Best Outsiders To Make The Playoffs – Odds, Tips & Predictions

It has been an enthralling race to the playoffs, particularly in the Western Conference, and courtesy of some very tight standings as well as the recent advent of the Play-In Tournament, it’s still far from decided who will be playing the postseason. In the East, six teams have been all but locked in for some time, leaving two spots for four teams, but in the West things are a lot more complicated, with only a couple of teams guaranteeing themselves a spot more than a game or two before the end of the regular season. Below, we take a look at the best value teams to sneak in as we reach the conclusion of the regular season.

Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks have been holding onto a spot inside the top eight in the Eastern Conference for much of the NBA regular season, but a run of poor form just when they didn’t need it has put their spot there in jeopardy. Through late March and early April, they lost six of eight games to allow the Magic to lock up 7th spot, and force them into a battle with the Bulls and the Heat for the much-coveted 8th. Whichever team finishes there, of course, gets two bites at the cherry in the Play-In Tournament, rather than having to win back-to-back games in order to earn a playoff spot.

Fortunately for Atlanta, their end to the season is a relatively easy one, with a couple of games against bad teams and one against the Magic to round things out. Already a game or two ahead of each of the two teams below them, the ball is already in their court when it comes to finishing in 8th spot, and with what should be a couple of easy wins they will be expecting to lock that spot up. Having said that, they have not been in good form at all and even if they do finish 8th, they’ll be underdogs against the Magic, and a loss in that first Play-In game would send them into a do-or-die clash for 8th spot – all of that just to earn a seven-game series against the Cavs! There is no doubt that outside of the Magic, the Hawks are the best-placed team to sneak into the playoffs from those 7-10 positions, but given their form they would be hard to back at relatively short odds.

What brings them here? The Hawks have been sitting right around mid-table in the Eastern Conference all season long, and a run of losses late in the season will have made fans in Atlanta a little nervous.

What could hold them back? The Hawks have not been a great team since Jalen Johnson went down injured and Deandre Hunter was traded, and some bad form on the eve of the Play-In Tournament could prove costly.

Injury report. Johnsonn is, of course, out for the season, as is Larry Nance Jr. Clint Capela probably won’t play again until the playoffs, if they make it.

Bet on the Hawks to make the playoffs @ $1.57 with Unibet

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls have had a funny old season. They’ve not really been all that good, a middling team as they have been for years, and when they traded Zach LaVine it seemed like a move that would see them playing more for draft picks than playoff spots. Instead, they have been really solid since the All-Star break, going 15-10 up until the time of writing – and 15-8 if you discount a couple of losses to start that stretch of games. Josh Giddey has begun to play the best basketball of his career by some margin, averaging close to a 20-point triple-double in that time, while Coby White has also been putting up really consistently impressive numbers.
 
Given they were 22-33 heading into the All-Star break, their record is still not exactly one to write home about. But what that stretch has done is keep them not only safely inside the top ten and qualified for the Play-In Tournament, but given them an outside chance at sneaking inside the top eight and getting the double chance to qualify for the playoffs. That’s still unlikely, but an absolutely pivotal win over the Heat in their third last game of the season put them a game clear in 9th, and with games against the Wizards and Sixers to come. At worst that means they should earn a home first game of the Play-In. They are the form team out of the three seemingly most likely fighting for eighth spot, and at over $3 to make the playoffs with betting sites look like the best value of the lot.

What brings them here? Courtesy of a weak Eastern Conference, the Bulls were always likely to at least qualify for the Play-In Tournament, but a great, extended run of form has given them a legitimate shot of making the playoffs.

What could hold them back? The fact that they will most likely finish outside the top eight and subsequently need to win consecutive games in the Play-In Tournament to qualify.

Injury report. Ayo Dosunmu underwent season-ending shoulder surgery early in March, while Lonzo Ball and Tre Jones have also been out for extended periods.

Bet on the Bulls to make the playoffs @ $3.25 with Unibet

Miami Heat

The Miami Heat’s season has, in some ways, been the mirror of that of the Bulls. Heading into the All-Star break they found themselves a few games clear of Chicago at 25-29, before trading the troublesome Jimmy Butler to the Warriors for a few bits and pieces, most notably Andrew Wiggins. But while Butler wasn’t playing much or well when he did anyway, after that trade things went south for the Heat. Soon after the All-Star break, they fell into a deep hole with ten consecutive losses. Granted it was a tough run of games, but ten losses!?

Oddly enough, once they managed to right the ship they did so emphatically, winning six games in a row directly after that losing streak, but a few tight losses in the lead-up to the playoffs has seen them fall to 10th. The aforementioned loss to the Bulls was particularly significant – had they won, they would have put themselves in the box seat to finish at least 9th and potentially 8th if the Hawks slip up, with games against the Pelicans and Wizards to round out the season. But as it is, 8th is now out of the question and 9th will require a meltdown from the Bulls, meaning Miami will most likely have to win away from home twice in the Play-In Tournament against teams in better form than they are. They still have some good players on their roster, namely Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, while Andrew Wiggins is a more than useful NBA player, and they should be playing better than they are. The reality is, however, that they are not. This team is still more than capable of pulling it together for a couple of Play-In games to make the playoffs so certainly can’t be ruled out, but the Bulls look like a better bet at the same odds with international betting sites like Unibet.

What brings them here? The Heat were hoping to compete for a spot in the top six and a direct line into the playoffs, but instead they’re going to be the least favoured team in the Play-In Tournament.

