Experts' picks for the NBA play-in and every first-round series
The 2023 NBA playoffs are here!
Twenty teams have a chance — some, uh, smaller than others — to take home the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June. But first, four teams need to come out of the play-in tournament. Can the No. 8 seed Minnesota Timberwolves overcome Rudy Gobert‘s suspension and Jaden McDaniel’s wall punch to surprise LeBron James and the No. 7 seed Los Angeles Lakers? Can the No. 10-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder continue their shocking run by shutting down the No. 9 seed Pelicans in New Orleans?
Over in the East, we have Trae Young and the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks facing a Miami Heat team that has spent all season trying to overcome injuries and inconsistency. And then we have the Chicago Bulls facing a Toronto Raptors team that is 15-11 since acquiring Jakob Poeltl at the trade deadline.
And that’s just the play-in! Our experts have analyzed all the data; they’ve talked to insiders across the league.
Here are their final selections.
MORE: Stars, stats and storylines: Everything to know about the 2023 NBA playoffs | Schedules | What every eliminated team needs to do this offseason
Eastern Conference Play-In
Kendra Andrews: Heat
Jerry Bembry: Heat
Jamal Collier: Heat
Nick DePaula: Heat
Nick Friedell: Heat
Kirk Goldsberry: Heat
Israel Gutierrez: Heat
Tim Legler: Heat
Tim MacMahon: Heat
Bobby Marks: Heat
Dave McMenamin: Heat
Kevin Pelton: Heat
Jorge Sedano: Heat
Ramona Shelburne: Heat
André Snellings: Heat
Marc Spears: Heat
Ohm Youngmisuk: Heat
Final tally: Heat 17, Hawks 0
Eastern Conference Play-In
Kendra Andrews: Raptors
Jerry Bembry: Raptors
Jamal Collier: Bulls
Nick DePaula: Bulls
Nick Friedell: Raptors
Kirk Goldsberry: Raptors
Israel Gutierrez: Bulls
Tim Legler: Bulls
Tim MacMahon: Raptors
Bobby Marks: Raptors
Dave McMenamin: Raptors
Kevin Pelton: Raptors
Jorge Sedano: Raptors
Ramona Shelburne: Raptors
André Snellings: Raptors
Marc Spears: Bulls
Ohm Youngmisuk: Bulls
Final tally: Raptors 11, Bulls 6
Western Conference Play-In
Kendra Andrews: Lakers
Jerry Bembry: Lakers
Jamal Collier: Lakers
Nick DePaula: Lakers
Nick Friedell: Lakers
Kirk Goldsberry: Lakers
Israel Gutierrez: Lakers
Tim Legler: Lakers
Tim MacMahon: Lakers
Bobby Marks: Lakers
Dave McMenamin: Lakers
Kevin Pelton: Lakers
Jorge Sedano: Lakers
Ramona Shelburne: Lakers
André Snellings: Lakers
Marc Spears: Lakers
Ohm Youngmisuk: Lakers
Final tally: Lakers 17, Wolves 0
Western Conference Play-In
Kendra Andrews: Thunder
Jerry Bembry: Thunder
Jamal Collier: Pelicans
Nick DePaula: Thunder
Nick Friedell: Pelicans
Kirk Goldsberry: Pelicans
Israel Gutierrez: Pelicans
Tim Legler: Pelicans
Tim MacMahon: Thunder
Bobby Marks: Thunder
Dave McMenamin: Pelicans
Kevin Pelton: Pelicans
Ramona Shelburne: Pelicans
André Snellings: Pelicans
Marc Spears: Pelicans
Ohm Youngmisuk: Pelicans
Final tally: Pelicans 11, Thunder 5
First round: Eastern Conference
Kendra Andrews: 76ers in 5
Jerry Bembry: 76ers in 5
Jamal Collier: 76ers in 5
Nick DePaula: 76ers in 5
Nick Friedell: 76ers in 5
Kirk Goldsberry: 76ers in 5
Israel Gutierrez: 76ers in 5
Tim Legler: 76ers in 6
Tim MacMahon: 76ers in 5
Bobby Marks: 76ers in 5
Dave McMenamin: 76ers in 5
Kevin Pelton: 76ers in 5
Jorge Sedano: 76ers in 5
Ramona Shelburne: 76ers in 5
André Snellings: 76ers in 5
Marc Spears: 76ers in 5
Ohm Youngmisuk: 76ers in 5
Final tally: 76ers 17, Nets 0
Kendra Andrews: Cavaliers in 6
Jerry Bembry: Knicks in 7
Jamal Collier: Cavaliers in 7
Nick DePaula: Cavaliers in 7
Nick Friedell: Knicks in 7
Kirk Goldsberry: Cavaliers in 7
Israel Gutierrez: Cavaliers in 6
Tim Legler: Cavaliers in 7
Tim MacMahon: Cavaliers in 7
Bobby Marks: Cavaliers in 6
Dave McMenamin: Cavaliers in 7
Kevin Pelton: Cavaliers in 6
Jorge Sedano: Knicks in 7
Ramona Shelburne: Knicks in 6
André Snellings: Cavaliers in 7
Marc Spears: Cavaliers in 7
Ohm Youngmisuk: Cavaliers in 7
Final tally: Cavaliers 13, Knicks 4
First round: Western Conference
Kendra Andrews: Warriors in 6
Jerry Bembry: Kings in 7
Jamal Collier: Warriors in 6
Nick DePaula: Warriors in 6
Nick Friedell: Warriors in 7
Kirk Goldsberry: Warriors in 7
Israel Gutierrez: Warriors in 6
Tim Legler: Warriors in 6
Tim MacMahon: Warriors in 6
Bobby Marks: Kings in 6
Dave McMenamin: Warriors in 6
Kevin Pelton: Warriors in 6
Jorge Sedano: Warriors in 6
Ramona Shelburne: Warriors in 6
André Snellings: Warriors in 6
Marc Spears: Warriors in 7
Ohm Youngmisuk: Warriors in 7
Final tally: Warriors 15, Kings 2
Kendra Andrews: Suns in 7
Jerry Bembry: Suns in 6
Jamal Collier: Suns in 6
Nick DePaula: Suns in 6
Nick Friedell: Suns in 6
Kirk Goldsberry: Suns in 6
Israel Gutierrez: Suns in 6
Tim Legler: Suns in 6
Tim MacMahon: Suns in 6
Bobby Marks: Suns in 6
Dave McMenamin: Suns in 7
Kevin Pelton: Suns in 6
Ramona Shelburne: Suns in 6
André Snellings: Suns in 7
Marc Spears: Suns in 7
Ohm Youngmisuk: Suns in 7
Final tally: Suns 16, Clippers 0
