While the top 6 seeds in each conference are set, there are eight teams that will be participating in this week’s NBA Play-In tournament. They will be battling for the final two playoff spots on each side, with the winners facing the top seeds in the first round of the official post season.
There are some very recognizable teams in this year’s Play-In, especially out West. The Los Angeles Lakers had an up-and-down rollercoaster of a season, starting out with a 2-10 record before righting the ship at the trade deadline for an impressive run down the stretch.
Lakers Big Favorites Over Reeling Timberwolves
The Lakers are in the Play-In Tournament for the second time in three years 👀 pic.twitter.com/7gsLzJyElq
— ESPN (@espn) April 9, 2023
But despite all of their efforts, they were unable to climb their way up to the 6th seed, finishing in 7th place and a game back of the idol Golden State Warriors. That means they will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in the matchup between 7th and 8th seeds in Tuesday’s NBA Play-In game. And as of Monday morning, the Lakers were heavily favored to win.
The Timberwolves have been an up-and-down team themselves this season, and they’re entering the postseason with some internal turmoil that could affect their chances going forward.
Some of the biggest news out of the NBA on Sunday was the scuffle between Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson on the Timberwolves bench. A punch was thrown and Gobert was sent home, and while both sides downplayed the incident later on, there could absolutely be lingering issues between teammates as they look to take down a strong Lakers team.
Rough Sunday For Wolves Could Affect Line
Rudy Gobert throws a shot at teammate Kyle Anderson during a timeout. pic.twitter.com/dRzi3ALkoJ
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) April 9, 2023
It also didn’t help that they lost Jaden McDaniels to a broken hand after the forward punched a wall on the way back to the locker room. It is very likely that he won’t see the court again until next season, barring the Timberwolves making some kind of miracle run to the finals.
The oddsmakers are riding heavy with the Lakers. Los Angeles is currently a 7-point favorite, as they’ll be playing at home and are already thought to be the stronger team. A point or two may be added to this particular spread due to Sunday’s incidents with the Wolves.
Gobert should be a full go to play in the game, but the team could see adverse effects from Sunday’s scuffle.
The winner of the game will be locked into the 7th seed and will have a date with the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. The loser will play the winner of the 9/10 matchup for the right to be the 8th seed.
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