NBA Play-In Tournament Best Picks and Top Odds| Tuesday, March 12

The NBA Playoffs are finally here; kind of. It’s actually the NBA play-in games to get in the playoffs but it will have a playoff-like intensity. There will be four teams from each conference battling for two playoff spots and the chance to continue their season. Whether these games are necessary is a topic for another day but there is money to be made in these games. Two will be played on Tuesday and two more games will be played on Wednesday. Here is a pick for each of Tuesday’s matchups.

Cleveland Cavaliers at Brooklyn Nets

For completely opposite reasons, both of these teams did not expect to be playing in this tournament. The Cavs were awful last year and while they had hope, no one thought they would be this much better. The Nets, on the other hand, were considered a shoe-in to make the playoffs and it was thought that they would be one of the most dominant teams in the NBA. However, here both teams stand, and we are going with the underdog in this game.

There’s no doubt the Nets are more talented than the Cavs. In fact, the Nets may be the most talented team in the whole league. With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Nets can definitely go on a deep playoff run and while they should win this game, the line is too big. This line is disrespectful to a scrappy Cavs team. While they are young and inexperienced, guys like Darius Garland and Evan Mobley are studs who can keep this game close. Everyone’s writing off the Cavs because of their late season skid, but don’t rule them out just yet. This game will be closer than everyone projects and the Cavs will assert themselves as a legitimate threat to whoever they match up against in the first round of the real NBA playoffs.

Los Angeles Clippers at Minnesota Timberwolves

While we went with the less talented team in the game listed above, this game we are backing the more talented squad. Minnesota has two legitimately game changing players who should be able to do enough to get them past a scrappy Clippers squad. While the Clippers will return Paul George for this matchup, his health is still in question. Also, LA will be without Kawhi Leonard and his absence completely limits this team’s ceiling. Both Anthony Edwards and Karl Anthony Towns are studs and will be the difference for the Wolves in this matchup.

Both of these teams have overachieved this season. It’s going to be an intense game but the home court advantage may prove to be the difference. Minnesota is going to be prepared and with the aforementioned Towns and Edwards, they should have the two best players on the court. Ultimately, basketball comes down to the players and Minnesota has a distinct advantage. This game will not be easy. Both teams will play hard defense and have a playoff intensity. But the Wolves are simply a better team. Take them -2.5 and watch them hopefully win a tough game.