NBA: First round preview, predictions

Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament: The four teams in the East play-in are all below the .500-mark except the Celtics, who sit at 36-36. Boston will host Washington on Tuesday and are favored by 2.0 points despite most of the public picking the Wizards. A big reason for that is their late-season play as Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook have turned up the notch recently while Boston has plummeted since Jaylen Brown's season-ending injury. The loser of that game will face the winner of Pacers versus Hornets, which gets the tournament started on Tuesday night. Indiana is 3.0-point favorites but, according to ESPN FPI, the game is a 50-50 split. LaMelo Ball will make his postseason debut after having a Rookie of the Year-caliber campaign. Malcolm Brogdon will likely be tasked with defending the 6'6 point guard in what should be another tight matchup.

Chance to advance:

- Wizards (61%)

- Celtics (23%)

- Hornets (10%)

- Pacers (6%)

Western Conference Play-In Tournament: Despite a few players (and owners) disliking the new playoff format, it's hard for fans to complain about getting to watch the defending champion Lakers take on the Warriors. Los Angeles is just 42-30 but were without LeBron James for 27 games, while Stephen Curry led Golden State to six straight wins and a 39-33 record. Curry scored an NBA-best 32.0 points on 42.1% from 3-point range. The Lakers are 4.5-point favorites ahead of Wednesday night. In the 9-10 matchup, Memphis will host San Antonio with a chance to face the loser of the aforementioned matchup. Ja Morant averaged 19.1 points and 7.4 assists a game this season and will look to step up after struggling against the Warriors on Sunday. The Spurs are 3.5-point underdogs after losing to Memphis twice in the regular season.

Chance to advance:

- Lakers (62%)

- Warriors (27%)

- Grizzlies (6%)

- Spurs (5%)

Western Conference First Round: Utah had the best record in the NBA for the majority of the year and won an impressive 72.2% of their games, but some people are still picking against them in a potential Golden State series. We've seen the Jazz have problems defending Curry in the playoffs before but both teams are in drastically different spots now. As for the Suns, they're projected to face the Lakers in the first round. Our staff was split on this series because both teams are filled with superstar talent, veteran role players, and high level perimeter defenders. The other two series are rematches from recent years: Denver taking on Portland, and the Clippers hosting Dallas. Can Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets dominate the interior enough to outweigh Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum? Will Luka Dončić finish the job and pull off an upset over the Clippers this time around?

Projected winners:

- Jazz over Warriors (6)

- Lakers over Suns (7)

- Nuggets over Blazers (7)

- Clippers over Mavericks (6)

Eastern Conference First Round: The 76ers earned the top seed after finishing 49-23 and they'll look to protect home court against the 8-seed, which will be determined on Thursday. Joel Embiid, who averaged 28.5 points, will be a handful for any opponent though and we're projecting the 76ers will matchup with the Celtics and advance in five games. The Nets are in a similar spot awaiting the 7-seed and we also have them eliminating the Wizards in 4-5 games. Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks will try to get revenge on the Heat after losing to Miami in 2020, and we have Milwaukee narrowly doing so in seven games. The Knicks and Hawks series has a good chance of going the distance as well, as guys like Julius Randle, Trae Young, RJ Barrett, and John Collins will make their playoff debut. New York comes in as slight favorites to move on.

Projected winners:

- 76ers over Celtics (5)

- Nets over Wizards (4)

- Bucks over Heat (7)

- Knicks over Hawks (7)

Photo Credit: Bleacher Report.