The NBA In-Season Tournament will begin the quarterfinal round on Monday, Dec. 4. What started as confusion for players and fans around the league has morphed into the competitive in-season hype machine it was meant to be, generating plenty of extremely competitive early season games. Every matchup in the tournament from now on will be single-game elimination, which should make them even more exciting.
With the tournament heating up, now is the perfect time to look at the bracket and prepare for the abundance of wager options available for the quarterfinal round. That’s especially so given how much loot the top online sportsbooks are offering for the action.
Best Sportsbook Bonuses for the NBA In-Season Tournament
The remaining eight teams are headed to Vegas this week looking to claim the league’s first In-Season Tournament trophy. With the chance to make history on the line, the nation’s best sportsbooks are making sure fans enjoy the journey. There is nearly $5,000 up for grabs from the top sports betting sites, ranging from bonus bets to no-sweat first bets. Take a look at the best NBA sports betting bonuses below and claim as many as you would like.
NBA In-Season Tournament Bracket Schedule and Betting Odds
All three rounds of the bracket competition will be played this week, beginning at team sites for the quarterfinals, and concluding at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., for the semifinals and finals. Here is the full schedule.
Monday, Dec. 4
Boston Celtics at Indianapolis Pacers, 7:30 p.m. ET
New Orleans Pelicans at Sacramento Kings, 10 p.m. ET
Tuesday, Dec. 5
New York Knicks at Milwaukee Bucks, 7:30 p.m. ET
Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m. ET
Thursday, Dec. 7
Two semifinal games, Las Vegas, Nev. (Times TBD)
Saturday, Dec. 9
Championship game, 8:30 p.m. ET
NBA In-Season Tournament Odds to Win
Western Conference Quarterfinals Preview
No. 1 Lakers vs. No. 4 Suns
This matchup offers the most star power of the four games on the bracket in the quarterfinal. The Suns have a top-10 offense, and the Lakers have a top-10 defense. Defense has won in the matchups so far as the Lakers have gone 2-0 in the battles already, although Phoenix was without some of its stars in both contests. Bradley Beal and Devin Booker missed the first game, which the Lakers won 100-95. Booker also missed the second game, which the Lakers won 122-119.
In the upcoming matchup, Booker is expected to be absent yet again and Beal is currently questionable. Without both on the court with Kevin Durant, the Suns’ offense has proven to struggle to keep pace with LeBon James, Anthony Davis, and company.
No. 2 Kings vs. No. 3 Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans are healthy from top to bottom for the first time in a long time, and the excitement is building in the city. They are getting great production from Zion Williamson, who is wreaking havoc on the block. He is a tough challenge for anyone, but especially a Kings team that is 19th in the league in points in the paint allowed per game (51).
The Kings are also likely without their starting power forward Keegan Murray, who is nursing a back injury. New Orleans is 10th in the league in points in the paint per game and without the depth at big man to slow Williamson down, he is more than capable of dominating. That’s the biggest separator in this contest as both teams can fill it up from the perimeter.
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Preview
No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 4 New York Knicks
The Bucks are beginning to figure out the flow of their new-look team, winning eight of their last nine games. The one loss was a 119-116 defeat at the hands of the Celtics on the road. The Bucks own the third-best scoring offense in the league, but they are bottom 10 in defensive ratings. That’s their achilles heel and what is the biggest threat to their championship aspirations this year.
Meanwhile, the Knicks own the fourth-best defensive rating in the NBA. The Bucks defeated the Knicks 110-105 the one time they faced each other this year, and that was thanks to one quarter, in which New York was outscored 35-21. In that game, R.J. Barrett did not play for New York. Barrett is averaging 19 points per game, and his presence makes them much less prone to scoring droughts.
That should keep the game tighter from start to finish. With New York’s defense being as good as it is, the result could be different this time around.
No. 2 Indiana Pacers vs. No. 3 Boston Celtics
The Celtics are top of the NBA standings yet again. At 14-4, they have the best record in the league and are clicking on all cylinders. They have won seven of their last nine games, which includes victories over the Knicks, 76ers, and Bucks. The Celtics are one of two teams that are top 10 in offense and defense in the league.
However, they are without Kristaps Porzingis, who is averaging 19 points per game on 55% from the field. The Celtics have won both games since he went out with injury, but neither opponent was the caliber of the Pacers. Indiana owns the league’s highest-scoring offense, putting up 127 points per outing. Their success is thanks in large part to Tyrese Haliburton, who is now garnering MVP chatter.
He is averaging 26 points per game on nearly 52% shooting from the field to go along with 12 assists. His offensive prowess, however, isn’t explosive enough to mask their abysmal defense. The Pacers are second-to-last in defensive rating this year. Even with about 20 points missing from the Celtics’ lineup, the Pacers’ defense isn’t strong enough to contain the Celtics and their young stars.
