The Games Today With Big Playoff Implications
Today is the last day of the NBA regular season. After today we move into playoff mode. There are 16 games tonight and of them only a handful truly matter. From potential playoff previews to final games that have post season implications here are the games to watch today along with some betting numbers.
The Race In The East
The Brooklyn Nets need a lot of stars to align in order to regain the playoff spots they lost after four of six games down the stretch to fall out of playoff contention.
The Nets need the Indiana Pacers to lose to the Memphis Grizzlies tonight and they need to pick up the home victory over the Orlando Magic to slip into the No. 8 seed again.
Brooklyn opened as big -10-point favorites to beat the Magic this morning but have since settled between -7 to -8.5 point favorites.
The Pacers fate is their hands. All they have to do is win tonight against the Grizzlies to secure the No. 8 seed. The odds have not yet been released for this game, though, they will be very close.
The Grizzlies may have already punched their post season ticket, but they are not done fighting. There are several scenarios that with a win against the Pacers could work out favorable for the Grizzlies in terms of home-court advantage and their opponent in the first round of the playoffs.
In other words, both the Pacers and Nets are in for a fight to stay alive.
The Race In The West
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been fighting hard to remain in the playoffs after the loss of Kevin Durant to injury. They will need two things to happen tonight to get into the playoffs, to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road and the New Orleans Pelicans to lose to the San Antonio Spurs.
The Thunder currently sit as -13.5-point favorites against the T-Wolves.
The Pelicans simply have to win tonight, which is easier said than done considering they are playing a team that has won 11 straight games in the Spurs.
San Antonio sit at around -5-point favorites against the Pelicans.
