Lakers, Hawks Prevail in Play-In Tournament
Two more spots in the NBA playoffs were spoken for Tuesday night, and now just two more remain.
The Hawks and Lakers can rest easy for a few days, having secured the No. 7 seeds in the East and West, respectively. The two eight seeds are still up for grabs, though neither will be decided until Friday night. Then the playoffs get underway Saturday afternoon.
In today’s Winners Club you’ll find:
- East, West play-in tournament matchups
- Game 1 spreads for NBA playoffs
- Where Finals future odds stand
- Five-round fantasy football mock draft
- QBs dominate latest NFL mock
- Essential MLB betting trends
Four More Play-In Games Remain
It took overtime for Los Angeles to put the Timberwolves away at home and set up a first-round playoff series with the Grizzlies. Anthony Davis inexplicably fouled Mike Conley on a three-point attempt at the end of regulation and the veteran guard calmly knocked down all three free throws to send the game to the extra period, where the Lakers prevailed, 108-102, but failed to cover as eight-point favorites.
Atlanta took it to the Heat early on and won the rebounding battle by 24. Kyle Lowry provided a spark off the bench for Miami with 33 points but the Hawks, led by Trae Young’s 25 points, came away with a 116-105 road win as five-point underdogs to advance to Round 1, where the Celtics await.
The Timberwolves and Heat now await the results of Wednesday’s play-in games to see who they will host on Friday for a shot at securing the No. 8 seed and a first-round draw against the Nuggets and Bucks, respectively.
Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament
Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN): No. 10 Bulls vs. No. 9 Raptors (-4.5) | Total: 214.5
Friday, 7 p.m. ET (TNT): Bulls/Raptors vs. Heat
Eric Hartline/USA Today Sports
Western Conference Play-In Tournament
Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN): No. 10 Thunder vs. No. 9 Pelicans (-5.5) | Total: 228.5
Friday, 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN): Thunder/Pelicans vs. Timberwolves
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Bucks, Suns Favored to Meet Again in NBA Finals
Six of the eight first-round playoff matchups are set. There’s admittedly more intrigue out West than on the East side of the bracket, though Knicks-Cavaliers has the potential to be a great matchup. Warriors-Kings, Clippers-Suns and Lakers-Grizzlies are all awesome showdowns with star power in play for both teams.
See the Game 1 schedule for this coming weekend and where the NBA Finals odds currently stand at SI Sportsbook below. And check back later today on si.com/betting for an in-depth betting preview for the top seven teams in each conference.
Eastern Conference Playoff Matchups and Schedule
Saturday, 1 p.m. ET (ESPN): No. 6 Nets vs. No. 3 76ers (-8.5) | Total: 216.5
Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN): No. 7 Hawks vs. No. 2 Celtics (-8.5) | Total: 230.5
Saturday, 6 p.m. ET (ESPN): No. 5 Knicks vs. No. 4 Cavaliers (-5.5) | Total: 214.5
Sunday, 5:30 p.m. ET (TNT): Heat/Raptors/Bulls vs. No. 1 Bucks
Western Conference Playoff Matchups and Schedule
Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC): No. 6 Warriors vs. No. 3 Kings (-1.5) | Total: 238.5
Sunday, 3 p.m. ET (ABC): No. 7 Lakers vs. No. 2 Grizzlies (-3.5) | Total: 229.5
Sunday, 8 p.m. ET (TNT): No. 5 Clippers vs. No. 4 Suns (-2.5) | Total: 227.5
Sunday, 10 p.m. ET (TNT): Timberwolves/Pelicans/Thunder vs. No. 1 Nuggets
Rick Scuteri/AP
Bucks +250
Celtics +300
Suns +450
Warriors +850
76ers +900
Nuggets +1000
Lakers +1200
Grizzlies +2000
Clippers +3300
Cavaliers +4000
Kings +6600
Knicks +10000
Hawks +15000
Raptors +20000
Heat +20000
Timberwolves +25000
Pelicans +30000
Thunder +50000
Bulls +50000
Nets +50000
Receivers Dominate Fantasy Football Mock Draft
Fantasy football draft season is still a ways away, but Michael Fabiano took a stab at his second one-man, 12-team PPR mock draft of the offseason ahead of the NFL draft at the end of the month.
He went five rounds deep with each “team” employing different draft strategies.
“One thing you’ll notice in the results is that this is unlike most mocks I’ve done in the past. With some of the top running backs getting older and an influx of good, young wideouts in the league, the balance of power has shifted to the latter position,” Fabiano writes.
Another shift: Quarterbacks come off the board especially early and two are selected in the second round, a big break from the famous late-round QB strategy.
Matt Krohn/USA TODAY Sports
In more mock draft news, SI’s 7.0 mock draft is out now and it includes a projected trade for the Cardinals’ No. 3 pick.
The phones in Arizona have reportedly been ringing nonstop with teams trying to move up and Kevin Hanson has the Colts paying the price to move up one spot to draft Anthony Richardson out of Florida.
There’s been growing buzz about Bryce Young, rather than C.J. Stroud, being the Panthers’ selection at No. 1, but Hanson still has Carolina selecting the Ohio State signal-caller and Alabama’s Heisman winner goes to the Texans at No. 2.
But the quarterback run doesn’t stop there. Hanson projects two more trade-ups in the first-round, both of which might come as a surprise.
And though only one running back (Bijan Robinson of Texas) is projected to come off the board in the first 31 picks, Fabiano assigned his best fantasy fits for the top prospects at the position. Some teams will be adding depth in the backfield while others might be picking a replacement at running back.
In Other News
Fantasy Impact of Ravens Signing OBJ: Baltimore inked free-agent wideout Odell Beckham Jr. to a one-year deal worth up to $18 million. The move comes with quarterback Lamar Jackson’s future with the team still in doubt. OBJ could have some value for fantasy managers next season, but don’t count on a return to his Giants days.
Notable MLB Betting Trends to Follow: The Rays are covering the run line at a blistering pace amid their 11–0 start and the over has been hitting at a high rate so far this season. See which numbers to call upon as you bet on baseball.
WNBA Draft Winners and Losers: The Indiana Fever were a clear winner from Monday’s draft after they landed Aliyah Boston from South Carolina with the No. 1 pick. But who else won the draft? And who lost it?
Thanks for reading Winners Club! Just a heads up, I won’t be in your inbox this coming Friday as usual. Instead, look out for a new edition of the newsletter next Wednesday when the first round of the NBA playoffs will already be well underway and the NFL draft one week closer.