April 12th NBA Play-In Tournament Matchups NBA Odds

The NBA Play-In tournament, which was established in 2021, will decide on the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds for each conference.

On April 12th, the No. 9 Toronto Raptors will host the No. 10 Chicago Bulls, with the winner advancing to play the loser of the East’s No. 7 vs. No. 8 seed game, and the No. 9 New Orleans Pelicans will welcome the No. 10 Oklahoma City Thunder to town, with the winner of that matchup advancing to play the loser of the West’s No. 7 vs. No. 8 game.

Both the Raptors and Pelicans come into their matchups as big-time moneyline favorites on all NBA betting sites.

Toronto Raptors vs. Chicago Bulls NBA Odds - April 12th, 7PM EST

The Raptors had a rough schedule to finish the regular season, but they have had success against the Bulls this season and have been a much better team at home in Toronto than they have been on the road, so the home court advantage will be palpable at Scotiabank Arena even with it being DeMar DeRozan’s first playoff return to Toronto. All odds provided by Betway.

Toronto Raptors Odds

The Raptors have struggled with injuries and depth all season, but with all of their heavy hitters ready for this matchup with the Bulls, they should be able to rely mostly on their starters. That’s a massive positive for them, because while the Raptors starters score the 4th-most points per game (84.9), their bench scores the 2nd-fewest in the NBA (28.0).

The fact that the Raptors get this game at home is also a big advantage, because their 14-27 record on the road (6th worst in NBA) is a far cry from their 27-14 home record (9th best in NBA). OG Anunoby has also proven himself to be a true DeMar DeRozan stopper, as he has held Chicago’s best player to just 14 points, six assists, and six turnovers in 118 partial possessions.

Chicago Bulls Odds

What the Bulls need to do to have a chance against the Raps in front of their raucous home crowd in Toronto is attack, attack, attack. While Toronto has harried DeRozan in the three matchups between these teams this season, holding the former Raptor to just 14.0 points per game (compared to 24.5 ppg for DeRozan overall), they have committed a lot of fouls on the Compton native.

Getting the Raptors into foul trouble will be key for the Bulls, because that Toronto bench is about as bad as it gets. Chicago has struggled a lot to put the ball in the basket this season, so getting to the charity stripe for some easy points seems like the only way they will be able to cope with the opportunistic and lanky defense of the Raptors.

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Odds - April 12th, 930PM EST

The Pelicans started off the season hot and finished it hot as well, managing to maneuver their way around more major injuries than perhaps any other team to get themselves a home game in the Play-In tournament. The Thunder will be relying on Canadian phenom Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to play spoiler. All odds provided by Betway.

New Orleans Pelicans Odds

The Pelicans will continue to be without Zion Williamson, but they’ve learned how to play without the former No. 1 overall pick. Guys like Trey Murphy III and CJ McCollum have really stepped up when the team has had limited options. Herb Jones, Jonas Valanciunas, Josh Richardson, Jose Alvarado, and Naji Marshall have all provided quality injury cover as well.

The catalyst for any Pelicans success will obviously be Brandon Ingram, who has really come on strong down the stretch after missing large chunks of the campaign earlier this year. Over the past 10 games, Ingram has been the sixth-most potent scorer in the NBA, putting up 29.0 points per game on 51 percent shooting from the field. He has also been contributing 8.5 dimes and 7.6 boards a game over that span.

Oklahoma City Thunder Odds

Similar to how the Pelicans will need to lean on Ingram, the Thunder will need a big-time performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for a chance to play in the final Western Play-In game on Friday. SGA has been scoring 31.4 points per game over this last 10, third-best in the NBA over that span.

However, OKC’s 16-25 road record doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence, especially when you look at the Pelicans’ top 10 home record, which stands at 27-14 this year. If Josh Giddey can get the offense running smoothly and SGA can drop 35+ points, the Thunder have a shot here.