by Will Rogers
Monday, Apr 14, 2025
EASTERN CONFERENCE
ATLANTA (8) at ORLANDO (7)
Tuesday, April 15
Orlando -4.5
O/U – 218.5
Heading into the season the Magic were thought to be the Next Big Thing in the East, looking very much like a 50- to 55-win team. But injuries to top of the rotation players ended serious title hopes, as Jalen Suggs and Mo Wagner both were derailed by knee issues. Orlando does head into the Play-In on a decent run (7-3 in their last 10) although its most impactful player, Paulo Banchero, is dealing with an ankle injury. The Hawks are slight dogs in this one as they make their fourth straight Play-In appearance, trying to replicate the magic that enabled them to make a run to the Eastern Conference finals in 2021. As always, Atlanta needs a super-human effort from Trae Young to make significant noise. The winner of this series gets Boston in the first round, so it looks like neither the Hawks nor the Magic will be still playing in May.
MIAMI (10) at CHICAGO (9)
Wednesday, April 16
Chicago -1.5
O/U – 223.5
The Heat pride themselves on always being able to figure things out, and they’ll have to do a lot of figuring once the dust settles on this season. The mid-season Jimmy Butler drama seemed to sap a lot of energy from the team, although they beat a lot of bad teams in the final 10-game stretch, winning seven. Chicago, meanwhile, showed quite a bit of spunk after dealing away Zach Lavine, and rallied behind Coby White and Josh Giddey to give Bulls fans some hope that they might be able to break out of the middle of the pack. If any Play-In team seems ready to make life hard for the Eastern Elite, it might be Chicago. The winner plays the loser of the Magic-Hawks game, with the survivor there catching the top-seed Cavaliers in Round 1.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Memphis (8) at Golden State (9)
Tuesday, April 15
Golden State -6.5
O/U – 231.5
Here’s a crazy stat: The Warriors are winless in three Play-In games. They’re solid favorites to end that mini-skid and advance to a first-round series against the second-seeded Rockets. But they’ll head into the Memphis game still shaking their heads after losing the regular season finale to the Clippers. At home. Still, a check of the roster still shows Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler, and both have tons of playoff experience. They can definitely carry GS past Memphis, but after that will depth be an issue? Draymond Green no doubt will exchange pleasantries with Ja Morant and try to throw Morant off his game. The Grizzlies’ need to dig in on defense more than they did in games vs GS this season – they gave up 255 points to the Warriors in two losses.
DALLAS (10) vs. SACRAMENTO (9)
Wednesday, April 16
Sacramento -5.5
O/U – 223.5
If Anthony Davis is going to log big minutes in any game this season, it’s this one. The mid-season deal of Luka Doncic to the Lakers may last as long as the Red Sox’ shame in trading Babe Ruth to the Yankees, and Davis needs to produce – fast – so the Mavs can save a little face. Sacramento has plenty of problems itself, but unless Klay Thompson (14 ppg average) turns back the clock and goes off big-time, the Kings should get another bite of the apple against the 7-8 loser. Under players might want to take a long look at this one. Neither team figures to show much interest in running up and down the court. When the Mavs are eliminated, they will have to sit down and try to find a path forward with aging roster full of players who always seem to get hurt.
ATLANTA (8) at ORLANDO (7)
Tuesday, April 15
Orlando -4.5
O/U – 218.5
Heading into the season the Magic were thought to be the Next Big Thing in the East, looking very much like a 50- to 55-win team. But injuries to top of the rotation players ended serious title hopes, as Jalen Suggs and Mo Wagner both were derailed by knee issues. Orlando does head into the Play-In on a decent run (7-3 in their last 10) although its most impactful player, Paulo Banchero, is dealing with an ankle injury. The Hawks are slight dogs in this one as they make their fourth straight Play-In appearance, trying to replicate the magic that enabled them to make a run to the Eastern Conference finals in 2021. As always, Atlanta needs a super-human effort from Trae Young to make significant noise. The winner of this series gets Boston in the first round, so it looks like neither the Hawks nor the Magic will be still playing in May.
MIAMI (10) at CHICAGO (9)
Wednesday, April 16
Chicago -1.5
O/U – 223.5
The Heat pride themselves on always being able to figure things out, and they’ll have to do a lot of figuring once the dust settles on this season. The mid-season Jimmy Butler drama seemed to sap a lot of energy from the team, although they beat a lot of bad teams in the final 10-game stretch, winning seven. Chicago, meanwhile, showed quite a bit of spunk after dealing away Zach Lavine, and rallied behind Coby White and Josh Giddey to give Bulls fans some hope that they might be able to break out of the middle of the pack. If any Play-In team seems ready to make life hard for the Eastern Elite, it might be Chicago. The winner plays the loser of the Magic-Hawks game, with the survivor there catching the top-seed Cavaliers in Round 1.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Memphis (8) at Golden State (9)
Tuesday, April 15
Golden State -6.5
O/U – 231.5
Here’s a crazy stat: The Warriors are winless in three Play-In games. They’re solid favorites to end that mini-skid and advance to a first-round series against the second-seeded Rockets. But they’ll head into the Memphis game still shaking their heads after losing the regular season finale to the Clippers. At home. Still, a check of the roster still shows Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler, and both have tons of playoff experience. They can definitely carry GS past Memphis, but after that will depth be an issue? Draymond Green no doubt will exchange pleasantries with Ja Morant and try to throw Morant off his game. The Grizzlies’ need to dig in on defense more than they did in games vs GS this season – they gave up 255 points to the Warriors in two losses.
DALLAS (10) vs. SACRAMENTO (9)
Wednesday, April 16
Sacramento -5.5
O/U – 223.5
If Anthony Davis is going to log big minutes in any game this season, it’s this one. The mid-season deal of Luka Doncic to the Lakers may last as long as the Red Sox’ shame in trading Babe Ruth to the Yankees, and Davis needs to produce – fast – so the Mavs can save a little face. Sacramento has plenty of problems itself, but unless Klay Thompson (14 ppg average) turns back the clock and goes off big-time, the Kings should get another bite of the apple against the 7-8 loser. Under players might want to take a long look at this one. Neither team figures to show much interest in running up and down the court. When the Mavs are eliminated, they will have to sit down and try to find a path forward with aging roster full of players who always seem to get hurt.
