On April 18, Beijing time, the NBA play-offs will continue: at 7:00, the 76ers will play the Heat at home, and at 9:30, the Bulls will host the Hawks. The winner of the battle between the 76ers and the Heat will be the No. 7 seed in the East and face the Knicks in the first round against the Knicks, who are No. 2 in the East. ESPN predicts the outcome of the two play-in games, and the 76ers and Bulls are the favourites to win.
The loser of the battle between the 76ers and the Heat will face the winner of the Bulls-Hawks battle again on April 20, and the winner will be the No. 8 seed in the East and face the Celtics in the first round against the No. 1 team in the East.
7:00: Heat vs. 76ers
In the regular season this season, the Heat are 46-36 and 8th in the East, while the 76ers are 47-35 and 7th in the East.
The two teams met four times during the regular season, winning two games each. On 12/26/23, the Heat beat the 76ers 119-113, on 2/15/24, the Heat beat the 76ers 109-104, on 3/19/24, the 76ers beat the Heat 98-91, and on 4/5/24, the 76ers beat the Heat 109-105. In these four games, the difference between the two sides is between 4-7 points.
In the most recent meeting on April 5, the 76ers' Maxey had 37 points, 9 rebounds and 11 assists, Embiid had 29 points, and Oubre had 18 points and 8 rebounds. The Heat's Rozier had 22 points and six three-pointers, Butler had 20 points, four rebounds and five assists, and Adebayo had 14 points and 11 rebounds.
The 76ers and Heat have met once in the 2022 Eastern Conference semifinals, when the 76ers were eliminated by the Heat 2-4 on aggregate. Embiid and Butler were once teammates with the 76ers, and now that the two are in the playoffs, who will advance to the playoffs first?
In terms of injuries, the Heat's Rozier and Richardson are absent, and Dunroe is likely to play. The 76ers' Covington and Melton are out, and Embiid and KJ Martin are doubtful.
ESPN Predicted Win Percentage: 36.5% for the Heat, 63.5% for the 76ers
9:30 a.m.: Hawks vs. Bulls
In the regular season, the Hawks are 36-46 and 10th in the East, while the Bulls are 39-43 and 9th in the East.
The two teams met three times in the regular season, with the Bulls winning two and losing one. On 12/27/23, the Bulls beat the Hawks 118-113, on 2/13/24, the Bulls beat the Hawks again 136-126, and on 4/2/24, the Hawks beat the Bulls 113-101.
In the recent Wizards on April 2, the Hawks' Bogdan Bogdanovic had 20 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists, Krejic had 18 points and 6 three-pointers, and Murray had 17 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. The Bulls had 9,000 points and five assists, Drummond had 13 points and 18 rebounds, and White had 22 points.
Both the Bulls and Hawks have only one life, with the loser eliminated and the winner having to play another play-in game against the 76ers Heat's loser for the final playoff spot in the East. In the regular season this season, the Bulls went 2-1 against the 76ers and 2-2 against the Heat, while the Hawks went 2-2 against the 76ers and 1-3 against the Heat.
In terms of injuries, the Hawks' Saddiq Bey, Okongu and Jalen Johnson are sidelined. The Bulls' LaVine, Ball, Phillips and Pawe are out, and Drummond and Dosunmu are doubtful.
ESPN Predicted Win Percentage: Hawks 39.6%, Bulls 60.4%