The Show is open! Six “play-in” games have been completed and the 16-team bracket is now set for the 2021 NBA playoffs. Los Angeles Lakers’ and Memphis Grizzlies’ play-in rounds were successful and they are now the No. 7 and No. 8. 8 seeds in Western Conference. As No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in the Eastern Conference. 8 seeds in Eastern Conference. The quarterfinals will be the first of four matches today. The next four playoff rounds are best-of-7 elimination series.
The top two seeds in West are the Utah Jazz (50-22) & Phoenix Suns (51-21) after stellar regular season runs. The East’s top seeds were awarded to the Brooklyn Nets (48-24), and the Philadelphia 76ers (492-23). The New York Knicks have returned to the postseason after a season filled with surprises since their loss to the Indiana Pacers 4-2 in the Eastern Conference semifinals 2013.
The NBA futures odds to win each series are hot tickets before the start of the playoffs. FanDuel, DraftKings and other top sportsbooks offer legal betting during the playoffs. The odds of a conference championship or NBA Finals finals will change throughout the postseason. These are only a few examples. Every playoff game is available for pregame and LIVE betting.
Analysis of the current NBA standings and playoff odds
Eastern Conference
Philadelphia is the clear winner of the East conference, with a record of 47-21. They have won 8 consecutive games. Brooklyn and Milwaukee are tied for 2nd, but they are each 3.5 games behind Philly with only 5 remaining.
Although the Eastern Conference’s top players are extremely talented, the pool tends to dry up quickly. The East is ruled by Milwaukee, Philly, and the Nets. These three organizations have separated from the rest of the pack and are all within 3.5 games of each other in the standings.
Brooklyn is only 5-5 in the last 10 while Philly and Bucks are both 8-2.
The 3rd spot to the 4th in the East has seen a huge jump in records, talent and playoffs chances. The New York Knicks are at 37-30, 6 games behind BKN/MIL. The Atlanta Hawks (37-31) or Miami Heat (36-31) are the next two teams after NY. These are not teams that instill fear in their opponents.
The East’s current play-in series of four games should conclude today. It is the Celtics (Hornets), Wizards, Pacers, and Wizards – in that order.
The Chicago Bulls are currently 11th in conference, 3 games behind Indiana’s 10-seed with only 5 games to go. Russell Westbrook and his Wizards team are on fire in the 9 seed, having won 7 of their 10 previous games.
Conference in the West
The NBA’s most powerful team, the Utah Jazz, has not lost their grip on the league. They have maintained their best record of 49-18 since taking over Philly and Clippers on February 2nd.
Utah was the 2021 NBA’s first team to secure a playoff spot. The Western teams that have clinched the playoffs are the Suns and Clippers, Nuggets and Mavericks. There are only 5 games left.
The Jazz are 1 game ahead Phoenix (2nd place) with 5 games to go, but 4 games ahead of Los Angeles Clippers (3rd).
Los Angeles Lakers are currently in the Western Conference bottom half due to the absence of LeBron Jam. LA is now just 2-8 in the last 10, and 37-30 overall. They are 7th in the conference. This is after having the NBA’s best record in the first month 2020-21.
LA is now in playin territory. Only the top 6 teams from each conference will be guaranteed a spot in the playoff bracket. Seeds 7-10 must play to get into the final 2 spots. The Lakers are only 1 game behind Portland’s 6-seed and Dallas’ 5-seed teams so a guaranteed bid to the playoff bracket is possible.
Despite LeBron’s absence, it is still a betting favorite that the LA Lakers will win the Western Conference. LeBron will be back on the court in the second week.
If the season ends today, the four-game West play-in series will be the Warriors, Spurs, Warriors, Grizzlies and Spurs.
To keep their chance at a play in berth, the Spurs are two and a half games ahead New Orleans Pelicans who are currently 11th. San Antonio has six games left – New Orleans 5.
Finals Matchup Bets
A matchup bet is one of the most unusual bets on the NBA playoffs. This means that you will pick the two teams that will be playing in the NBA Finals. Because you are betting on two teams reaching the Finals, these bets often have higher odds.
Last Updated on November 18, 2021