We saw a pair of upset wins on Saturday’s NBA Playoffs slate, and Sunday could be even more exciting with 4 more games on tap. The Cavaliers and Raptors get us going in the early tip at 1:00 PM ET, followed by Spurs vs. Trail Blazers on ESPN at 3:30 PM ET. The late doubleheader starts at 7:00 PM ET NBC/Peacock, featuring Game 4s from the Celtics vs. 76ers and Lakers vs. Rockets series.
I’ve focused on the spread market for my Sunday NBA best bets. Odds are courtesy of FanDuel, and don’t forget to bookmark our NBA Picks page for daily in-depth analysis throughout the entire NBA postseason. Now let’s jump into my selections!
Cavaliers vs Raptors Best Bet: Raptors +4.5 (-118)
Brandon Ingram is shooting 39.4% from the field and 33% from three while averaging just 12 points per game and yet, the Raptors are somehow still alive in this series. Game 4 promises to be another emotional night at Scotiabank Arena. Toronto did a masterful job from three-point land in Game 3, shooting 61% from deep as a team. That’s part of the James Harden experience. His team will score a bunch of points on most nights, but the defense suffers and opposing teams can take advantage. The trio of RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles combined for 88 points in that win on Thursday; I think it’s time we finally got a proper Ingram game in this series. Give me the Raptors to cover at home.
Find our Cavaliers vs Raptors prediction
Spurs vs Trail Blazers Best Bet: Spurs -5.5 (-108)
Victor Wembanyama has been upgraded to GTD ahead of Game 4 between the Spurs and Trail Blazers, but his team might not even need him on Sunday. Game 3 showed us why exactly the Spurs went 62-20 SU during the regular season. They were able to weather the storm early, and as the game progressed in the second half, they were able to execute offensively at a higher level than the Trail Blazers. That is no knock on Portland — they just ran into a better team in this series. Deni Avdija was held in check, going just 3-of-15 from the field. That cannot continue if the Blazers expect to have any chance to win his series.
The Spurs might be better off letting Wemby sit this one out while sticking to their smaller lineup, as it gives them a distinct advantage on the wings scoring wise. Regardless of Wemby’s status, I’ll be backing the visitors to go up 3-1 here.
We have our Spurs vs Trail Blazers prediction for Sunday’s Game 4
Celtics vs 76ers Best Bet: Celtics -7.5 (-106)
The Celtics are back in front following an 8-point win in Game 3 over the Sixers. Now they look to deliver the knockout punch on Sunday as the two teams lock horns yet again. Boston had the game pretty much under control the entire time, and the three-ball was falling — they knocked down 20 of 47 shots from deep. The Cs are hard to beat when they’re shooting like that. For Philly, Game 4 is the game of the season. A loss sees them go down 3-1 — a hole from which only a handful of teams in NBA history clawed back. What is concerning if you’re a Sixers fan is the fact that they’ve yet to receive a proper shooting game from Tyrese Maxey, who is making just 39.2% of his shots from the field.
Boston has seemingly found the blueprint to win this series: knock down a bunch of three, keep Philly’s best player under control and let others try to beat you. Through 3 games, that strategy has worked well. Joel Embiid returning to the lineup would be a boost on both ends of the floor for the Sixers, but how big of an impact could he really make having not touched a court in over 2 weeks? I don’t see a path for Philly here, so I’ll give Boston another shout and back them to cover in Game 4.
Check out our Celtics vs Sixers prediction
Lakers vs Rockets Best Bet: Lakers +4.5 (-106)
The Houston Rockets are currently the most dysfunctional team in the NBA Playoffs. Game 3 saw them collapse late in the 4th quarter, allowing the Lakers to force OT and eventually steal one on the road. KD once again didn’t show up for Houston, missing his 2nd game of the series, and with elimination looming over their heads, I’m curious to see how they react. LA really has nothing to lose here — they’ve played brilliantly so far despite their obvious limitations on offense without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. It really makes no sense to back the Rockets at this point. Their body language just looks defeated right now, as most of their players look like they just want this season to end as quickly as possible. I’ll take the Lakers plus the points in Game 4.
Here’s our Lakers vs Rockets prediction as LA goes for the sweep in Game 4
Click here to add us to your Google preferred sources and never miss a story
