NBA In-Season Tournament betting preview

The much-discussed - and sometimes much-maligned - In-Season Tournament has arrived.

In an attempt to boost fan interest and player effort in the regular season, the NBA is introducing an in-season tourney beginning Friday night.

We don't know if it'll have the intended impact. But we do know that one team will walk away with a mostly meaningless trophy and that every rostered player on said team will earn an extra $500,000.

Whether that's enough of an incentive for players to truly treat these games with greater importance remains to be seen.

I'm not sure anyone is finally going to move LeBron James ahead of Michael Jordan in the GOAT conversation for winning the NBA Cup and being named In-Season Tournament MVP. Although it won't alter legacies, it should serve as a way to provide more engagement and meaning to a five-month-long regular season.

Here's how it works:

• Each team is put into groups of five within their conference. Every team in the group will play each other once for a total of four games - two at home and two on the road.
• These games are held on designated nights in which every result counts toward the tournament's group stage. The dates for these games are Nov. 3, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24, and 28.
• The winners of the six groups plus two wild-card teams (the second-place finishers with the best record) will advance to the knockout stage.
• The final eight teams will play a single-elimination tournament with the semifinals and finals played in Las Vegas.
• The championship will not count as a regular-season game, meaning those two teams will have played an 83rd game. Every other tournament game counts towards regular-season records.

Odds to win NBA Cup

*No team listed longer than 30-1, odds via theScore Bet

This order doesn't look all that different than the NBA championship oddsboard. One of the best teams should win, but there are no series in this tournament, so there will be greater variance. Now, let's get to each group's odds.

East Group A odds

The Sixers finally moved past the James Harden drama and got some solid role players in return. But even before those guys arrived, Philadelphia looked poised to contend in the East. It challenged the Bucks in the season opener on the road and won three straight since then.

Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey are among the best duos in the game. They've developed unmatched chemistry in dribble-handoff and pick-and-roll situations.

The Cavaliers have had virtually no lineup continuity this season with Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen dealing with injuries and even Donovan Mitchell showing up on injury reports. That's led to a 2-3 record.

Pick: Sixers +150

East Group B odds

Incorporating Damian Lillard alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and into the Bucks has been much more difficult than anticipated.

The Bucks are 2-2 with two shocking losses to the Raptors and Hawks. They have the second-worst defensive rating in the NBA. Despite Antetokounmpo and Defensive Player of the Year finalist Brook Lopez's presence, Milwaukee's perimeter defenders have been getting torched.

The team has improved with Lillard on the bench. Its net rating with Lillard in the game is minus-15.9, but it's plus-13.8 with him off the floor. He's also shooting 29% from three.

It's safe to assume that type of talent will figure it out as the season goes on, but I'd stay away from the Bucks in this In-Season Tournament as they work out their kinks.

The Knicks are 2-3 and have the fourth-worst offensive rating in the NBA with two showings of less than 90 points. When fully healthy, though, they can still be a threat with tenacious defense. New York has the second-best defensive rating in the NBA.

Pick: Knicks +335

East Group C odds

The Celtics are by far the best team in the NBA. They're 4-0 with some monstrous wins. Kristaps Porzingis looks fully integrated into their system and everything's clicking in Boston.

This is also by far the easiest group of the six with no serious threat trailing Boston.

Pick: Celtics -150

West Group A odds

The Suns are 2-3 to start the season. Part of that is due to Bradley Beal missing all five games and Devin Booker missing three. Phoenix has yet to find its rhythm.

The Lakers are 3-2, and James looks like he's in Year 15, not 21. He and Anthony Davis have been carrying Los Angeles, including to a comeback overtime win over the Clippers earlier this week. D'Angelo Russell has been a solid third option while the rest of the Lakers' supporting cast continues to ease into the season.

Pick: Lakers +200

West Group B odds

Nikola Jokic looks just as dominant as he did during last year's playoff run. Despite some depth issues, the Nuggets' place atop the NBA remains - for now.

The Clippers' integration of Harden will take time, and it's hard to see that often injury-riddled group prioritizing the In-Season Tournament.

The Mavericks are undefeated, and Luka Doncic is the current favorite to win MVP. Dallas has the second-best offensive rating in the NBA.

Pick: Mavs +355

West Group C odds

This is a deep group with the Thunder and Timberwolves lurking as underdog threats. The Thunder, however, will be without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the first game of the group stage. It's unclear how much longer he'll be out.

Don't discount the Spurs, either. They just beat the Suns twice in three days, and Victor Wembanyama has lived up to every bit of the hype.

Picking a team in this group is a total crapshoot. The Kings are still one of the premier teams in the West despite two losses to the Warriors. One of them was without De'Aaron Fox, who's expected to return to the lineup this weekend.

Anything can happen in one game, and a legitimate Golden State-Sacramento rivalry seems to be brewing. I expect the Kings to exact their revenge next time they meet and win this group.

Pick: Kings +225

Sam Oshtry is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @soshtry for more betting coverage.