*All odds are courtesy of BetOnline as of 04/24/23
The first round of the NBA playoffs is underway and below we discuss what’s happened so far in the postseason and where we see these teams going.
Let’s review the current NBA odds so that we can find opportunities for our NBA picks.
Eastern Conference
Miami Heat (8) Leads Milwaukee Bucks (1), 2-1
- Updated Series Odds: Bucks (-200) / Heat (+175)
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s lower back contusion has turned this series upside down as he was limited to just 11 minutes in Milwaukee’s Game 1 loss (130-117) to the Heat and missed the next two games, a Game 2 victory (138-122) and a Game 3 defeat (121-99).
We should note that the only game the Bucks won came via tying an NBA record with 25 three-pointers, six of which came from Pat Connaughton.
And although the Heat rebounded with a 22-point win on Sunday to take a 2-1 series lead, it may have been a Pyrrhic victory as they lost Victor Oladipo for the postseason after he tore the patellar tendon in his left knee. To make matter worse, Tyler Herro is also likely done for the playoffs with a hand injury and Jimmy Butler is questionable for Game 4 with a lower-body injury.
Schedule
- Game 1: Heat 130 – Bucks 117
- Game 2: Bucks 138 – Heat 122
- Game 3: Heat 121 – Bucks 99
- Game 4: Monday at Miami, 07:30 PM EDT (TNT)
- Game 5: Wednesday at Milwaukee, 09:30 PM EDT (NBATV)
- Game 6*: Friday at Miami
- Game 7*: Sunday at Milwaukee
*If necessary
Boston Celtics (2) Lead Atlanta Hawks (7), 3-1
- Updated Series Odds: Celtics (-20,000) / Hawks (+3300)
Despite a Game 3 hiccup in which the Celtics forgot they were scheduled to play, or at least it appeared that way in a 28-point blowout loss, Boston has had their way with the overmatched Hawks. Game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday night in Boston but Atlanta may be without the services of Dejounte Murray who made, what looked like, intentional contact with a referee after the Game 4 loss to the Celtics and could be suspended.
Schedule
- Game 1: Celtics 112 – Hawks 99
- Game 2: Celtics 119 – Hawks 106
- Game 3: Hawks 130 – Celtics 102
- Game 4: Celtics 129 – Hawks 121
- Game 5: Tuesday at Boston, 07:30 PM EDT (TNT)
- Game 6*: Thursday at Atlanta
- Game 7*: Saturday at Boston (TNT)
*If necessary
Philadelphia 76ers (3) Defeat Brooklyn Nets (6), 4-0
Philadelphia was a no-sweat bet against the overmatched Nets as they not only swept the series but covered the number in all four games, the closest of which was a five-point Game 3 victory in which the Sixers were laying 4.5 at the opener but clicked to -5 at tipoff.
Joel Embiid missed Game 4 with a knee injury but will have time to rest after Philadelphia’s sweep of the Nets. However, head coach Doc Rivers believes the big man has only a 50% chance of starting in Game 1 of the second round.
New York Knicks (5) Lead Cleveland Cavaliers (4), 3-1
- Updated Series Odds: Knicks (-500) / Cavaliers (+395)
The Knicks are scratching the itch of all the underdog bettors out there as they have taken a commanding lead over the Cavaliers and could be the dark horse in the East. However, New York’s 2x All-Star, Julius Randle, sat out the fourth quarter in Sunday’s nine-point win over the Cavaliers after a nagging left ankle injury he suffered at the end of the regular season flared up.
Nevertheless, those who bet the Knicks as +175 series dogs are happy they did as New York is now a prohibitive -500 favorite as they have to win only one more game to advance to the next round.
Schedule
- Game 1: Knicks 101 – Cavaliers 97
- Game 2: Cavaliers 107 – Knicks 90
- Game 3: Knicks 99 – Cavaliers 79
- Game 4: Knicks 102 – Cavaliers 93
- Game 5: Wednesday at Cleveland, 07:00 PM EDT (NBATV)
- Game 6*: Friday in New York
- Game 7*: Sunday at Cleveland
*If necessary
Western Conference
Denver Nuggets (1) Lead Minnesota Timberwolves (8), 3-1
- Updated Series Odds: Nuggets (-10,000) / Timberwolves (+2200)
The Timberwolves staved off a series sweep by the Nuggets with a 114-108 Game 4 overtime victory on Sunday. And while we don’t hold out too much hope for the Wolves to win three straight against the powerhouse Nuggets, we can say that their selection of Anthony Edwards as the first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft was one they won’t soon regret.
