeles Clippers have been locked into the Number 8 Seed in the Western Conference and that does mean having two chances to make the First Round of the PlayOffs. While their City rivals have unexpectedly failed to even finish in the top ten of the Western Conference, the Clippers have to be given credit to have finished as high as they have considering they have been without Kawhi Leonard for the entirety of the season and Paul George for a large majority.

Paul George has returned to the rotation and he has been playing at a really good level, while the Clippers have ended the season with six wins from their last seven games to build some momentum.

This game to decide the Number 7 Seed in the Western Conference is going to be hosted by the Minnesota Timberwolves who just fell short of the top six by 2 games in the regular season. A couple of months ago it looked like the high-powered Offensive Minnesota team were going to be able to push into those positions, but they have lost four of their last seven games and will have to dig in to make sure they secure their place in the First Round.

Winning this game would also mean facing the Memphis Grizzlies rather than having to play another game for the right to meet the Phoenix Suns in the First Round in a loaded Western Conference.

Even through their inconsistent finish to the season, the Timberwolves have continued to be very productive on the Offensive side of the court. Karl-Anthony Towns was rested in their last regular season game and the Timberwolves will be hoping D'Angelo Russell is also able to overcome Covid and take his place in the line up. The Timberwolves will need Russell to round out the scoring power of the rotation, especially as they will be facing a Los Angeles Clippers Defensive scheme that has powered them into the Play In Tournament.

They have perhaps benefited from the schedule down the stretch, but the Clippers could only beat what was in front of them and they have to be given credit for that. The Defensive strength is coupled with an ability to win the battle on the boards and I think that could be enough for the Clippers to keep this one close.

Los Angeles will also benefit from the fact that the Minnesota Timberwolves have allowed teams to average over 53% from the field in their last five games and the return of Paul George has helped spark the Clippers Offense. They have been particularly effective from the three point range and it could be the key for the underdog as they look to become the first Number 8 Seed to beat the Number 7 Seed in the second season of the Play In Tournament.

Norman Powell is another who helps a pretty good rotation that has been successful even when the likes of Paul George were sitting on the sidelines. That could be very important for the Los Angeles Clippers as they look to avoid having to play again this week before the First Round Series begin in the PlayOffs and I do think the underdog may have enough to win this game outright.

Both teams have struggled in their recent roles as the road underdog/home favourite, but the Clippers rounded out the regular season in strong form rather than the inconsistency that the Minnesota Timberwolves displayed and Los Angeles could make the points being given to them count.

Wednesday 13th April

That was a pretty ridiculous start to the Play In Tournament Picks.

Brooklyn led by 22 points in the Third Quarter and the Clippers led by 10 points in the Fourth Quarter with their hosts in deep foul trouble.

Quite shockingly, both teams failed to cover by a combined four points- that is pretty sickening.

Things hopefully won't be as ridiculous for a second night in a row. You are never going to get every Pick right, but I am looking for teams to not move into massively strong positions where they are covering by 13 plus points, as both were last night in the second half, and then blow it late.

Charlotte Hornets @ Atlanta Hawks Pick: The winning team will be heading to the Cleveland Cavaliers later this week to try and earn the Number 8 Seed in the Eastern Conference, but there is plenty of pressure on both the Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets. Both have looked like they were set for a Play In Tournament appearance for some time, but they will feel they put in plenty in the last couple of weeks of the regular season to have deserved a higher Seeding and two shots to make the PlayOffs.

Nothing will change that now and there is plenty of pressure that is going to be felt by both of these teams heading into this 'win or go home' game.

The Atlanta Hawks may be dealing with a bit more pressure than the Charlotte Hornets- they reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season so missing out completely on the First Round of the PlayOffs would be a huge underachievement. On the other hand, Charlotte are a team that are building for the future, but who have taken huge steps this season to finish with a winning record and a team that ended the regular season feeling pretty good about their chances of upsetting their way into the First Round of the post-season.

They finished with the same record as the Hawks, while three wins in a row will give the Hornets plenty of confidence.

Charlotte have a team that have shown plenty of firepower on the Offensive side of the board and even the absence of Gordon Hayward for large stretches of the season have not slowed them down. Gordon Hayward will be missing for the Play In Tournament, but the Hornets have averaged 53% from the field in their last five games and they can challenge an Atlanta Defensive scheme that has been a touch inconsistent.

However, the Hawks have Trae Young and they have been scoring pretty well themselves. They also have to be encouraged by the fact that the Hornets have been as porous Defensively as they have been productive on the Offensive side of the court and that is where Atlanta can make enough plays to get on top of this big game.

