The NBA returns from the All-Star happy chance and resumes on Thursday eve with the last canton of the season. The Hub of the Universe Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks are in a tightlipped fight down for the #1 playoff seed, and they represent the upside tier of teams in the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics are the betting favourite at DraftKings at +115 odds to win the Eastern Conference inwards consecutive seasons. The Bucks are +220 betting odds to win the Eastern Conference for the back time inwards the last tierce seasons.
TeamEastern Conference OddsBoston Celtics+115Milwaukee Bucks+220Philadelphia 76ers+500Cleveland Cavaliers+1100Miami Heat+2000Brooklyn Nets+4500Atlanta Hawks+4500New House of York Knicks+5500Toronto Raptors+7000Washington Wizards+1800Chicago Bulls+25000Indiana Pacers+50000Orlando Magic+70000Charlotte Hornets+90000Detroit Pistons+90000
The Bucks participate the final canton of the time of year riding in high spirits on a 12-game winning streak. However, their streak is inward jeopardy because All-Star big adult male Giannis “Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo could lose multiple games while he recovers from a sprained wrist.
East Tier 1: Celtics, Bucks
The Celtics (42-17) give a half-game lead story o'er the Bucks (41-17), and both teams correspond the spinning top tier inwards the Eastern Conference. The #1 playoff seed and home-court reward are at bet for both squads.
The Celtics mightiness get peaked too early, but they’re the team to scramble inward the Eastern Conference. If you conform to the money, the Celtics are the consensus favourite to win the 2022-23 NBA title at +275 odds. The Celtics lost starting swingman Jaylen Brown to a facial nerve fracture, but he’s expected to takings for a net stretch execute to assist curl upward the #1 seed.
Antetokounmpo avoided a serious trauma to his rightfulness wrist ace calendar week ago inwards the cobbler's last game before the All-Star break. He didn’t get any torn ligaments, but the Bucks don’t require to look sharp him plunk for into the lineup. They’d sort of miss come out on the #1 seed if that ensures they feature a level-headed Antetokounmpo for the postseason.
The Celtics knocked the Bucks come out of the playoffs utmost postseason during an exhilarating, seven-game serial in the Eastern Conference semifinals. If the current standings make steady, the Celtics would curl upward the #1 seed and the Bucks would acquire the #2 seed. The top-tiered teams could have got a potentiality showdown inward the group discussion finals.
East Tier 2: 76ers, Cavs
The second-tier teams inwards the Eastern Conference are title contenders who are trying to secure home-court vantage inwards the chess opening labialize of the playoffs. That includes the City of Brotherly Love 76ers (38-19) and President Cleveland Cavaliers (38-23).
The 76ers were playing their best clod of the harden before the All-Star break, with an 18-5 extend since New Year’s Eve. The 76ers are inward 3rd come in inwards the conference and are matching preseason expectations as unity of the spinning top leash teams inwards the East. They’re inward the midsection of a four-game winning streak, but they human face the toughest schedule inwards the net 25 games of the season. Their opponents hold a combined winning per centum of .540.
Don’t overlook the Cavs inwards the Eastern Conference race. The Cavs are a offspring squad but could live a tough matchup inward the postseason if Donovan Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell gets red-hot inwards the playoffs. R. J. Mitchell leads the Cavs inward scoring past averaging 27.3 points per mettlesome and shooting a career-high 38.7% from 3-point range. The Cavs are the topper economic value pickax on the gameboard at +1100 odds to win the Eastern Conference.
East Tier 3: Nets, Knicks, Heat
The 3rd tier of teams in the Eastern Conference are fighting to maintain their current pip in the playoff standings. The Brooklyn Nets (34-24), New York Knicks (33-27), and Miami Heat (32-27) are doing everything possible to run upwards inwards the standings and avoid the Play-In Tournament.
The Nets are in 5th position and banked sufficiency wins before they traded ward Kyrie Washington Irving and send on Kevin Durant to the horse opera Conference. The Nets could romp the role of usurper inwards the firstly round, as a ragtag pot of misfits that no I wanted. They’re still a long dig to win the group discussion at +4500 odds.
The sixth-place Knicks added backstage deepness cancelled the bench with the acquisition of swingman Josh Moss Hart at the craft deadline. Point guard Jalen Brunson has been the MVP of the Knicks, but they’re allay a flawed team. The Knicks are mature for a first-round tear out, which is wherefore they’re only +5500 betting odds to win the conference.
The banged-up Heat pushed the Celtics to the threshold of elimination in a seven-game series inward the 2022 Eastern Conference finals. Alas, the Heat were one missed 3-pointer forth from winning the conference claim last year thanks to the never-say-die tenacity of Jimmy Butler. When you hold Samuel Butler on your squad, you e'er have a pellet to do a deep playoff run. The Heat are +2000 betting odds to win the Eastern Conference still though they’re in 7th put and could follow headed to the Play-In Tournament.
East Tier 4: Hawks, Wizards, Raptors, Bulls, Pacers
The fourth tier includes teams with a losing record book who are on the playoff bubble and fighting for a dapple in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament. These underachievers were vast disappointments this season. The battle of Atlanta Hawks (29-30), Chicago Bulls (26-33), and Toronto Raptors (28-31) should’ve been third-tier or even out second-tier teams.
The Bulls are inward 11th localize because they get numerous internal problems that they didn’t reference at the trade deadline. They did, however, acquire ex-serviceman pointedness ward Saint Patrick Beverly through and through a take buyout inward hopes he can buoy append stableness to their fractured locker room.
The Hawks hold been a red-hot muss this year because of an ongoing riff between superstar safety device Trae Young and the coaching job staff. They had huge expectations after adding combo safety Dejounte Murray in an off-season trade. Yet the eighth-place Hawks are inward a shaky pick out on the playoff bubble.
The Hawks fired top dog coach-and-four Nate McMillan during the All-Star break, hoping that a regime commute could exalt the team up to wee-wee a late-season push.
East Tier 5: Magic, Hornets, Pistons
The fifth and last-place tier up of teams inward the East get zero in jibe at the playoffs. But all threesome squads get their eyes on winning the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery.
The Orlando Magic (24-35) are stocked with offspring players, and they should eventually use up a stone's throw forwards next season. Duke’s Paolo Banchero, the #1 pickaxe from the 2022 NBA Draft, looks like he’s sledding to win the NBA Rookie of the Year. He’s been ace of the few highlights during a tough modulation season.
The Charlotte Hornets (17-43) were plagued with injuries to multiple starters this season. Instead of being a third-tier team, the Hornets are slugging it come out in the cellar for a chance at hitting the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes in the upcoming NBA draft.
The Motor City Pistons (15-44) are another downtrodden enfranchisement that’s loaded with offspring players, yet they get the mop up record inward the Eastern Conference this season. If the Pistons tin can remain among the rack up ternion teams inwards the NBA this season, they’ll get a 14% chance to secure the draught rights to the French people international sense impression Victor Wembanyama.
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