The NBA Playoffs are officially underway after four spectacular games on Saturday, we got four more coming our way on Sunday! We got the title favorites Boston Celtics hosting the Philadelphia 76ers at 1 pm ET, followed by the defending champs Thunder hosting the Suns at 9.30 pm ET. The two late tip-offs see the Magic and Pistons go at it and the Trail Blazers vs Spurs to close out the day.
I went 3-1 with my NBA Best Bets yesterday, hoping to do one better on Sunday! Today’s bets are available below, as always odds are courtesy of FanDuel. Check out our NBA Picks page for in-depth analysis and predictions throughout the NBA postseason, but let’s jump into my bets now!
76ers vs Celtics Best Bet: Over 213.5 Points (-106)
I know this is the postseason and games are likely to slow down, but the Boston Celtics have been so good on offense that I think they’ll come out firing right from the get-go against the 76ers. These two have averaged 224 points per game in the last 10 meetings, cashing on the over 6 times. No Embiid for Philly likely means they’ll try to speed things up playing a smaller line-up, that should also have an impact on the tempo of this game. Boston’s last 3 regular season games saw them average 21.3 threes per game, if they get it going early from deep it’s a wrap for Philly. Take the over.
Suns vs Thunder Best Bet: Thunder -13.5 (-118)
At first glance you’d think these two teams are evenly matched with the Thunder winning only 3 of the 5 regular season games, but in reality, the final meeting didn’t matter all that much so we shouldn’t take it into consideration. The Suns are lucky to be in this position, they got Grayson Allen and Mark Williams questionable to play and that could be problematic. OKC is a juggernaut, I think they’ll go full throttle in the opener just to send out a statement that they in fact the team to beat in the Western Conference. In 2 of the 3 wins in those regular season meetings they won by 49 and 27 points, expect something similar today.
Magic vs Pistons Best Bet: Pistons -8.5 (-112)
The Pistons have been very reliable towards the end of the regular season, covering in 10 of 14 games and also winning 6 of their last 7. Cade Cunningham returning to the line-up in the final 3 games is huge for them, after an MVP caliber regular season he is looking to make a name for himself in the postseason as well. Meanwhile, the Magic went through all kinds of ups and downs during the regular season, nobody knows what to expect from this team on a nightly basis. One thing is for sure though, they are no longer the elite defensive team they were last year and that’ll be costly against a team like the Pistons. After seeing them win 60 games, I feel quite confident that the Pistons will come out victorious in the series opener.
Trail Blazers vs Spurs Best Bet: Over 221.5 (-112)
The moment of truth for San Antonio Spurs fans is finally here. After racking up 62 wins in the regular season, they finally get to see if their team is for real as they take on the Portland Trail Blazers in Round 1. The Blazers actually gave the Spurs problems in their 3 regular season meetings, winning one of them on the road at Frost Bank Center. All the pressure in the opener is on the Spurs, so the Blazers can play their free flowing offensive game, just like they did for the majority of the regular season. Deni Avdija is playing at an All-Star level once again, overcoming his back injury which cost him a ton of games this season. All in all, I am expecting a high scoring game here. For the Spurs the over has cashed 14 times in 20 games vs West opponents, plus the last 10 meetings between these two teams have seen an average of 225 points per game. Take the points.
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