NBA Playoff Picture 2023: Bracket, Early Odds and Predictions
The 2023 NBA playoff picture wasn't cemented until the final day of the 2022-23 season, but now it's here.
And it's spectacular.
Kawhi Leonard will tussle with Kevin Durant in the first round. So will Donovan Mitchell and the New York Knicks. Oh, and depending on how the play-in tournament shakes out, we'll get Ja Morant against either LeBron James or Anthony Edwards, too.
The matchups only get juicier from there.
In other words, this might feel like less of a postseason than it does a thrill ride. It's time to buckle up and get ready for the playoffs with a look at the official bracket, the latest championship odds from FanDuel Sportsbook and our play-in tournament predictions.
NBA Playoff Bracket
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Eastern Conference
First Round
No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 8 seed
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 New York Knicks
No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 6 Brooklyn Nets
No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 seed
Play-In Tournament
No. 7 Miami Heat vs. No. 8 Atlanta Hawks
No. 9 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 10 Chicago Bulls
Western Conference
First Round
No. 1 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 8 seed
No. 4 Phoenix Suns vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers
No. 3 Sacramento Kings vs. No. 6 Golden State Warriors
No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies vs. No. 7 seed
Play-In Tournament
No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 8 Minnesota Timberwolves
No. 9 New Orleans Pelicans vs. No. 10 Oklahoma City Thunder
Championship Odds
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Milwaukee Bucks +240 (bet $100 to win $240)
Boston Celtics +370
Phoenix Suns +460
Golden State Warriors +750
Philadelphia 76ers +900
Denver Nuggets +1100
Los Angeles Lakers +2200
Memphis Grizzlies +2400
Los Angeles Clippers +4000
Cleveland Cavaliers +4200
Sacramento Kings +5000
New York Knicks +13000
Miami Heat +21000
Toronto Raptors +25000
Minnesota Timberwolves +25000
Atlanta Hawks +25000
Brooklyn Nets +37000
Oklahoma City Thunder +50000
Chicago Bulls +50000
New Orleans Pelicans +50000
Play-In Tournament Predictions
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The Heat took three of their four games with the Hawks this season, and in Atlanta's only win, it had zero answers for Jimmy Butler, who scored 34 points on 11-of-16 shooting (and a perfect 11-of-11 from the line). He won't let Miami lose this game on its home court.
Out West, the 7-8 game looks similarly easy to call.
The Lakers are finally healthy and not coincidentally playing their best basketball of the season (9-2 to close the campaign). The Wolves, meanwhile, just lost Jaden McDaniels to a fractured hand after he punched a wall, and who knows how they'll handle Rudy Gobert, who punched teammate Kyle Anderson earlier in that same game.
The 9-10 games are trickier, though one wouldn't be if the Pelicans had a healthy Zion Williamson (sadly, they won't).
Even without the bouncy big fella, though, New Orleans should have enough to handle the ahead-of-schedule squad from Oklahoma City. Toronto is a better balanced team than Chicago, but our crystal ball likes the Bulls' offensive firepower, particularly in a revenge game for DeMar DeRozan.
If that's how things play out, we'd finally have the Pelicans at the Timberwolves and the Bulls at the Hawks to settle the last two spots. Our crystal ball likes New Orleans and Atlanta in those matchups with huge games from Brandon Ingram and Trae Young, respectively, being the difference.
Odds, lines and betting splits refresh periodically and are subject to change. 21+ and present in AZ, CO, CT, IA, IL, IN, KS, LA (permitted parishes only), MA, MD, MI, NJ, NY, KS, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV, or WY.
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