Winners Club: NBA Play-In Ends Friday, Playoffs Tip Off This Weekend

Plus, first-round NBA playoffs matchups and spreads.

The 16-team NBA playoff field will officially be set late Friday night. And barely 12 hours later, the postseason will begin when the Jazz-Mavericks series tips off Saturday afternoon.

The play-in tournament has been fun (just ask the Timberwolves), but few things compare to the first round of the NBA playoffs when there’s multiple games every night. It almost, almost feels like those first two days of March Madness.

So, without further ado, let’s get into picks and previews for the final pair of play-in games, take a look at the respective conferences and talk a little MLB and NFL.

The Final Play-In Games

The No. 1 Heat and No. 1 Suns are patiently awaiting the results of tonight’s play-in games to see which teams earn the 8-seed and a first-round matchup with each team.

In the East, Miami draws the winner of the Hawks-Cavaliers game. Trae Young hasn’t played well against the Cavs this season, though Atlanta is coming off an offensive clinic against Charlotte in which it didn’t need a big night from its star point guard to score a convincing win. Meanwhile, Cleveland might get its All-Star big man Jarrett Allen back for the biggest game of the season.

David Dermer/AP

Out West, Phoenix gets the victor of the Pelicans-Clippers game. C.J. McCollum led New Orleans to a win against San Antonio on Wednesday and draws an even tougher challenge against L.A. The Clippers couldn’t put away Minnesota on Tuesday and now Paul George and Co. return home with their season on the line to host the Pelicans.

7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN): Hawks (-1.5) vs. Cavaliers

Eastern Conference Play-In Preview | Atlanta-Cleveland Pick

10 p.m. ET (TNT): Pelicans vs. Clippers (-4.5)

Western Conference Play-In Preview | New Orleans-Los Angeles Pick

Playoff Preview

Six of the eight first-round playoff series are set. That gives us a better idea of how easy or difficult different teams’ paths to the conference finals and even championship will be.

The Bulls got a tough draw against their division rival Bucks in the opening round and the 76ers are in a tough spot playing against the Raptors in their first series, but for the most part, the matchups are downright entertaining. (See: Nets-Celtics or Grizzlies-Timberwolves.)

Consult the individual conference previews for team-by-team breakdowns of strengths, weaknesses, important injuries, title odds and overall playoff viability.

Western Conference Playoffs Preview

Saturday 1 p.m. ET (ESPN): Jazz (-4.5) vs. Mavericks

Saturday 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) Timberwolves vs. Grizzlies (-6.5)

Saturday 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC): Nuggets vs. Warriors (-6.5)

Sunday 9 p.m. ET (TNT): Pelicans/Clippers vs. Suns

David Banks/AP

Eastern Conference Playoffs Preview

Saturday 6 p.m. ET (ESPN): Raptors vs. 76ers (-4.5)

Sunday 1 p.m. ET (TNT): Hawks/Cavaliers vs. Heat

Sunday 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC): Nets vs. Celtics (-4.5)

Sunday 6:30 p.m. ET (TNT): Bulls vs. Bucks (-9.5)

More NBA postseason reading:

Playoff Breakout Candidates: Which five up-and-comers could have their breakouts during the playoffs? And how could their ascension affect their teams’ trajectories?

Steph Curry ‘Optimistic’ He Plays Game 1: Golden State’s All-Star guard hasn’t played since March 16 (foot) but he’s hopeful for a return against the Nuggets. If he does come back, he’ll be on a minutes restriction.

NBA Playoff Schedule: Get the days, times and TV information for each series.

In Other News

USFL Week 1 Betting Lines and Futures: The league is making a return to play 37 years later. Get team-by-team breakdowns and odds for the eight-team league before it kicks off Saturday.

NBA Mock Draft: March Madness is in the rearview and many top prospects have already declared for the NBA draft. With the playoffs beginning Saturday, there’s more clarity on which teams will be picking at or near the top of the draft. See how Jeremy Woo’s full mock draft unfolds.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Week 1 of baseball is in the books. That means it’s time to churn the back end of your roster and introduce some fresh talent. Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan has had a blistering start to the season—see if you can pick him up.

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Thanks for reading Winners Club. Enjoy your weekend! I’ll be back Monday.