Dating back to last season, Edwards’ 28 points per game in his first 10 playoff games is the seventh-highest PPG average in that category since 1979 with only Michael Jordan, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Trae Young, and Allen Iverson ahead of him.
Edwards dropped 34 points in the Game 4 victory and after the game stated, “I don’t ever want to say I got swept in my career. So, I definitely took it personally tonight.”
Schedule
- Game 1: Nuggets 109 – Timberwolves 80
- Game 2: Nuggets 122 – Timberwolves 113
- Game 3: Nuggets 120 – Timberwolves 111
- Game 4: Timberwolves 114 – Nuggets 108
- Game 5: Tuesday at Denver – 09:00 PM EDT (NBATV)
- Game 6*: Thursday at Minnesota
- Game 7*: Saturday at Denver (TNT)
*If necessary
Los Angeles Lakers (7) Lead Memphis Grizzlies (2), 2-1
- Updated Series Odds: Lakers (-325) / Grizzlies (+270)
We usually see a mismatch between No. 2 and No. 7 seeds and the series odds reflect that disparity but a seven-seed entry that has LeBron James and Anthony Davis will be viewed in a much different light despite the difficulties it had during the regular season.
The opening series odds gave Memphis just a slight edge at -135/+115 but after three games, the Lakers have stolen home-court advantage with a 2-1 lead and are now listed as -325 favorites entering Game 4 on Monday night.
Schedule
- Game 1: Lakers 128 – Grizzlies 112
- Game 2: Grizzlies 103 – Lakers 93
- Game 3: Lakers 111 – Grizzlies 101
- Game 4: Monday at Los Angeles, 10 PM EDT (TNT)
- Game 5: Wednesday at Memphis, 7:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
- Game 6*: Friday at Los Angeles
- Game 7*: Sunday at Memphis
*If necessary
Sacramento Kings (3) Tied With Golden State Warriors (6), 2-2
- Updated Series Odds: Warriors (-160) / Kings (+140)
Home cookin’ has told the tale of this series thus far with the Kings winning the first two games at the Golden 1 Center while the Warriors have taken the last two contests at the Chase Center. But the biggest story, at least from a Golden State perspective, is the elevation of Kevon Looney to the starting rotation with Draymond Green now coming off the bench.
After serving a one-game suspension for stomping on the chest of Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis in the fourth quarter of Game 2, Green watched intensely as his replacement, Kevon Looney, snatched 20 boards in the Warriors 114-97 Game 3 drubbing of the Kings.
When he returned, he marched into coach Steve Kerr’s office and said Looney should start, the same way Kerr started Green over then-starter Kevin Lee way back in 2014.
“We can’t pull him. That’s B.S. He doesn’t deserve that,” Green said. “If this is going to be a thing, let it be me.”
Schedule
- Game 1: Kings 126 – Warriors 123
- Game 2: Kings 114 – Warriors 106
- Game 3: Warriors 114 – Kings 97
- Game 4: Warriors 126 – Kings 125
- Game 5: Wednesday at Sacramento, 10 PM EDT (TNT)
- Game 6: Friday at Golden State
- Game 7*: Sunday at Sacramento
*If necessary
Phoenix Suns (4) Lead LA Clippers (5), 3-1
- Updated Series Odds: Suns (-18,000) / Clippers (+5000)
The Clippers upset the Suns in Game 1 as eight-point road underdogs with a 115-110 victory, a game in which Kawhi Leonard outshone all the other luminaries on the court with 38 points while center Ivica Zubac and point guard Russell Westbrook combined for 26 rebounds.
But that was the end of the Clippers’ happy tale as the Suns have roared back with three consecutive wins while Kawhi Leonard finds himself in a familiar place, on the trainer’s table. The Clippers’ oft-injured superstar sprained his right knee at the end of Game 1 but played through the pain in the following game.
However, it now appears Leonard will be on the shelf for the remainder of the series which could come to a conclusion if the Suns wrap the series on Tuesday night.
Schedule
- Game 1: Clippers 115 – Suns 110
- Game 2: Suns 123 – Clippers 109
- Game 3: Suns 129 – Clippers 124
- Game 4: Suns 112 – Clippers 100
- Game 5: Tuesday at Phoenix, 10 PM EDT (TNT)
- Game 6*: Thursday, April 27 at LA
- Game 7*: Saturday, April 29 at Phoenix (TNT)
*If necessary
*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.
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