After getting blown-out by the magic, the Hawks will now play host to the Heat in a win or go home fixture.
These two sides met four times during the regular season, collecting two wins a piece, with the home side prevailing in each games.
The Heat won the two most recent matchups, and will carry some momentum into this game following a cruise 19-point victory in their 9th v 10th elimination fixture on the road to Chicago.
Miami have been able to keep Trae Young relatively quiet this season, with the small guard averaging 17 points across four games.
Meanwhile, Tyler Herro has cashed in on his four games against the Hawks, raking in 25 points per game, to go along with 7 assists.
I’m backing the Heat to cover as slight underdogs, combined with 25+ points from Herro.
This game might as well be named “Death row”, you either lose here and get eliminated, or win and proceed to get swept in round one against OKC.
“Defence win Championships” – Nico Harrison (Mavs GM, & the man responsible for for the worst trade in basketball history)
The Mavs are without Kyrie (injury) and Luka (Traded), but going off Nico Harrison’s word, missing their two biggest defensive liabilities might be the biggest blessing they could ask for… not.
Dallas has done extremely well to make it this far despite Nico, AD’s return from injury has help them on both ends of the court, but the question still remains, who else can create their own shot?
Dallas are going to need to make this game ugly is they stand any chance of winning.
I’m backing the Unders to salute, combined with 20+ points from Anthony Davis
The Magic host the Hawks in the first Play-in game in the East, with the winner set to take on the Boston Celtics in the first round of the Play-offs, while the loser play the winner of the 9th-10th match.
Orlando finished the regular season with a .500 record, going 41-41 to claim 7th in the East, with a home record of 22-19.
Meanwhile, the Hawks finished a game back in 8th, while going 19-22 on the road.
These two sides met four times during the regular season, splitting the series 2-2, with both team claiming a win at home and on the road.
Big players stand up in big fixtures, and the biggest players in this match-up are Trae Young, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
Trae Young has enjoyed another phenomenal year from a personal stats standpoint, leading the league in assists (11.6), while also scoring at a high clip of 24.2 per game, Trae has averaged 28-3-8 across his three games against Orlando this season, and I like him for another 25+ here.
On the other side of the court, the Magic will attack with the double-headed snake that is Banchero and Wagner.
Banchero haș averaged a whooping 33-9-4 across his three games against the Hawks, and 28 points across his last eight games of the season, lets take him for 25+ against the turnstile that is Atlanta’s defence.
Similarly, Franz Wagner has averaged 28 in three games against the Hawks and 24.2 on the season, we’ll take him for an easy 20+ in this one.
Over in the West, the Dubs (7th) host the Grizzlies (8th), with the winner set to play the Rockets (2nd) in the opening round of the Play-offs.
The Warriors finished the season with a 48-34 record, missing out on a top 6 seed thanks to an over-time defeat to the Clippers on the final day of the season.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies slid from 2nd to 8th after the All-Star break, sacked their coach two weeks ago, and their star player seems more concerned with gun related celebrations than winning basketball games.
Golden State won the regular season series against Memphis 3-1, going 2-0 at home across the trip.
All three of the Dubs wins against the Grizzlies have been accompanied by a 1-10 margin, and I’m backing another close contest to play out here.
The first elimination match is set to be played in Chicago between the Bulls (9th) and the Heat (10th).
The Bulls are 3-0 against the Heat during the regular season, and enter this game on a three-match winning streak.
Josh Giddey has cooked against Miami this season, averaging a 26-point Triple-Double across the three matchups (10.3 Reb, 10 Ast).
I’m backing the SLOB Wizard to have a night out.
Finally, the Mavs travel to Sacramento to take on the Kings.
Dallas’ have endured a season from hell, losing Kyrie to a ruptured ACL, having Gafford, Lively, and AD all miss large time through injury, while the worst wound was self inflicted, when they inexplicably traded a generational talent, future MVP, and the man who carried them to the NBA Finals last season, Luka Doncic.
The Mavs still have a lot of big bodies they can through at the Kings, but without Kyrie (or Luka), their half-court offence is non-existent.
The Kings swept the Mavs 3-0 during the regular season, and although I not a fan of their roster, they at least have three competent senior players to guide them through this high-stakes fixture.
I’m taking Sabonis to have 35+ Points, Rebounds, & Assists on the way to the Kings covering at home.