The NBA Playoffs are officially underway after 4 spectacular games on Saturday, and we have 4 more coming our way on Sunday! Kicking things off, we have the Eastern Conference favorites in the Boston Celtics hosting the Philadelphia 76ers at 1:00 PM ET on ABC, followed by the defending champs in Oklahoma City hosting the Suns at 9:30 PM ET. The 2 late tip-offs see the Magic and Pistons go at it on NBC, followed by the Trail Blazers vs. Spurs to close out the day.
I went 3-1 with my NBA best bets yesterday, and I’m hoping to do one better on Sunday! Today’s bets are ready to go, and 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 combined points per game in their last 10 meetings, cashing on the over 6 times. No Joel Embiid for Philly likely means they’ll try to speed things up while playing a smaller lineup, and that should also have an impact on the tempo of this game. Furthermore, Boston’s last 3 regular season games saw them average 21.3 threes per game, which is ideal with an over ticket in your pocket.
Suns vs Thunder Best Bet: Thunder -13.5 (-118)
At first glance, you’d think these 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, but they have Grayson Allen and Mark Williams questionable to play, which is problematic against the best team in the league. OKC is a juggernaut that will 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 case that wasn’t already clear. In 2 of the 3 victories in those regular season meetings, they won by 49 and 27 points; expect something similar today.
For a play on the total, find our Suns vs Thunder prediction
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 lineup in the final 3 games is huge for them, and 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 by decent margin.
Trail Blazers vs Spurs Best Bet: Over 221.5 (-112)
The moment of truth for San Antonio Spurs fans is here. After racking up 62 wins in the regular season, they finally get to see if their team is for real when they take on the Portland Trail Blazers in Round 1. The Blazers gave the Spurs problems in their 3 regular season meetings, winning 1 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 that 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 versus West opponents, plus the last 10 meetings between these teams have seen an average of 225 points per game. Take the over.
For a play on the side, check out our Blazers vs Spurs prediction
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