🏀 In-Season Tournament Quarters

The In-Season Tournament wasn't fully understood until recent weeks, but it seems to be a big hit for both the players and fans. Monday night featured the first two quarterfinal games, and tonight we have the Knicks visiting Giannis and Dame, followed by KD vs. LeBron. This should be fun 🍿 (2 min read)

Author

Will Gendron
December 05, 2023

Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

In-Season Tournament

Tonight marks the second night of quarterfinal games across the NBA’s In-Season Tournament (Monday’s results). The Knicks pay a visit to Milwaukee to kick things off, followed by the Suns taking a trip to Los Angeles in the later game. All four of these teams had high expectations heading into the year, how will they look in the first games of the season with elevated stakes? 🤔

Kevin Durant and LeBron James have enjoyed 21 regular season and 14 playoff matchups against each other throughout their careers. Bron’s teams have gotten the better of KD’s during the regular season, going 15-6, while Durant’s teams have enjoyed an advantage in the playoffs with a 9-4 record 👀

  • However, since Christmas day of 2018, the two generation-defining players have only played against each other twice. Both of those games have taken place this season, with the most recent being an In-Season Tournament group stages contest (the Lakers won)

  • Spread: Lakers -1.5

  • Moneyline: Lakers -122, Suns +104

  • Over/Under: 227.5 Total Points

  • When: 10:00PM EST on TNT

  • Winner Plays: Pelicans

Legacy matchups aside, Giannis, Dame and the Bucks are favored to win the NBA’s first In-Season Tournament (+270) and take on a Knicks team that has won their last three games. Those matchups have been against the Raptors, Pistons and Hornets, but New York fields a roster that is a pain to play against

  • The Knicks boast the league’s fourth-best defense according to defensive rating, holding opposing teams to 110.1 PPG

  • Part of that is Mitchell Robinson, who controls the paint, averaging 10.7 RPG and 1.4 BPG. But the Bucks are quietly putting things together, going 9-2 in their last 11 games

  • Spread: Bucks -5

  • Moneyline: Bucks -198, Knicks +166

  • Over/Under: 225.5 Total Points

  • When: 7:30PM EST on TNT

  • When Plays: Pacers

Remember when it wasn’t clear whether or not the In-Season Tournament would be taken seriously by the players? Well it turns out, including a single-game elimination element to the dregs of the regular season beats just another Monday night game 👏

Do you like the In-Season Tournament?

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Trivia Question: What are LeBron and KD’s career highs in points in a single game?

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For My Parlay Gurus

I think the Knicks manage to cover tonight — they have bodies to matchup with the Bucks’ Giannis and Lopez frontcourt. Given the heightened drama of an In-Season Tournament game, I expect a fairly tight contest as well. Over in Los Angeles, I think defense will be an afterthought. Phoenix is hard to slow down and Los Angeles is rounding into healthier form. Give me the over - take a look 👇

  • Knicks +5 @ Bucks: -112

  • Suns @ Lakers Over 227.5 Total Points: -110

$100 on this bet would win you $261 — if we hit, make sure you email [email protected] for a chance to win an Overtime hoodie*. Many will enter, only some will win 😉

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Trivia Answer: LeBron’s highest scoring game was 61 points against the Charlotte Bobcats (RIP) in 2014. KD’s was 55 against the Atlanta Hawks in 2022

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