On Thursday, the NBA board of governors approved commissioner Adam Silver's return-to-play plan, which included 22 teams, eight regular season games, a potential play-in for the 8-seeds and then the regular playoffs.
There's still a lot of information we're waiting for, notably more details on COVID-19 policy and the exact schedule for the regular season games, which will begin July 31.
Still, DraftKings has decided to post odds for teams to make the playoffs.
Playoff odds as of June 7 and via DraftKings. Get up to a $1,000 sign-up bonus at DraftKings today or see more offers and reviews for the best online sportsbooks.
NBA Playoff Odds
| Team | Make Playoffs | Miss Playoffs |
|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Nets | -10000 | +1200 |
| Orlando Magic | -10000 | +1200 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | -150 | +112 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | +400 | -670 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | +450 | -835 |
| Washington Wizards | +900 | -3335 |
| Sacramento Kings | +1100 | -10000 |
| San Antonio Spurs | +1300 | -10000 |
| Phoenix Suns | +6000 |
DraftKings predictably has the teams currently in the playoffs as the favorites to retain their spots.
As Matt Moore wrote yesterday, the format for the remainder of the season definitely favors the Grizzlies: "The Grizzlies can go 0-8 and still finish with the 8-seed if the other teams, playing a schedule entirely made of playoff teams or playoff-contending teams, go 3-5 or worse. That seems unlikely until you consider that all the easy teams are gone. It’s all good teams."
The Blazers are definitely hurt the most, as they've played more games than the other teams they're competing against and therefore have more work to do to boost their win percentage. They also don't have tiebreaker advantage over the Pelicans, who currently lead the season series 1-0.
The specifics of the reported format include a play-in scenario for the 8-seed if the 9-seed is within four games. In that situation, the 8-seed would have to win just one game whereas the 9-seed would have to win two in a row.
NBA Conference Odds
Here are the current playoff pictures for both the East and the West.
Conference odds via PointsBet, where you can get a $200 sign-up bonus AND your bets automatically sync to the Action app.Learn more about BetSync here.
Eastern Conference Playoff Picture
The Magic have a strong lead for the 8-seed and could very easily wrap it up without a play-in if they hold their ground. The Wizards will have to gain two games on them in order to force a double-elimination playoff, and note that the only teams they'll be able to play are great teams.
PointsBet also posted a market on whether there will be a play-in game in the East:
- Yes: +220
- No: -300
Western Conference Playoff Picture
The Grizzlies currently hold a strong 3.5-game lead over the rest of the West for the 8-seed, which is why they're the favorite to make the playoffs. After that it's a free-for-all, as the Blazers, Pelicans, Kings and Spurs are all within a half-game of each other.
