The moment we’ve all been waiting for is finally here – the NBA Playoffs are set to begin this weekend! It all starts in Cleveland with the Cavaliers and Raptors squaring off at 1 pm ET on Prime Video. Minnesota and Denver take center stage at 3.30 pm, followed by a big game out East between the Hawks and Knicks at 6 pm ET. The night finishes with a highly anticipated clash between the Lakers and Rockets at 8.30 pm ET live on ABC.
I’ve prepared my NBA Best Bets for all four games taking place on Saturday, odds are courtesy of FanDuel. Visit our NBA Picks page for daily in-depth analysis and predictions throughout the NBA postseason, but let’s focus on my bets now!
Raptors vs Cavaliers Best Bet: Cavaliers -8 (-114)
Even though the Raptors crushed the Cavaliers in the 3 regular season meetings, the team they’ll face on Saturday is nothing like the one they dominated back in November of last year. The addition of James Harden has completely transformed this team and made it a formidable threat in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland has lost only 3 times in 16 home games and their offense ranks 6th in efficiency over the past 15 games. The Raptors have struggled with scoring at times this year, they might have a hard time keeping up with this high octane Cavaliers offense in the series opener.
Get our expert’s full Raptors vs Cavaliers prediction
Timberwolves vs Nuggets Best Bet: Nuggets -6.5 (-110)
The Nuggets currently own the longest active win streak in the NBA at 12 wins in a row, they’ll be eager to begin their series with the Timberwolves on Saturday as they look to get revenge for the series loss against this team back in 2024. Nikola Jokic has been a monster in the 4 meetings this regular season, averaging a triple-double while shooting over 60% from the field and 50% from three. Minnesota has been banged up towards the end of the regular season with Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels both having issues with knee injuries. Ant Man has played in just 3 games since March 15th and that could be problematic here. I’m sticking with the Nuggets for Game 1.
Hawks vs Knicks Best Bet: Knicks -5.5 (-105)
Although Atlanta might not be the opponent the Knicks were hoping to face in Round 1, I still feel like they should come out of this series in 6 or even 5 games. Unlike the Hawks, the Knicks have been through quite a lot as a unit over the past few postseasons. The 3 regular season meetings were tight, especially the most recent one played in Atlanta 10 days ago where the Knicks escaped with a 3-point win. It was their 5th win in 6 meetings, they are also 7-1 SU in 8 home games coming into Saturday’s clash. It might take the Hawks a bit to settle in and find their footing playing in their first postseason game since 2022-23. I’ll take the Knicks to come out on top in Game 1.
Read our full Hawks vs Knicks prediction
Rockets vs Lakers Best Bet: Rockets -5 (-108)
All the pressure is on the Rockets going into this series as the Lakers open it up with their two best players out injured. KD and co. cannot afford to mess around, this is an ideal opportunity for them to jump out to a lead in the series and steal home court advantage. The Lakers will have to rely on 41-year-old LeBron James in Luka’s absence, that will undoubtedly take a toll on his body at this stage of his career. I do expect the Lakers to give it a fair right here, but the difference in talent is just too big with them not having their two best players available. Houston has won 9 of 10 games coming into this one, they’ve also been a reliable 6-3 ATS in their last 9 outings. I’ll take them to steal Game 1 on the road here.
Click here to add us to your Google preferred sources and never miss a story