A couple of factors suggest the Hawks will be too strong in this important game.

The PlayOff experience cannot be discounted at this stage of the season, while second chance points could also be an area the Hawks can beat out the Hornets with their size and intensity around the boards. And you absolutely have to factor in home court where Atlanta have been much stronger this season compared with their performances on the road.

These teams split their four regular season games and they each won once on the court as the visiting team. I have little doubt this is going to be another intense battle with the Hornets and Hawks capable of getting very hot from the field and able to take the game away from an opponent, but the stronger Atlanta Defensive performances in recent games could see them win this Play In game.

I have a huge amount of respect for what Charlotte have done to get into the position they are in, but they are facing an Atlanta team that have been performing well as the favourite.

Atlanta also won eight of their last ten games to end the regular season with the sole losses on the road at Toronto and Miami, two teams already into the First Round of the PlayOffs. The Hawks won their last four home games and all by at least 7 points and I think the experience of last season will see one big Fourth Quarter effort and a place in the final Play In Tournament game in the Eastern Conference.

San Antonio Spurs @ New Orleans Pelicans Pick: Three losses in a row have slowed any momentum the Number 10 Seeded San Antonio Spurs may feel they had going into the Play In Tournament, and all of those were suffered against teams that finished above them in the standings. On Wednesday they have to face another one of those when they go up against the New Orleans Pelicans who have also lost two in a row ahead of this vital must win game.

A trip to Los Angeles will await the winner and it is the San Antonio Spurs who won the regular season between these two teams, including winning both games played in New Orleans.

That has to give the Spurs a mental edge ahead of this Play In game, but the post-season pressures are very different and neither one of these teams is blessed with a lot of experience. And while the New Orleans Pelicans will know they were beaten in both home games against the Spurs, there is no doubt how important the home fans can be in these pressurised environments and it is no surprise the road teams have struggled in the early runnings of the Play In Tournament.

It is something that is a concern, but I do think the San Antonio Spurs can make the points count in this one.

Brandon Ingram also looks set to return for the New Orleans Pelicans and I do think his availability is very important for the home team. They closed the season with some inconsistent form on the Offensive side of the court, and now the Pelicans have to deal with the San Antonio Defensive unit that have played with plenty of intensity despite a difficult run in to close the regular season.

The Spurs are lacking star power these days, but they have been shooting the ball efficiently and I think that is going to be important for them in this one. I do think the Spurs will have considerable success against the New Orleans Defense which has allowed teams to average 53% from the field in their last five games and that is where the Spurs should be able to keep this one close.

San Antonio have covered in their last seven as the underdog overall and they have also covered in their last six as the road underdog. Gregg Popovich has had a bit more time to prepare the team for this Play In Tournament and he has been a Head Coach who has made use of the additional time with the Spurs going 11-4 against the spread in their last fifteen when they have had two days rest between games.

You cannot ignore how well the New Orleans Pelicans have played as the home favourite in recent weeks, but I would be surprised if they are able to blow out the San Antonio Spurs and this looks enough points to back the underdog.

Friday 15th April

It has been a favourites Play In Tournament so far with those teams going 3-1 against the spread and all four higher Seeds winning their opening games.

That may be challenged when the two games for the Number 8 Seed in the Eastern and Western Conference are played on Friday. Once again we have relatively narrow favourites, although for the first time one of those will be playing on the road.

It is different to the PlayOffs and the best of seven game series that have to be played and there will be tension as teams face elimination on Friday. However, it does mean that all will be put on the line and players will be asked to dig as deep as possible in order to earn a First Round Series, although the winners of the two games could be vulnerable Game 1 teams.

Atlanta Hawks @ Cleveland Cavaliers Pick: At one point it looked like the Cleveland Cavaliers were not only looking to reach the First Round of the PlayOffs, but pushing for a top four finish in the Eastern Conference. They unfortunately slid down the standings over the last couple of months of the regular season and you can virtually pinpoint the moment of that slide coinciding with the injury suffered by Jarrett Allen.

There is no doubt that he has been a huge miss for the Cavaliers and the home fans will be hoping Jarrett Allen is able to suit up in this last Play In Tournament game. Even if he does, you have to wonder if there will be some rustiness on his part and that does not bode well against the Atlanta Hawks who blew out the Charlotte Hornets in their first Play In game and who finished the regular season with a lot more confidence.

