Play-In Success

It's safe to say the NBA Play-in Tournament has been a huge success. Opening up the Playoffs to four additional teams meant that March and April basketball were actually important, and ultimately two teams under .500 (NOP & SAS) were given a chance to extend their otherwise average seasons

So far, the Hornets and Spurs have been sent home, and we've been blessed with a few ridiculous plays, stats and storylines this week 🍿

• Ant Edwards and DLo combined for 59 pts on 20/39 shooting

• Pat Bev pulled out a beer at his press conference and was very loud about beating the Clippers

• Brandon Ingram dunked all over the Spurs

• CJ McCollum dropped 32 pts, 6 rbs and 7 asts

Tonight, both eight seeds are up for grabs, as the Heat and Suns patiently await their opponent. Check out Friday's lines before a full slate of playoff games kick off Saturday at 1PM ET 👇

Hawks vs. Cavs Betting Preview (subject to change) 

• Spread: Hawks -1.5

• Moneyline: Hawks -124 (bet $124, win $100), Cavs +106 (bet $100, win $106)

• O/U: 222.5

Pelicans vs. Clippers Betting Preview

• Spread: Clippers -4

• Moneyline: Clippers -180, Pelicans +152

• O/U: 216

Hawks @ Cavs Preview

The Cavs have endured a very up and down season, and at one point, were a top-four team in the East. Injuries throughout 2022 to Evan Mobley, Caris LeVert, Rajon Rondo and Jarrett Allen (now questionable) forced Cleveland to tumble into the Play-In Tournament. Darius Garland kept them in Tuesday's game vs. the Nets, but the Cavs couldn't stop KD or Kyrie when it mattered 🥱

Atlanta won the season series 3-1 and just killed the Hornets, earning them a -1.5 road spread in Cleveland. But, l don't know if I buy it 👇

• In Trae's career, he's averaged 17.5 PPG, 5.5 TOV and shot 22.5% from the field in elimination games

• In the three games Cleveland lost to Atlanta this season, the Cavs didn't have their starting five once. Moses Brown, Dean Wade and Kevin Pangos each started a different game

• Evan Mobley was a beast in his postseason debut 😤

Atlanta obviously shocked the NBA world last season when they took down the Sixers in the second round. We know they can win games, and they are currently the healthiest they've been all season. But, the Cavs have been the better team all year, especially on the defensive end. Give me the home team with 1.5 points 👀

Pelicans @ Clippers Preview

So Zion is doing 360 dunks, which feels weird considering he still has zero timetable to return. Just wanted to start with that. As for the rest of the team, there is currently no player more important in New Orleans than CJ McCollum. I think this NOLA fan summed it up pretty well 📝

• CJ is coming off a massive game vs. the Spurs in which he dropped 27 pts in the first half

• He's averaging career-highs in PPG, RPG, APG, SPG and FG% in his 26 games with the Pelicans

However, NOLA is only 13-13 in the 26 games with CJ, which makes picking them against LAC tough for me. Paul George has played six games since his injury on December 22nd, and while he's had a few shaky shooting games, he's coming off a 41 minute, 34/7/5/3 game vs. the T-Wolves

He didn't get much help from Reggie Jackson or Marcus Morris Sr., but I expect the Clippers to bounce back and take care of business at home. Ty Lue carried LAC to a 42-40 record without PG13 or Kawhi, I trust him in a win or go home game 🙏

For My Parlay Gurus

Personally, I think Vegas is overreacting to Atlanta's 29-pt win vs. the Hornets, who literally play zero defense. I like Cleveland +1.5 at home, and I'm also riding with PG13 and company to end the Pelicans' season. Take a look 👇

• Cavs +1.5 vs. the Hawks: -108

• Clippers -4 vs. the Pelicans: -110

$100 on this bet would win you $268 — if we hit, make sure you email [email protected] for a chance to win up to $100*. Many will enter, only some will win 😉

Want more betting content from Overtime? Check out Even The Odds on Twitter 🤑

Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Join thousands of other informed subscribers

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Many will enter, only some will win. Giveaway ends 12 hours after the completion of the final game references within the giveaway. The winner will be notified via the email address used to enter. Restrictions apply. See the General Conditions and Releases sections of Overtime's Terms of Use at https://overtime.tv/terms for additional giveaway terms

©2022 Overtime Sports, Inc. All rights reserved.