Let’s enjoy the beauty of the NBA Play-In Tournament, the rare moment of single-elimination stress in the NBA, and the only welcome addition to the league calendar spurred by the pandemic.
My four-game NBA Play-In Tournament moneyline parlay tells you why Magic vs. 76ers may be the hardest game to pick from, and why Stephen Curry could uncork a vintage effort. Check out my NBA picks below, starting tonight.
NBA Play-In Tournament moneyline parlay
Hornets moneyline
Suns moneyline
Magic moneyline
Warriors moneyline
Hornets end playoff drought
What a world to live in, one where the Charlotte Hornets are the biggest favorites in a round of the NBA postseason.
The longest playoff drought in the NBA should come to an end this week, but that needs to start by holding serve against the Miami Heat on Tuesday.
Since New Year’s Day, Charlotte has a 33-16 record, a 55-win pace across a full season. Quick context: 55 wins would have given the Hornets the No. 3 seed in the East.
More impressively, Charlotte has the No. 1 net rating in the NBA in 2026, 8.9 points better per 100 possessions than Miami’s at No. 16.
This game should not be close.
Suns will rise
Defer to Devin Booker. He is one of the most pure scorers in the NBA, and that is always an asset to enjoy in a single-elimination tournament. Well, single elimination-ish.
The loser between the Phoenix Suns and the Portland Trail Blazers will get a second chance at advancing to the playoffs on Friday, but that would be a path toward the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Both Phoenix and Portland should treat Tuesday night like a do-or-die moment, and in such a stressor, deferring to the best scorer on the court is a sound approach, especially with homecourt advantage in his favor.
Magic make Sixers disappear
The Orlando Magic simply have more levers to pull than the Philadelphia 76ers do on Wednesday night.
While 76ers point guard Tyrese Maxey may be the best player on the court, his long-range looks have gone awry since he returned from a pinky injury, shooting just 18 of 57 (31.6%) from beyond the arc in nine games.
And Maxey may need that shot against Orlando’s defense, one with a few different deterrents to driving to the rim. Lessening Maxey’s effectiveness should effectively neuter Philadelphia with Joel Embiid already sidelined by an appendectomy.
Curry pumps up the volume
Maybe this is the end of the Golden State Warriors' time in relevance. It could end not with a bang, but with a whimper.
But do you really want to bet against Stephen Curry in a single-elimination moment? You must be too young to remember the joy that was Davidson in 2008. But how could you have already forgotten the gold medal game against France in the 2024 Olympics?
Curry shot 15 of 36 (41.7%) from deep in his brief return to the Warriors’ lineup in the last week. Expect him to shoot at volume against the Los Angeles Clippers, and there are few things more dangerous in this basketball universe than Steph Curry shooting at volume.
