NBA In-Season Tournament Odds: LA Lakers snubbed as favorites as 4 teams remain
Competition in the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament is now down to a battle of four from a full field of 30 at the start following the conclusion of quarterfinal play on Tuesday. Left standing are the Milwaukee Bucks, LA Lakers, Indiana Pacers and New Orleans Pelicans.
The four are set to mix it up in the semifinals set for Thursday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for a spot in the finals. The Bucks battle the Pacers at 5 p.m. ET, with the Lakers taking on the Pelicans, 9 p.m. Both games are available on NBA League Pass and ESPN.
After the final four cast was settled, the Bucks, as per FanDuel, were placed as the favorites to win the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament title at +165, followed the Lakers (+230), Pelicans (+380) and Pacers (+440).
Milwaukee is at -4 to win over the Pacers while Los Angeles is at -2.5 to top New Orleans.
NBA In-Season Tournament: How the remaining teams stack up
#1. Milwaukee Bucks
That many consider the Bucks as favorites to win the NBA In-Season Tournament is not at all surprising considering how they have been steady in the tournament so far.
Led by their two All-Stars in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, the Bucks have channeled the unstoppable. They swept their four games in East Group B before punctuating their entry into the semifinals with a 146-122 victory over the New York Knicks in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
The Bucks are in solid footing as Lillard and Antetokounmpo are now clicking together. In their five games in the tournament, Lillard has averages of 29.6 points, seven assists and 4.4 rebounds while Antetokounmpo has been good for 27.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 6.6 assists.
#2 LA Lakers
Another unblemished team in group play of the “tournament within the tournament,” the Lakers have made a strong case for themselves for the NBA Cup, largely on the spirited play of LeBron James, who at 38 is still a top gun.
‘The King’ has been topnotch in the tournament with numbers of 26.2 points, eight rebounds and 8.2 assists. He said the ongoing In-Season play has stoked the fire in him and it is showing in how he is leading his team.
Anthony Davis, too, has provided solid support to James with 21.2 points and 11.4 rebounds.
In the quarterfinals on Tuesday, the Lakers took the measure of the Phoenix Suns, 106-103, led once again by James but with ample of support from the rest of the squad.
#3. New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans did not go unscathed in group play like the other semifinalists in the NBA In-Season Tournament but has been formidable thanks to a balanced attack.
New Orleans’s gutsy 127-117 victory in the quarterfinals on Monday was representative of how it has been for them in the tournament to date.
Despite not having an explosive game from All-Star Zion Williamson, the rest of the team picked up the slack. Five players scored in double digits, namely Brandon Ingram, with a team-high 30, Herb Jones, Jonas Valanciunas, CJ McCollum and off-the-bench Trey Murphy III.
Given this, the Lakers should know better than sleeping on the Pelicans in the semifinals.
#4. Indiana Pacers
The Pacers have sprung up big surprises in the NBA In-Season Tournament. Apart from finishing on top of East Group A with a 4-0 record, the team knocked out tournament favorites Boston Celtics, 122-112, in the quarterfinals on Monday.
Tyrese Haliburton has continued with his ascent as a league All-Star in the ongoing tournament, averaging 28 points and 11.4 assists, making a strong case as the best player in In-Season play.
More telling, his impressive play has also brought the best from his teammates in the NBA In-Season Tournament like Myles Turner, Obi Toppin, Buddy Hield, Bruce Brown Jr., Bennedict Mathurin and Aaron Nesmith, making the Pacers a handful.