The quarterfinals for the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament are set, with four teams from each of the two conferences advancing past the group stage that began Nov. 3 and concluded Tuesday.
In the Eastern Conference, the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks will host the New York Knicks, and the Indiana Pacers host the Boston Celtics.
In the West, the Los Angeles Lakers host the Phoenix Suns, and the Sacramento Kings host the New Orleans Pelicans. The quarterfinals begin Monday and conclude Tuesday.
The NBA In-Season Tournament Knockout Rounds begin Monday, 12/4 and Tuesday, 12/5 on TNT 🗓️🏆 pic.twitter.com/iaPxSZ0pRr
— NBA (@NBA) November 29, 2023
Unsurprisingly, the Celtics and Bucks remain betting favorites to win the entire tournament, as they’ve been from the beginning. Boston’s +300 odds lead the way at BetMGM, with Milwaukee close behind at +350.
More surprising is the third-place Kings at +500 coming in ahead of the Lakers (+550) and Suns (+600), who were both bigger favorites entering the tournament and remain bigger NBA championship favorites than Sacramento. The Kings’ play warrants the confidence, but the way the bracket shook out more than anything forced oddsmakers to weigh their chances differently, as the Suns and Lakers have to go through each other.
Below is a look at betting lines and my predictions for each quarterfinal matchup.
Celtics at Pacers (+4.5)
Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
The Pacers are scrappy and look like they’re finally ready to get back into the playoffs, but I’m just not sure they’re battle-tested enough to hang with Boston in this type of game. The Celtics know what the pressure of elimination is like, and they beat the Pacers by 51 points (51!) when they played Nov. 1.
Also, Indiana just lost at home, on two days rest, to the Portland Trail Blazers. Make of that what you will.
Prince’s Pick: Celtics -4.5
Pelicans at Kings (-4.5)
Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
The Pelicans haven’t proven to be a very reliable team this season, but they are at least 2-0 against Sacramento. That has to count for something. The Kings didn’t seem to have an answer for Zion Williamson or Brandon Ingram, and I don’t think there’s a quick fix for that. So, I’ll take the Pelicans to cover, especially with C.J. McCollum expected back after missing the first two games.
That said, the Kings were my original pick to win the tournament, so I’m sticking with them on the moneyline.
Prince’s Pick: Pelicans +4.5
Knicks at Bucks (-6)
Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
The Bucks have one loss in their last nine games as of the time I’m writing this. That could change by the time they play New York, with two games on their schedule between now and then, but you get the point. They’re rolling.
However, during that 9-game stretch, it’s been Milwaukee’s offense carrying the load while the defense continues to find itself. And New York’s offense has been almost as good in the same span. So, I’m staying away from the spread and going conservative with Milwaukee’s moneyline.
Prince’s Pick: Bucks moneyline (-245)
Suns at Lakers (-2)
AP Photo/Matt York
LeBron James’ passive-aggressive comment after LA’s 44-point loss to the Philadelphia 76ers Monday was a little weird because it was only the Lakers’ third loss in their last 10 games. They haven’t been bad this year. They also have two wins over these Suns already.
The thing is, they haven’t played this version of the Suns either, with Devin Booker back in the lineup and riding a seven-game winning streak. Maybe James knows the Lakers have underlying problems that could doom them against good teams. Give me Phoenix.
Prince’s Pick: Suns moneyline (+110)
