The NBA’s restart in Orlando will begin Thursday night with a pair of games on TNT, as the Utah Jazz take on the New Orleans Pelicans in the early game (6:30 p.m. ET) and the Lakers and Clippers have a showdown in the 9 p.m. nightcap. From there, all 22 teams in the bubble will play eight games that will determine seeding for the postseason, with teams at the bottom fighting for the 8-seed and a possible play-in series in both conferences, while others already locked into the playoffs will be jockeying for seeding and matchups.
It is going to be fascinating how teams, particularly those that get locked into seeding early on (or, in the case of some teams at the bottom, are quickly eliminated from contention), approach the remainder of their games. For many, there is reason to play all the way through at full effort to ensure they get a more favorable matchup, but at the very top of both conferences, it’s possible the top three or four seeds could get locked in with games still to play.
As such, projecting the amount of effort from those teams will be tricky. If you think you have a handle on how teams will perform in the eight-game restart, BetOnline.ag has win total over-unders available to bet on. My initial reaction was, “wow, this is probably a terrible idea to bet on,” but after seeing the Brooklyn Nets total set at 2.5, I suddenly found myself interested in the Under.
Here are the full 22 team win total bets available:
Boston Celtics: 5.5
L.A. Clippers: 5.5
L.A. Lakers: 5.5
Milwaukee Bucks: 5.5
Philadelphia 76ers: 5
Dallas Mavericks: 4.5
Denver Nuggets: 4.5
Houston Rockets: 4.5
New Orleans Pelicans: 4.5
Toronto Raptors: 4.5
Miami Heat: 4
OKC Thunder: 4
Orlando Magic: 4
Utah Jazz: 4
Indiana Pacers: 3.5
Memphis Grizzlies: 3.5
Portland Trail Blazers: 3.5
Sacramento Kings: 3.5
Brooklyn Nets: 2.5
Phoenix Suns: 2.5
San Antonio Spurs: 2.5
Washington Wizards: 1.5
Obviously so much of this hinges on the team schedules, but the four teams at the top come as little surprise — same with those at the bottom. Also of note, of the teams battling for the ninth spot in the West, the Pelicans are given the highest win total at 4.5, while the Blazers and Kings (and Grizzlies) all sit at 3.5, which fits with them having the best odds of making the play-in game in the West.
