TST Best Bets: April 14, 2026

Kon Knueppel #7 of the Charlotte Hornets lays the ball up during an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Thursday January 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, Calif.

The NBA Play-in Tournament is finally here as we are on the doorstep of playoff basketball.

Tuesday kicks off with the No. 9 vs. No. 10 seed matchup in the Eastern Conference, with the red-hot Charlotte Hornets taking on the floundering Miami Heat, with the winner advancing to play the loser of the No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchup to take on the top seed Detroit Pistons in the first round.

Meanwhile, the first playoff berth to be clinched in this tournament will be decided in the nightcap, with the seventh seed Phoenix Suns hosting the eighth seed Portland Trail Blazers with a first round series against the San Antonio Spurs on the line.

For the best picks to get you started on the right foot this NBA postseason, 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.

First Pick: Charlotte Hornets -6 over Miami Heat

Rundown: While the Hornets finished a game within each other in the regular season, the sense of excitement and optimism surrounding both teams could not be more different.

Since the start of the new year, Charlotte has the fifth best record in the entire league and the highest offensive net rating. Their star backcourt duo of Kon Knueppel and LaMelo Ball rank first and second in the league, respectively, in total threes made this season.

Conversely, the Heat have been on a huge downhill slide to close the end of the year, finishing 5-10 in their last 15.

While Miami has a significant advantage in big-game experience over the fledgling Hornets, all the metrics point to Charlotte being the significantly better team.

The majority of Miami’s struggles of late have been on the defensive side, as they have given up 117 or more points in six straight games.

That does not bode well against a Charlotte offense that is one of the very best in the league, and has powered the Hornets to going 14-7 against the spread as a home favorite this year.

While the Heat are only playing postseason basketball due to how bad the drags of the Eastern Conference are, the Hornets have a very solid shot to come out of the tournament as the eighth seed, so expect Charlotte to roll here.

Second Pick: Phoenix Suns -3 over Portland Trail Blazers

Phoenix Suns Mark Williams 15 during NBA game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, December 1st 2025 in Los Angeles California.

Bruno De Witt Zanotto - The Sporting Tribune

Phoenix Suns Mark Williams 15 during NBA game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, December 1st 2025 in Los Angeles California.

Rundown: It’s a little scary betting against a Portland team that is picking up serious steam heading into the postseason.

The Trail Blazers finished the year 10-5 in their last 15, ranking eighth in the NBA in net rating over that stretch.

However, the Suns having the best player in this game by far in Devin Booker in addition to having home-court advantage makes the Trail Blazers a tough sell.

Portland was just 18-23 on the road this season, while Phoenix finished 25-16 at home.

In the last meeting between these two squads, the Trail Blazers defeated the Suns 92-77 without Booker.

While it’s hard to glean much from a matchup with a Suns team missing their best player, the low-scoring rock right in their last matchup may be replicated on Tuesday.

The Suns rank ninth in the league in defensive rating this season, while the Trail Blazers rank 21st on offense.

With the over/under set at a lowly 216, the under is a risky bet to take.

However, expect the Phoenix defense to lock up a mediocre Portland offense in the first postseason of game of many of the Trail Blazers’ young core, resulting in a Suns cover.