Predicting NBA Play-In Tournament Winners Between Clippers-Pelicans, Hawks-Cavaliers

The first round of the NBA playoffs is set to begin at the conclusion of the play-in tournament this Friday, April 15, and only two out of the four teams can enter the postseason in their respective conferences.

New Orleans Pelicans Vs. Los Angeles Clippers (7:30 PM ET on ESPN)

This matchup has all the makings of an instant classic as the young and hungry New Orleans Pelicans have everything to prove against the veteran-laden Los Angeles Clippers in the final play-in game of the Western Conference.

The Pelicans front office went all-in on their immediate success by trading for CJ McCollum, now only needing to beat out the Clippers for their first postseason berth since the 2017-18 season after handling the San Antonio Spurs with ease.

As for the Clippers, they were beaten out in a closely fought battle with the now No. 7-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves and are off to find redemption by knocking out the Pelicans.

Paul George has been the de facto star of the Clippers this season, while Kawhi Leonard rehabs from his ACL tear--with Reggie Jackson serving as his second in command.

Despite the star power of George, the Pelicans likely have the better odds at winning this matchup after defeating them three times in their four regular-season meetings.

The well-roundedness of the Pelicans led by McCollum’s offense, Brandon Ingram’s ability to play both ends of the ball greatly, and rookie Herbert Jones coming into his own as a lockdown wing would simply be too much for the short-handed Clippers to deal with.

Atlanta Hawks Vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (10:00 PM ET on TNT)

The offensive machine that is the Atlanta Hawks face the defense-heavy Cleveland Cavaliers in the final play-in game of the Eastern Conference, and both sides have their own claims to victory.

The Cavaliers being in the play-in tournament itself is as amazing to watch as the development of their rookie big man Evan Mobley.

Mobley is in prime contention to take home Rookie of the Year honors after leading the Cavaliers out of the basement while facing off against guys like Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic to earn his stripes.

Seeing Darius Garland blossom into an all-around offensive threat was also great to see, while veteran Kevin Love is pulling off all the stops to keep Father Time at bay with renewed energy of the young guns.

As for the Hawks, Trae Young hard carried his team to a victory over the Charlotte Hornets to secure this upcoming matchup despite not having John Collins available due to injury.

Veteran Danilo Gallinari has stepped in admirably for Collins, and both Kevin Huerter and Deandre Hunter are finding their groove right when they need it.

The Hawks have beaten the Cavaliers three times in the regular season and it will all boil down to which team can survive the other’s onslaught.

Momentum is on the side of the Hawks after the Cavaliers’ loss to the Brooklyn Nets, but with Jarrett Allen likely playing, the Cavaliers may just pull off an upset this time.