NBA Play-In Tournament Tips: Heat to be stung by in-form Hornets
The NBA's play-in tournament gets underway on Wednesday, with eight teams battling it out for the four remaining playoff spots.
The Philadelphia 76ers take on the Orlando Magic in the pick of the first-round ties while the Miami Heat must overcome the in-form Charlotte Hornets if they are to make it out of the play-in tournament for a fourth consecutive year.
Tip 1 – Charlotte Hornets -5.5 vs Miami Heat @ 10/11
The Heat have become the play-in masters since its introduction, but their streak of progressing from the tournament is likely to be brought to an end by Charlotte, who are aiming to end their nine-year playoff drought.
Miami will be confident having won three of the pair's four regular-season meetings. However, Charlotte are tough to resist given their remarkable improvement in 2026.
The Hornets started the season 11-23 but have hit red-hot form since, winning 33 of their 48 subsequent games. That spells trouble for a Heat side who have lost four of their last five away matches and a comfortable home win is on the cards in North Carolina.
Tip 2 – Portland Trail Blazers +4.5 vs Phoenix Suns @ 3/4
While a blowout is expected in Charlotte, the West's opening play-in game is likely to be much closer.
Phoenix are favourites to beat Portland but the Trail Blazers look to have been underrated as they are a side heading entirely in the right direction.
Their 110.6 defensive rating since the All-Star break is the fourth-highest in the NBA, highlighting the improvement from a young side. The Suns, meanwhile, are trending the other way.
Phoenix finished three wins better off than their play-in opponents but lost 17 of their final 31 matches and this should be tighter than the odds suggest.
Tip 3 – Philadelphia 76ers to beat Orlando Magic @ 4/5
Orlando were touted as potential championship contenders before the season began but inconsistencies mean they are at serious risk of missing out on the playoffs altogether.
They will fancy their chances against the 76ers given Joel Embiid's absence, but the Magic's big men haven't shown enough to suggest they can fully take advantage of that.
Surrendering home-court advantage by losing their final match will not help either, with Orlando losing five of their last eight on the road and Philly winning seven of their last nine in Pennsylvania.
Philadelphia are a much easier team to trust and the Magic may need to overcome Charlotte or Miami in the eliminator if they are to salvage a disappointing season.
Tip 4 – LA Clippers -4.5 vs Golden State Warriors @ 5/6
Momentum can be everything in the playoffs, so it is a good sign for the Clippers that they recovered from a 6-21 start to the season by ending with a 36-19 run.
Kawhi Leonard has played his best basketball as a Clipper in that sequence and while a similarly elite veteran, Stephen Curry, will be lining up for the Warriors, LA's superior depth tips the balance in their favour.
LA also won the regular-season series 3-1 and Golden State's woeful 2-8 ATS record over the past 10 head-to-heads makes them easy to oppose. The Warriors ended the season with a run of seven defeats in eight matches, and an early exit awaits Steve Kerr's side.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to fluctuation
