The NBA regular season is finally over, and it’s now time for the play-in tournaments to begin. First up are the 7-vs-8 matchups, which will decide who will be the No. 7 seeds in the respective conferences.
Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets, who were touted as title favourites heading into the season, are surprisingly in the East play-in, where they will host the upstart Cleveland Cavaliers.
Meanwhile, the West matchup will see the LA Clippers take on Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are aiming to make it back to the playoffs for the first time in four years.
Read on below as SBOTOP breaks down both of the big 7-vs-8 play-in games in greater detail.
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Brooklyn Nets
The NBA 2022 odds had the Brooklyn Nets as one of the top title contenders before the start of the season. But a combination of injuries, particularly to Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving’s absence for most of the season, James Harden drama and other setbacks have seen the Nets drop to the No. 7 seed.
The Nets will be without Ben Simmons, who has yet to play a single game for Brooklyn since the blockbuster trade with James Harden due to a back injury, is expected to miss the play-in tournament. Although, the latest NBA 2022 updates suggest he could be back for Round 1 of the playoffs should the Nets make it past the Cavs.
Nevertheless, Brooklyn will head into the play-in in fine form as they won their last four games – including a 118-107 win over the Cavs at home. Durant exploded for 36 points in the win as the Nets won the season series over Cleveland, 3-1.
The Cavs, on the other hand, had lost five of their last six games before beating the Milwaukee Bucks – who rested all of their stars – 133-115 in their regular-season finale. Rookie of the Year contender Evan Mobley had 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks as he looks back to his best after missing time with an ankle injury.
However, frontcourt mate Jarrett Allen has remained sidelined with a broken finger and it remains to be seen whether he will get to face off against his old team. Allen has been so crucial to the Cavs’ success this season, averaging 16.1 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.
However, it’s been Darius Garland who has been perhaps the Cavs’ most valuable player this year. The 22-year-old had a breakout year that saw him averaging 21.8 points and 8.6 assists. He torched the Nets for 25 points and 8 assists per game in four meetings this season, and the Cavs will need another big performance from him to stand a chance in the play-in.
Betting Tip: Cavaliers Asian Handicap +8.50 @ 1.91
LA Clippers @ Minnesota Timberwolves
The Clippers won their last five games of the regular season heading into the play-in tournament, where they will look to make it to their fourth straight playoffs. That’s despite being without superstar Kawhi Leonard for the entire year, as well as missing Paul George for over half the season due to an elbow injury.
Clippers coach Ty Lue has done a terrific job keeping the team playing at a high level despite missing two of its top stars.
But George finally made it back to the lineup at the end of March and looked quite good. He averaged 22.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 6.8 assists in his five games back and should be fresh and ready for the play-in.
Norm Powell also returned from injury and scored over 20 points in the two games he played. He will provide added weapon off the bench for a deep Clippers team that possesses a lot of length at nearly every position. They also have a lot of defensive versatility that could cause the Timberwolves problems.
Minnesota had a top-10 offence this season, thanks in large part to the brilliance of All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns. The 26-year-old averaged 24.6 points and 9.8 rebounds while shooting 41 per cent on 3-pointers.
KAT has had a lot of offensive help this season from second-year stud Anthony Edwards (21.5 PPG), who recently dropped 49 points on the Spurs, and D’Angelo Russell (18.1 PPG).
However, coach Chris Finch’s biggest achievement in his first full year in charge was to get the Wolves back to respectability on defence. They finished 14th in defensive efficiency after being in the 20s over the last few years.
But Towns’ defensive ability will be put to the ultimate test against a Clippers team that will challenge him constantly.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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