TST Best Bets: April 17, 2026
Brandon Miller #24 of the Charlotte Hornets handles the ball during an NBA basketball game against the LA Clippers, Monday January 12, 2026 in Inglewood, Calif. There are two spots remaining in the NBA Playoffs bracket to be decided Friday night, as the play-in tournament comes to a close. The respective top seeds of each conference, the Detroit Pistons and Oklahoma City Thunder, await their first round opponents, as tonight’s slate opens with the Orlando Magic hosting the Charlotte Hornets.
Orlando has come up flat in the two biggest games of its season. In the final game of the regular season, the Magic lost to a Boston Celtics team sitting their starters in a game that would’ve sealed the No. 7 heading into the play-in, which would have resulted in them hosting the Philadelphia 76ers instead of going on the road.
They then got a major break in playing the 76ers without MVP center Joel Embiid, but still fell short, resulting in a do-or-die situation against the Hornets, who escaped an overtime thriller with the Miami Heat to keep their season alive. In the West, the Golden State Warriors shocked the Los Angeles Clippers, and are now just one game from making the playoffs despite finishing several games under . 500.
Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns have had a tremendous season, defying expectations by finishing 17 games over their preseason win total. They will look to avoid disaster against the Warriors on Friday night, as a loss would make the Suns the first seventh seed to ever miss the playoffs since the inception of the play-in tournament. To exit the NBA Play-In Tournament a winner, here are tonight’s TST Best Bets brought to you by BetOnline.
ag. Click here to join. All new players get a 50% welcome bonus and up to $250 in free bets.