NBA Play-In Odds: Nets, Timberwolves Favored

With the NBA’s 82-game marathon regular season complete, all eyes now shift to the NBA play-in odds board. And although no one will be eliminated from the postseason at the conclusion of Tuesday’s two contests, the winners will gain automatic entry into the playoffs.

As for Tuesday’s two losers? They’ll be pushed to elimination games Friday.

The Eastern Conference tips things off Tuesday, as the No. 7 seed Brooklyn Nets are laying big points at home against the No. 8 Cleveland Cavaliers. The winner advances to take on the No. 2 Boston Celtics in a first-round series starting this weekend. The loser faces the winner of Wednesday’s game between No. 9 Atlanta and No. 10 Charlotte in a winner-take-all clash Friday, for the right to play the top-seeded Miami Heat.

Following Nets-Cavaliers on Tuesday, the scene shifts to the Western Conference, where the No. 7 seed Minnesota Timberwolves take the court as a short home chalk against the No. 8 Los Angeles Clippers. The winner advances to meet the No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies in a first-round series. The loser takes on either No. 9 New Orleans or No. 10 San Antonio on Friday, for the chance to play the Phoenix Suns, who finished with the NBA’s best regular-season record.

Props.com breaks down the NBA play-in odds and action for Tuesday’s contests.

Odds via WynnBet and updated as of 8:15 p.m. ET on April 12.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Brooklyn Nets

Tipoff/TV: 7 p.m. ET/TNT
Cavaliers: 44-38 SU/42-37-3 ATS
Nets: 44-38 SU/33-47-2 ATS
Spread/Total: Nets -9.5/226.5 (Over -115)

Season series: Brooklyn went 3-1 SU/2-2 ATS against the Cavaliers during the regular season. In the most recent matchup Friday, the Nets rallied from a five-point deficit to start the fourth quarter and won 118-107, covering as an 8.5-point home favorite. The other three clashes occurred before Brooklyn traded former MVP guard James Harden to Philadelphia. The first two Nets-Cavaliers contests topped the posted total, while the latter two stayed Under.

Did you know: Despite being in the play-in tournament, the Nets are still the third choice at DraftKings to win the NBA title at +600, behind only the Phoenix Suns (+260) and Milwaukee Bucks (+500). The Cavaliers are making their first postseason appearance since 2018, when LeBron James led Cleveland to the NBA Finals for a fourth consecutive season.

About Cleveland: The Cavaliers fell into the play-in tournament after slumping badly down the stretch. Since Feb. 12, Cleveland is 9-17 SU and 8-17-1 ATS. The Cavs lost five of six before romping to a 133-115 victory over Milwaukee as an 8.5-point home favorite Sunday, with the Bucks resting their key players. Rookie of the Year favorite Evan Mobley played in the final two regular-season contests, averaging 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds, after missing five consecutive games with a sprained left ankle. The Cavaliers are 44-37-1 to the Under for the season but have gone 16-9-1 to the Over during their slump.

Editor’s Note: Looking to become a sharper NBA bettor? Check out our NBA betting guide for a few wagering tips. 

About Brooklyn: The Nets won four straight to finish the season (2-2 ATS) and secure home-court advantage for the play-in games. Brooklyn is 6-3 SU but only 3-6 ATS since March 24, when guard Kyrie Irving was cleared to play at home after New York amended its COVID-19 vaccination mandate. To that point in the season, Irving had played in only 20 games, all on the road. The perennial All-Star is averaging 27.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists while shooting 41.2 percent from 3-point range in his limited court time. The Nets are only 20-21 SU and an NBA-worst 10-30-1 ATS at home this season. However, Irving sat out most of those games. The Nets have gone 7-2 to the Under in their past nine to nearly break even on totals for the season (41-40-1 to the Under).

Injuries: Nets guard Seth Curry is questionable with left ankle soreness. He sat out Sunday’s regular-season finale against Indiana, though he played in the two previous games. Brooklyn guard Ben Simmons (back) remains out. However, Brooklyn is hopeful Simmons will see his first action since coming to Brooklyn in the Harden trade if the team advances to the main playoff bracket. … Cleveland center Jarrett Allen (fractured middle finger) has been ruled out for Tuesday’s game. Allen, who missed the final 18 regular-season games after getting hurt March 6, leads the team in rebounds (10.8 per game) and ranks third in scoring (16.1 points per game).

