NBA Eastern Conference Postseason Odds 2023: Hawks Favored To Make Playoffs

Hawks Favored to Make the Playoffs

Online sports betting fans thought that the NBA coach firings were finished for this season with teams having only about 24 regular-season games remaining out of the All-Star break. Although the NBA betting community was abuzz with rumors surrounding the future of Ime Udoka, it came as a surprise when the Atlanta Hawks fired head coach Nate McMillan this week.

Despite their strong roster, the Hawks have underperformed this season. McMillan was widely expected to be canned after the season, but apparently the Hawks front office wanted to start searching for his replacement immediately. Former Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder has emerged as the front-runner, although he likely wouldn’t take over until this summer.

New general manager Landry Fields has named assistant Joe Prunty the interim coach of a team that is 29-30 and in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. That’s a hugely disappointing record after the team traded for Spurs All-Star guard Dejounte Murray last offseason to form one of the East’s best backcourts with fellow All-Star Trae Young.

McMillan replaced Lloyd Pierce as interim coach during in 2021 and engineered a run to the Eastern Conference finals, but Atlanta has regressed since. That the Hawks make the playoffs this season is -150 with no at +115. Yes means in the final eight of the East field and past the play-in tournament. The Hawks competing in that is -500 and clearly the best online sportsbook sites expect Atlanta to advance.

Latest NBA East Playoffs Odds

Based on the latest sports betting odds, the other favorites to compete in the East play-in tournament are the Toronto Raptors (-375), Washington Wizards (-375) and New York Knicks (-180). The Raptors are 10^th in the East at 28-31, the Wizards ninth at 28-30 and the Knicks sixth at 33-27.

Miami sits seventh at 32-27 but is +150 for the play-in tournament as NBA oddsmakers expect the Heat to pass the Knicks. Miami is -900 to make the playoffs, as the team recently added former All-Star forward Kevin Love via the buyout market from the Cleveland Cavaliers,  and +500 to miss.

The Chicago Bulls did the expected on Tuesday in ruling out starting point guard Lonzo Ball for the season with knee troubles. His last game was January 14, 2022, when the Bulls were 27-13 and Eastern Conference contenders. They aren’t this year at 26-33 and 11^th in the East. They have an over-under conference seed of 11.5 and are +200 to reach the play-in tournament

Boston leads the East by a half-game over Milwaukee with the Celtics as -275 favorites to earn the top seed and the Bucks +220. Milwaukee comes out of the break on a 12-game winning streak but might be without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo for at least a few games due to a sprained wrist. That could be all the Celtics need to hold off the Bucks. Boston has the highest updated season win total in the NBA at 58.5 with Milwaukee second at 56.5.

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