The NBA Play-In Tournament concludes Friday with the final two playoff spots on the line. The Miami Heat are favored against the Chicago Bulls for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, while the Sacramento Kings are favored over the road against the New Orleans Pelicans for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.
Injuries are affecting the chances of these games with Zion Williamson out for the Pelicans and Jimmy Butler and Alex Caruso both injured in Wednesday’s games. The Heat are just a slight favorite at home against a Bulls team that has won just 39 games in the regular season.
For those looking to bet on Friday’s games, we have previews for each, with staff picks for the winners.
All odds of PariMGM. Find the best deals on StubHub for tickets.
Bulls #9 at Round #8
How to watch: 7 p.m. ET on ESPN
Remix! The Heat and Bulls are in this game again. Last year, the Heat entered the Play-In tournament as a No. 7 seed and lost at home in the first game, while the Bulls were a No. 10 seed and won at Toronto . This time the Heat are the No. 8 seed and the Bulls are the No. 9 seed, but they are back in this game and playing Miami again. Last year, Miami trailed in the final minutes, but closed out the game on a hot streak and had a memorable run to the NBA Finals.
Butler did not play in Jimmy’s playoff game in Philadelphia on Wednesday. He had four steals in the first half and the Heat led by 12 at the break, but Philadelphia came back and Butler injured his knee late in the first quarter. Butler played 40 minutes, but is now expected to be out for several weeks with an MCL injury.
With Butler out, the Bulls have a great opportunity to win on the road. The Bulls also have a new injury, with Alex Caruso discovering something that won’t surprise anyone: Getting run over by Andre Drummond is no fun. Drummond collided with Caruso while trying to get back on defense in the second quarter, and Caruso ultimately left the game. Caruso is the Bulls’ best perimeter defender and likely would have been tasked with guarding Butler. It now appears neither will play.
Alex Caruso suffered an apparent injury after that collision with Andre Drummond.
He hasn’t returned to the game yet. pic.twitter.com/5Uc4c0WiKk
–ESPN (@espn) April 18, 2024
On the offensive end, Coby White scored a career-high 42 points against Atlanta on Wednesday. It’s hard to find fault in White’s performance: 15 of 21 shooting, nine rebounds, six assists, no turnovers. He might have to do something like that against a Miami team that is much better defensively than Atlanta.
The winner will face the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
Expert Picks
No. 9 Kings vs. No. 7 Pelicans
How to watch: 9:30 p.m. ET on TNT
Can we call Tuesday’s game a playoff debut for Zion Williamson? Regardless, it was a hell of a performance in a great match. Williamson looked like the uncontrollable force he was supposed to be when he was drafted nearly five years ago.
He scored 40 points on 27 shots and grabbed 11 rebounds against the Los Angeles Lakers. The problem was, as has been the case for much of Williamson’s career, injury. He left in the final minutes of the fourth quarter of a close game that the Lakers closed out with Williamson unable to play.
Williamson is expected to miss Friday’s game with a hamstring injury. As a result, the Kings are favored in New Orleans.
The Kings are coming off an emotionally cleansing victory over the Golden State Warriors. After losing Game 7 in the first round at home to the Warriors a year ago, the Kings took out the Warriors this time around in a do-or-die game, and did so emphatically. The Kings rallied in the second half to earn a 24-point victory.
Second-year players Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis had breakout games. Can these young players hit the road in a playoff game? If Williamson is out, they might not need him.
The winner will face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs.
Expert Picks
More NBA Playoff coverage
NBA playoff coaching levels: What’s at stake for Rivers, Ham, Mazzulla and others?
Coby White is real, as his 42-point outburst in the Play-In Tournament win over the Hawks showed.
Zion Williamson’s dream performance turns into a nightmare. Now the Pelicans are on the brink
(Keon Ellis Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)