NBA Best Bets for Play-In Tournament Games on Friday, April 18

The NBA Play-In Tournament officially concludes tonight with a pair of winner-take-all matchups for the 8-seed in each conference, as the Miami Heat visit the Atlanta Hawks in the first game of the evening, and then the Dallas Mavericks square off against the Memphis Grizzlies in the late window.

Our betting experts have looked over the odds and made 5 NBA picks spanning both of tonight’s contests. Continue below for our NBA best bets and predictions for Friday, April 18.

NBA Play-In Tournament Best Bets: Friday, April 18

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Game	Time (ET)	Pick
[teammatchup link=”#1″ firstfullname=”Miami Heat” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/mia.png” secondfullname=”Atlanta Hawks” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/atl.png”][/teammatchup]	7 p.m.	Heat 1Q ML
[teammatchup link=”#2″ firstfullname=”Miami Heat” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/mia.png” secondfullname=”Atlanta Hawks” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/atl.png”][/teammatchup]	7 p.m.	Dyson Daniels Under 13.5 Points
[teammatchup link=”#3″ firstfullname=”Dallas Mavericks” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/dal.png” secondfullname=”Memphis Grizzlies” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/mem.png”][/teammatchup]	10 p.m.	Desmond Bane Over 21.5 Points
[teammatchup link=”#4″ firstfullname=”Dallas Mavericks” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/dal.png” secondfullname=”Memphis Grizzlies” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/mem.png”][/teammatchup]	10 p.m.	Naji Marshall Under 3.5 Assists
[teammatchup link=”#5″ firstfullname=”Dallas Mavericks” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/dal.png” secondfullname=”Memphis Grizzlies” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/mem.png”][/teammatchup]	10 p.m.	Ja Morant Under 26.5 Points
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NBA Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game.

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[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Heat vs. Hawks”][/subheader]

[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Heat First Quarter Moneyline (-110)” league=”nba” awaylogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/mia.png” awayname=”Miami Heat” awayslug=”miami-heat” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/atl.png” homename=”Atlanta Hawks” homeslug=”atlanta-hawks” date=”Friday, April 18″ time=”7 p.m. ET” network=”TNT” bookname=”Fanatics Sportsbook” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/542724_Fanatics-banner-logo.png” bookreviewslug=”fanatics-sportsbook”][/gameheader]

By Bryan Fonseca

The Heat have been great in first quarters and first halves on the road as of late, covering in seven of their last 10.

Finishing has been an issue — it wasn’t on Wednesday in Chicago.

Now, they’ve moved into being favorites after being +2.5 to open in Atlanta.

At a minimum, I’m expecting another good start for the Heat. Tyler Herro has also gone over 6.5 points in the first quarter in four of his last six, which is another early bet I like for this game.

Pick: Heat First Quarter Moneyline (-110)

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[teammatchup link=”#1″ shadow=”true” firstfullname=”Miami Heat” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/mia.png” secondfullname=”Atlanta Hawks” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/atl.png”][/teammatchup]

[teammatchup link=”#2″ shadow=”true” firstfullname=”Miami Heat” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/mia.png” secondfullname=”Atlanta Hawks” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/atl.png”][/teammatchup]

[teammatchup link=”#3″ shadow=”true” firstfullname=”Dallas Mavericks” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/dal.png” secondfullname=”Memphis Grizzlies” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/mem.png”][/teammatchup]

[teammatchup link=”#4″ shadow=”true” firstfullname=”Dallas Mavericks” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/dal.png” secondfullname=”Memphis Grizzlies” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/mem.png”][/teammatchup]

[teammatchup link=”#5″ shadow=”true” firstfullname=”Dallas Mavericks” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/dal.png” secondfullname=”Memphis Grizzlies” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/mem.png”][/teammatchup]

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[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Heat vs. Hawks”][/subheader]

[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Dyson Daniels Under 13.5 Points (-115)” league=”nba” awaylogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/mia.png” awayname=”Miami Heat” awayslug=”miami-heat” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/atl.png” homename=”Atlanta Hawks” homeslug=”atlanta-hawks” date=”Friday, April 18″ time=”7 p.m. ET” network=”TNT” bookname=”BetMGM” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/779359_BetMGM800x200@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”betmgm”][/gameheader]

By Joe Dellera

Dyson Daniels has been instrumental to the Hawks‘ (relative) successes this season. Daniels is averaging 14.1 points per game this season and while he has had spikes, he still is exceeding this mark in only 48% of games overall.