Injuries have also hurt the Hawks and they are almost certainly going to without John Collins again, but Trae Young has found support from his role players and that has helped the Hawks down the stretch. They have beaten plenty of quality opponents and narrow losses to some of the best teams in the East won't have dented the belief of a team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season and who will look to make a real impact in the post-season as long as they can get into the First Round of the NBA PlayOffs.

Being at home should be an advantage for the Cleveland Cavaliers and that should make this a closer game than some anticipate, despite all of the momentum being against the Cavaliers.

The two teams have both been pretty confident with the way they have been shooting the ball and that also makes this a close game as far as I am concerned. In the NBA, any team that can hit the three pointers at the kind of clips that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks do are going to be dangerous if they get their eye in early.

A difference between the two is that in recent games the Hawks Defensive schemes have been a little more consistent and the feeling is that they are the team that can make the critical stops when they need to. Having Jarrett Allen back will help the Cavaliers, but they are also allowing teams to find open shooters beyond the arc and that is where I believe the experienced Atlanta Hawks can just do enough.

The return of Jarrett Allen will block up the paint and help the Cavaliers with their rebounding, but I do think his minutes may be limited as he rebuilds his fitness. It should mean the Hawks are able to take advantage when Allen is on the bench, my assumption being he will suit up for this game, and I think Atlanta's momentum over the last month will carry them into the PlayOffs.

Further momentum has to be taken from the fact that the Hawks won the last three regular season games between these teams- as poor as their road record has been, one of those was also here in Cleveland, while the 24 point win at the end of March won't be far from the mind of either set of players.

The Cavaliers do have an extra day to prepare for this game, while they have a strong record against the spread when being set as the home underdog. However, the Hawks are 4-1 against the spread in their last five as the road favourite, and they blew out the Hornets which means the players should be ready to compete even with the slightly shorter rest period.

I am never a fan of backing a public team like the Hawks are for this game, but I will lay the points with the team with momentum as they look to secure a First Round Series with the Number 1 Seeded Miami Heat.

New Orleans Pelicans @ Los Angeles Clippers Pick: The big question for the Los Angeles Clippers is how much they have emotionally suffered from blowing a big lead in the Fourth Quarter of their Play In Tournament defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Some players will feel they should already be in the First Round of the PlayOffs, but the Clippers have to pick themselves up and go again as they host this 'win or go home' game on Friday.

The momentum will feel like it is with the New Orleans Pelicans who won their opening Play In Tournament game against the San Antonio Spurs, but that was at home and it is a much different challenge playing in this atmosphere on the road. So far the home teams have dominated the Play In Tournament, but there is plenty of pressure on the Clippers too.

A mental edge is the fact they have won three of the four regular season games against the Pelicans, especially as they blew them out at home earlier this month,

Paul George has to pick up his efficiency if the Clippers are to have a real chance of winning, but he is also well supported by a team that grew without him and Kawhi Leonard for much of the season. However, cold spells proved to be costly for the Clippers in their loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves and they cannot afford to do that against the New Orleans Pelicans.

A benefit for the Clippers is that they are facing a Pelicans team that have struggled Defensively and I do think Los Angeles will be able to have their success from the three point range as well as when they get into the paint.

It does put the pressure on the Pelicans to find an Offensive response of their own, but they are going to be confident after beating the San Antonio Spurs and seeing a strong effort from CJ McCollum. The player traded from the Portland Trail Blazers for moments like these was clearly inspired by his effort and believes something big will happen for the Pelicans, although even a win in this game means facing the Phoenix Suns in the First Round of the PlayOffs.

New Orleans have been pretty efficient shooting the ball, but they are facing a Clippers team who have based their run towards the post-season on being able to play strong Defense. The poor outing against the Timberwolves will hurt, but it was more to do with the Offense going cold than the Defensive schemes breaking down and I think the Los Angeles Clippers will be able to do enough to beat this opponent again.

The Pelicans have been a strong road underdog, but Los Angeles have been strong when facing a team with a losing record like the one New Orleans have. The Clippers are also 4-1 against the spread in their last five as the home favourite and I think home advantage can also help the team to bounce back from the loss earlier this week and make their way into the First Round of the PlayOffs.

MY PICKS: 12/04 Brooklyn Nets - 9.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

12/04 Los Angeles Clippers + 3.5 Points @ 1.91 Coral (1 Unit)

13/04 Atlanta Hawks - 5 Points @ 1.91 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

13/04 San Antonio Spurs + 5.5 Points @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)

15/04 Atlanta Hawks - 2 Points @ 2.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

15/04 Los Angeles Clippers - 4 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Play In Update: 2-4, - 2.09 Units (6 Units Staked, - 34.83% Yield)