Notable Trends

• Cleveland is in ATS slumps of 3-9 overall, 1-6 on the road and 4-9-1 as an underdog
• Brooklyn is in ATS slumps of 2-6 overall, 6-26-1 at home and 3-23 as a home favorite
• Over for Cleveland is on runs of 11-4 overall, 8-2-1 on the road and 10-3 as an underdog
• Under for Brooklyn is on runs of 5-1 overall and 5-2 at home
• Brooklyn is 7-3-1 ATS in its last 11 home games vs. Cleveland
• Over is 5-2 in the last seven Cavaliers-Nets meetings

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Brooklyn Nets Odds and Action

UPDATE 3:30 P.M. ET TUESDAY: The Nets have moved to 9.5-point favorites at PointsBet with 57% of bets on the Cavaliers but 59% of money on Brooklyn. The line opened at 8, went to 8.5, then 9.5, then back to 9 before going back to 9.5. The total has also been a big mover, going down to 226.5 (Over -115) after opening at 230.5, with several stops along the way. On Tuesday, the total has been pinging between 227 (-110 both sides) and 226 (Over -115). The downward move comes despite 69% of bets and 58% of money on the Over.

Los Angeles Clippers vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Tipoff/TV: 9:30 p.m. ET/TNT
Clippers: 42-40 SU/41-41 ATS
Timberwolves: 46-36 SU/42-38-2 ATS
Spread/Total: Timberwolves -3/231

Season series: The Clippers went 3-1 SU/ATS this season against the Timberwolves, but that probably doesn’t mean much at this point. All three of Los Angeles’ victories came in November, and Minnesota’s win was on Jan. 3, when the Timberwolves were without center Karl-Anthony Towns and the Clippers didn’t have guard Paul George. The Over hit in three of those four meetings.

Did you know: The Clippers advanced to the Western Conference finals for the first time in team history last season, falling to the Phoenix Suns in six games. Los Angeles star forward Kawhi Leonard tore his right ACL in Game 4 against Phoenix and has not played since. The Timberwolves are making just their second postseason appearance since reaching the Western Conference finals in 2004, the other coming in 2018.

About Los Angeles: The Clippers closed the regular season on a 6-1 SU/5-2 ATS run, winning the final five in a row (4-1 ATS). The season-ending stretch coincided with George returning to action March 29 after missing three months with an elbow injury. The All-Star played in five of the six games and has been a force, averaging 22.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 2.8 steals per game. To underscore the importance of George’s presence on the court: The Clippers were 0-5 SU and ATS in the five games prior to his return. Los Angeles is 41-38-3 to the Under this season, with three of its final four games staying low.

About Minnesota: The Timberwolves limped into the play-in tournament, going 4-6 SU and 2-8 ATS in their last 10 regular-season games (0-4 ATS last four). Minnesota finished seventh in the Western Conference despite having the 10th-best net rating in the NBA over the course of the season (seventh on offense). Minnesota was the No. 1 Over team in the NBA during the regular season, going 50-32, which includes the final four games clearing the total. That said, most of those high-scoring contests happened on the road, where the Over is 30-11 in TWolves games. Conversely, the Under is 21-20 when Minnesota is at home.

Injuries: Leonard has not indicated if or when he can return for the Clippers, though he has started individual workouts. Clippers forward Nicolas Batum (ankle soreness) is questionable. He sat out Sunday’s regular-season finale, but played in the three previous games. … Timberwolves guard D’Angelo Russell (non-COVID illness) sat out Sunday’s regular-season finale and is questionable for Tuesday.

Notable Trends

• Los Angeles is in ATS slumps of 1-4 on the road and 2-6 as an underdog
• Minnesota is 1-4 ATS in its last five at home
• Minnesota is 14-6-1 ATS in its last 21 when coming off a SU loss
• Over is 4-0-1 in Los Angeles’ last five road games
• Over for Minnesota is on runs of 41-18 overall, 5-1 at home and 26-9 as a favorite
• Los Angeles is 5-1 ATS in its last six overall vs. Minnesota
• Los Angeles is 15-6-1 ATS in its last 21 games at Minnesota
• Over is 12-5 in the last 17 Clippers-TWolves meetings overall
• Over is 8-1 in the last nine series meetings in Minnesota

Los Angeles Clippers vs Minnesota Timberwolves Odds and Action

UPDATE 8:15 P.M. ET TUESDAY: As tipoff approaches, the Timberwolves are laying 3 points in WynnBet’s Tuesday NBA play-in odds market, after opening -2.5 Sunday evening. The move to -3 came Monday morning, and the line has been stable ever since. It’s two-way action, with the Clippers netting 53% of tickets and 52% of money on the spread. The total opened at 230.5 and is now 231, with 59% of tickets and money on the Over.

UPDATE 3:30 P.M. ET TUESDAY: The Timberwolves opened as 3-point favorites at PointsBet and are 3-point favorites now, but with plenty of movement along the way. The line went as high as 4 and as low as 2.5 on Monday, and on Tuesday, the Timberwolves went from -3 to -3.5 (-105) before going back to 3. The movement comes with the Clippers taking 62% of bets and 56% of money. PointsBet opened the total higher at 233.5 on Sunday and is now down to 230.5 (Over -115). The line initially got down to 230.5 on Sunday night, the moved between 230 and 229 (Over -115) several times Monday. That continued Tuesday until the line jumped to 231 before going back to the current 230.5 (Over -115). PointsBet reports 51% of bets and 79% of money on the Under.