By Only Players Staff
Updated 4/15/24 12:43am ET
After a wild end to the NBA regular season, the play-in tournament bracket is set and the betting odds suggest this week will feature plenty of drama and tight games.
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers open as one-point underdogs at the Pelicans on Tuesday. The winner will receive the #7 seed and face the defending champion Denver Nuggets in the first round.
The loser will host the winner of the other Western Conference play-in, which features Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors as two-point road favorites at Sacramento. The winner will become the #8 seed and face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round, while the loser is eliminated.
The Eastern Conference will follow the same protocol on Wednesday. The Philadelphia 76ers are 4.5-point home favorites to Miami. The winner garners the #7 seed and faces the Knicks in the opening round.
The loser will host the winner of Wednesday’s other play-in, which has the Bulls as three-point home favorites against Atlanta. That will serve as an elimination game with the winner getting the #8 seed and facing the Celtics in the first round.
Last year’s play-in tournament produced an NBA finalist. The Miami Heat entered as the #7 seed and eventually became the #8 seed after losing its first play-in game but winning the elimination game.
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