Which bets to make for In-Season Tournament champion, MVP - ESPN

It's going to be a fun week.

The NBA's inaugural in-season tournament has reached the knockout rounds (to be played Monday and Tuesday), with four teams from each conference vying for the right to advance to the semifinals on Thursday, Dec. 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The winners of those semifinals games then advance to the championship game on Saturday, Dec. 9.

Here's a look at the complete bracket.

From a betting standpoint, there is lots to consider, so we've gathered our experts together to highlight the teams and players to bet on during this special week on the NBA calendar.

Boston Celtics: The Celtics are likely the most popular answer for this given there is a very real chance that they face the league's second-worst defense (Pacers) and the 21st-ranked defense (Bucks) en route to Saturday's title game. Boston might not have Kristaps Porzingis for this week of competition, but as we discussed in our fantasy preview for the week of the tourney, Al Horford is built for big games. — Jim McCormick

Boston Celtics: By virtue of what appears to be the Celtics having the easiest path to winning their first game, since the Pacers don't pretend to defend and the Celtics certainly do, I have to agree that the answer is Boston. Frankly, I could see the Bucks, Kings and Lakers each losing their opener, but after the Celtics blew out the Pacers by 51 points in their first meeting, it seems likely the Celtics will win again. --Eric Karabell

Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers get to face a banged-up Suns team in Round 1 and won't have to see the Celtics or Bucks until the Finals. A second-round matchup against the Kings or Pelicans is still better than facing Boston or Milwaukee. Devin Booker is back for Phoenix but the