NBA Playoffs - Play-In Tues/Wed Games

Munaf Manji and SleepyJ talk NBA playoff Play-In-games
Munaf Manji welcomes back co-host Sleepy J to the NBA Podcast as the 2026 postseason officially arrives with the play-in tournament tipping off Tuesday and Wednesday, with both hosts relieved to be back to meaningful basketball after grinding through the end of the regular season where double-digit spreads and resting rosters made handicapping nearly impossible. The show opens with a title odds discussion where Sleepy J identifies the Denver Nuggets with Nikola Jokić and the New York Knicks at 18 to 1 as his picks to make deep runs outside the top two seeds, while Manji agrees on Denver but expresses serious doubts about the Los Angeles Lakers lacking the rim protection and interior presence needed to advance deep in the playoffs, flagging Anthony Davis's inability to fill that role and noting that Cameron Johnson and Aaron Gordon playing functional defense will determine how far the Nuggets go. The four play-in games get a thorough breakdown starting with the Eastern Conference nine-ten matchup on Tuesday where Miami Heat travel to Charlotte as the ten seed to face the Hornets laying five and a half at home, with both hosts backing Charlotte because their defensive efficiency has improved from 24th in the league to seventh since the All-Star break under new ownership and a new coaching staff, and both see the Spectrum Center crowd energizing the Hornets against a Miami team under Erik Spoelstra that has dramatically changed its identity to become the fastest-paced team in the league despite years of playing at a crawl. Sleepy J also holds back a best bet on Andrew Wiggins under 14 and a half points for the Heat, projecting Wiggins in a defensive role with too few offensive touches to reach that number in a road playoff game. Tuesday's Western Conference seven-eight game has Portland Trail Blazers hosting the Phoenix Suns at minus four and a half, where both hosts like Phoenix because Dillon Brooks, Grayson Allen, and Devin Booker are playoff-tested grinders and Phoenix finished ninth in defensive efficiency for the season, and Manji makes the under at 217 and a half his official best bet projecting a first-team-to-105-or-110 grinding game with Jrue Holiday controlling Portland's tempo. Wednesday's Eastern Conference seven-eight game has Orlando Magic at Philadelphia 76ers laying one and a half with Joel Embiid's status uncertain after his emergency appendectomy last Thursday in Houston, and both hosts take Orlando regardless of the Embiid ruling, with Sleepy J calling the Magic his dark horse pick for the whole postseason given the injuries to Franz Wagner and Desmond Bane that masked how good this team can be, and Manji adding the under at 220 and a half as his favorite play using the historical trend of play-in opener combined totals never exceeding 223 points since the format began in 2021. The Wednesday Western Conference nine-ten elimination game has Kawhi Leonard's Clippers hosting Stephen Curry's Warriors at minus four and a half, with Sleepy J torn between his heart wanting the Warriors and his head unable to lay points against Golden State, ultimately passing and watching for the number to move to five or five and a half, while Manji identifies this as the toughest game on the board and lands on the under at 220 and a half given both teams play half-court basketball and neither runs. Official best bets are Sleepy J with Andrew Wiggins under 14 and a half and Manji with the Blazers-Suns under 217 and a half. Use promo code PLAYBALL20 at Pregame.com for twenty percent off MLB packages before midnight tonight April 13th.

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