The interesting thing with Dyson is that more minutes does not equate to significantly more points. Even when he plays at least 35 minutes he still averages just 15.8 points per game.

This matchup with Miami is tougher with Wiggins, Bam, and Ware able to defend on the interior and he is not a strong enough shooting threat to attack a zone or a drop coverage that Miami often employs.

This season he has scored 10, 18, and 9 points against the Heat but he shot an uncharacteristic 8/10 in the game where he scored 18.

Miami slows down the pace and presents a tough matchup for Daniels. I’ll grab under 13.5 points.

Pick: Dyson Daniels Under 13.5 Points (-115)

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[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Mavericks vs. Grizzlies”][/subheader]

[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Desmond Bane Over 21.5 Points (-125)” league=”nba” awaylogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/dal.png” awayname=”Dallas Mavericks” awayslug=”dallas-mavericks” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/mem.png” homename=”Memphis Grizzlies” homeslug=”memphis-grizzlies” date=”Friday, April 18″ time=”10 p.m. ET” network=”TNT” bookname=”DraftKings ” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/477013_DraftKings@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”draftkings”][/gameheader]

By Joe Dellera

The Grizzlies face off against the Mavericks tonight for the rights to a first class ticket to Oklahoma City.

One swing in the postseason has been the minutes for Memphis. All season they have really managed their star players minutes while playing a massive rotation on a nightly basis. In a win-or-go-home spot, their minutes have expanded.

Last game in the 7/8 Play-In, we saw Desmond Bane’s minutes expand to 39, the second-most minutes he has played in a regulation game this season. Couple this with Morant turning his ankle and him potentially not being 100%, and this sets up for a strong performance from Bane.

Bane should be able to attack a fairly thin Mavericks’ backcourt. Bane scored 27 his last time out against Dallas, and I expect him to crush today.

Pick: Desmond Bane Over 21.5 Points (-125)

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[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Mavericks vs. Grizzlies”][/subheader]

[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Naji Marshall Under 3.5 Assists (+110)” league=”nba” awaylogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/dal.png” awayname=”Dallas Mavericks” awayslug=”dallas-mavericks” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/mem.png” homename=”Memphis Grizzlies” homeslug=”memphis-grizzlies” date=”Friday, April 18″ time=”10 p.m. ET” network=”TNT” bookname=”Fanatics Sportsbook” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/542724_Fanatics-banner-logo.png” bookreviewslug=”fanatics-sportsbook”][/gameheader]

By Michael Arinze

Some props can be misleading when you dig a bit deeper to explore a player’s home-away splits. Mavericks‘ forward Naji Marshall is a perfect example of such a scenario, as he’s averaging 3.5 assists at home vs. 2.6 when on the road.

Yet, his assists prop for this matchup is right at 3.5, which would be more palatable if the Mavericks were playing at home.

If we solely focus on Marshall’s performance on the road, he has failed to exceed 3.5 assists in 15 of his last 16 games in this spot.

Interestingly, since Marshall averages roughly an additional minute of playing time on the road (28.3) vs. at home(27.4), you could argue that his assists on the highway should be more commensurate.

Thus, we’re getting a tremendous price with odds at +108 on a prop that

With the under available at +108, we can take advantage of a potential oversight by the bookmakers.

Pick: Naji Marshall Under 3.5 Assists (+110)

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[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Mavericks vs. Grizzlies”][/subheader]

[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Ja Morant Under 26.5 Points (-120)” league=”nba” awaylogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/dal.png” awayname=”Dallas Mavericks” awayslug=”dallas-mavericks” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/mem.png” homename=”Memphis Grizzlies” homeslug=”memphis-grizzlies” date=”Friday, April 18″ time=”10 p.m. ET” network=”TNT” bookname=”BetMGM” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/779359_BetMGM800x200@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”betmgm”][/gameheader]

By Dead Pres Picks

In the first round of the Play-In Tournament, Memphis lost a hard-fought game to the Warriors. While Dallas will attempt to stun the league with a second straight win tonight.

Jason Kidd’s team rolled to a comfortable 120-106 win over the Kings last night. The Mavericks outscored the Kings 41-19 in the second quarter. Anthony Davis led the team with 27 points and nine rebounds.

The Mavericks will have a strong game plan to slow down Ja Morant tonight. The former second-overall pick has averaged 23.2 points per game this season. Morant has failed to exceed this number in five of his last eight games. Memphis has a well-balanced scoring offense, which bodes well for this prop.

Pick: Ja Morant Under 26.5 Points (-120)

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