What could hold them back? The Heat have been in pretty bad form for some time now, and though they hit form after that losing streak they haven’t really been able to maintain it.

Injury report. Kevin Love and Nikola Jovic have been unavailable for a while, while Pelle Larsson sustained a sprained ankle at training on the eve of the playoffs – though doesn’t appear likely to miss more than a game or two.

Bet on the Heat to make the playoffs @ $3.25 with Unibet

Sacramento Kings

The Kings have long been known for making a few strange off-court decisions, and this season has been no different. It started when they sacked former Coach of the Year Mike Brown seemingly out of the blue, and while that yielded a few positive results in the short-term, they didn’t last. A seemingly disgruntled De’Aaron Fox was subsequently traded 45 games into the season, and Zach LaVine brought in as a not-really-like-for-like replacement. Fortunately they had Malik Monk, who had previously been coming off the bench, to slot into the starting line-up in Fox’s place, but for all his talent he is not at the level of his predecessor and hasn’t been a team’s primary ball-handler in his career thus far.

What’s more, LaVine’s addition created an unusually balanced roster with a lot of players in need of the ball – already they have another score-first, pass-second wing in DeMar DeRozan, as well as a centre in Domantas Sabonis who might be the best passer on their team. It’s a strange roster and one which doesn’t necessarily function all that well together, and though they have been top ten in offensive rating since the All-Star break they have also been bottom ten in defensive rating in that time. Still, it’s not over just yet. The Kings haven’t been involved in the jostling for spots between 3rd and 8th in the West, and are well clear of the hapless Suns in 11th, leaving them battling it out with the Mavericks for a home slot in their first Play-In game. To make the playoffs, they’ll need to win that, then beat the loser of 7th vs 8th on the road. That could be anyone, but whoever it is will have won seven or eight more games than the Kings in the regular season and will be comfortable favourite to beat them. It’s certainly a long-shot, but the Play-In Tournament’s knockout structure means if you make it there, you’re a chance.

What brings them here? The Kings have been just doing enough all season long, and while they’ve long been out of the mix for a top eight spot they have always looked like finishing 9th or 10th.

What could hold them back? The first Play-In Tournament game will be a very winnable one against the Mavs, but if they do win that they will have a tough matchup in the second.

Injury report. Malik Monk has a strained calf and won’t be re-evaluated till the playoffs, if they make it, while a Keegan Murray back injury has seen him miss a handful of games.

Bet on the Kings to make the playoffs @ $5.00 with Unibet

Dallas Mavericks

What a season it has been for the Mavericks, and not in a good way. After making the NBA Finals last season, things were not going quite as well for them in 2024-25 – but few would have predicted how GM Nico Harrison would respond. Trading generational talent Luka Doncic was a decision that made Harrison public enemy number one in Dallas. There is no sugar-coating just how bizarre a move that was and it could have a long-lasting negative impact on this franchise, but on the flip side of the coin there is no denying that a team with Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis at full health could be really dangerous. Unfortunately, Davis suffered a medium-term injury in his first game in his new colours and Irving did his ACL a week later – not a great start.

Unsurprisingly, with both of those two out they struggled, but they have hung on just enough to give themselves an outside chance of making the playoffs, particularly now that Davis has returned. The Mavericks have benefited significantly from the fact that the Suns flat out suck, with a long run of losses from Phoenix ensuring Dallas have remained firmly entrenched inside the top ten. But like the Kings, the Mavs remain a long way behind the top eight. They will play off in the first game of the Play-In Tournament against Sacramento, with the winner to face off against the loser of the 7 v 8 matchup. The Kings game is winnable, but the second leg of the Play In Tournament, should they get there, will be against a significantly better team than they are on the road. Still, they are in much the same position as the Kings, albeit likely playing the first game of that tournament away from home, and with Davis capable of ripping a game to shreds if he is in a mood it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that they cause a couple of upsets. They look like the better bet as far as outsiders in the Western Conference goes given their far superior odds to the Kings, though it is still unlikely that they get there.

What brings them here? After making the NBA Finals last season, this one has not gone to plan, and the Doncic trade has caused a huge fracture in the franchise.

What could hold them back? The Mavs will have to win two tough games to make the playoffs, and don’t have a lot of depth now that Irving is out.

Injury report. Irving, as mentioned, won’t play again this season, while Jaden Hardy has missed a couple of games with a sprained ankle.

Bet on the Mavericks to make the playoffs @ $8.00 with Unibet

With the playoffs upon us, there is not a whole lot of water left to go under the bridge before we know which eight teams in each Conference will be playing in the postseason. But with the Western Conference so close and the Play-In Tournament now allowing more teams to remain in the hunt for longer, there are still numerous teams whose fate is yet to be decided. In the Western Conference there are just a couple of teams that could be termed outsiders, and for good reason, though of those the Mavericks probably look the better bet purely because of their superior odds. But it’s over in the East where we find our best bet. The Bulls are most likely going to have to go the long way around and win two Play-In games to get to the postseason, though they do still have an outside chance of squeezing into the top eight, in which case they would quickly flip to odds-on to make the playoffs. Even if they don’t, however, the manner in which they have been playing for some time gives them a chance. If, as expected, they finish 9th, they will be favourites at home against the Heat, and if they win that and play most likely the Hawks, they will be right in that game too. At better than $3 to make the playoffs, they look like the best value with NBA betting sites in this market.