Portland vs Brooklyn
Portland -9½ -106 over Brooklyn

Pinnacle -9½ -106 BET365 -9½ -110 SportsInteraction -9½ -110 5DIMES -9½ -110  Coolbet -9½ -110 

Posted at 1:00 PM EST

Portland -9½ -106 over Brooklyn

9:00 PM EST. Situational plays can often bode tremendous equity if diagnosed right. Today, four teams will be vying for the final two seeds in the Western Conference playoff race to determine who will be occupying the eight and nine seed in a double-elimination playoff series. For those that need a recap of the parameters of what the play-in series entails, it as follows:

The play-in series for the eighth seed occurs when the teams that occupy the eighth and ninth seed finish within four games of each other in the final seeding standings. In the East, Orlando has clinched the eighth seed with a present 7.5-game lead over the Washington Wizards, so there will be no play-in series there. In the West, Portland is eighth, Memphis, San Antonio, and Phoenix are all tied a half-game behind them in ninth. New Orleans and Sacramento are eliminated, respectively. Whoever finishes with the eighth seed will compete against the ninth seed in a double-elimination series. The eighth seed only has to win one game to advance, the ninth seed has to win twice.

Portland presently holds the eight seed with Phoenix, Memphis, and San Antonio all tied for the ninth seed just a half-game behind the Blazers. Rip City came into this seeding game campaign outside of a playoff seed with high hopes of roaring into the postseason and stealing the final seed. So far in their return to Orlando, Portland has made a compelling argument as to why they not only belong in the playoffs but also showed the masses that they are a dangerous outfit that should be considered a threat to any that cross their path. Portland also has an intangible that the other three teams involved in this Western Conference soap opera do not. The Blazers will know where they stand when it is all said and done before they take the court against the First Borough, as they are the last team to take the court today. The Suns, Grizzlies, and Spurs will all have finished their last seeding games, thus, Portland, at worst will find itself in a win-and-in scenario where they can clinch the eight seed, which is huge considering they get a mulligan, if they do. We would be remiss to back any of the other three aforementioned teams because there will likely be a lot of scoreboard watching when it comes to Memphis and Phoenix who play at the same-time and San Antonio who takes the court immediately thereafter.

The Nets on the other hand have nothing to gain in this matchup, as they are locked in for the seventh seed so this game is as much a dress rehearsal as it is anything else. However, the Nets have built up a market presence thanks to a searing three-game winning streak that they have put together, as they head into their penultimate bubble bash. Accomplishing such a feat with a makeshift line-up makes this a NBA Little Engine That Could story one that the market has taken a fondness too. The Blazers know what is at stake here and we trust they will put the pedal to the floor and never look back. Nevertheless, we are getting Dollar Dame and the Portland bunch at a reduced price thanks to the enhanced market presence the Nets have attained recently. Lay the lumber.

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Our Pick

Portland -9½ -106 (Risking 2.12 units - To Win: 2.00)

Atlanta +17½ +102 over Boston