NBA Playoffs Best Bets for May 13: Cavaliers’ Season on the Line
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Spread Astaire
- May 13, 2025
Top NBA Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers -8 (-109) at Bookmaker (visit our Bookmaker Review)
One team is on the brink of elimination, and another series hangs in the balance when the second round of the NBA Playoffs continue tonight.
First, the Cleveland Cavaliers will try to avoid a disastrous ending to their excellent regular season when they host the Indiana Pacers. After looking lethargic and getting blown out in Game 4, will the Cavaliers keep their season alive with a win?
Then, the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder will see who can take an important 3-2 lead. The Thunder are big favorites once again. Can Denver pull another upset? When these exciting games tip off, who should you back to make winning NBA picks?
Indiana Pacers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Tuesday, May 13, 2025 – 07:00 PM EDT at Rocket Arena
Cavs Got Cooked in Game 4
The Indiana Pacers came out on fire, and the Cleveland Cavaliers had no answer in Game 4 of their second round playoff series. This gave the Pacers a 3-1 lead in the series. The Pacers were up by 41 points at half time in a game in which Cleveland looked uninterested.
Now the Cavaliers, who finished in first place in the Eastern Conference, will have to win three games in a row to keep their season alive. The Cavs will take it one game at a time, and that will begin in Cleveland tonight.
The Cavaliers will need a better performance from center Jarrett Allen. Allen only had 2 points, 2 rebounds, one assist, and one block in his 20 minutes of play on Sunday night. For the season, Allen is averaging 13.5 points per game and 9.7 rebounds per game. Needless to say, the Cavaliers need all hands on deck tonight, and Allen will be a key player and determine who wins tonight’s matchup.
They always say the elimination game is the toughest game in the series, and Indiana is coming off a laughably easy win. This is after the Pacers laid a dud of a performance in their first game at home in the series when they lost Game 3 126-104. In that game, Donovan Mitchell was the best player on the floor, and he scored 43 points. Not only is this series zig zagging, it’s zig zagging in a blowout fashion.
Garland’s Back, But Cavs Need More to Survive
The Cavaliers were happy to have Darius Garland back in the lineup for Game 4. Garland had 21 points, but many were after the game was out of reach. The Cavaliers are going to need a stronger start and performance from Garland and the rest of the crew in order to extend the series.
Once again, we will see another zig-zag blowout. Each one of these games has had a decisive winner, and tonight will be no different. Lay the points. Take the Cleveland Cavaliers -8.
NBA Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers -8 (-109) at Bookmaker
Denver Nuggets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Tuesday, May 13, 2025 – 09:30 PM EDT at Paycom Center
Jokic Gassed as Denver’s Depth Falters
If the Denver Nuggets lose this series to the Oklahoma City Thunder, they will look back at how they started Game 4 as one of their biggest missed opportunities. Denver came out flat on offense and only scored eight points in the first quarter.
The Nuggets wasted some excellent defensive plays; they only gave up 17 points in the first quarter. Yet it was the slow start that doomed them and they couldn’t make the run to catch the Oklahoma City Thunder, finally falling 92-87. This evened the series at 2-2, but Denver is in trouble with two of the next three games being played in Oklahoma City.
Denver superstar Nikola Jokic looked exhausted as many of his shots fell short, hitting the front of the rim. This happened last year, as Denver is too reliant on Jokic during the year, and he wears out at this point of the season. Nikola Jokic is giving it his all, but it might be too much to ask for any one player to carry this team.
Oklahoma City’s depth and the fact that they had such an easy first-round matchup is definitely shining through. The Thunder look much more fresh and seem to be improving as the playoffs continue, while the Nuggets are fading.
Denver’s Resilience on the Line
The Nuggets were in a tough spot on Sunday, however. They are the older team with less depth, and they did have to play on short rest. There will be a little extra rest going into tonight’s game. Let’s see if that can help the Nuggets out.
With the series hanging in the balance, I expect a close game tonight. Denver had a chance to be up 3-1 in the series with a strong performance yesterday, and now they’re catching 10 points? That makes no sense to me. I think this line should be 5.5. We are getting great value here. Take the Denver Nuggets +10.
NBA Pick: Denver Nuggets +10 (-108) at Bookmaker
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
