The NBA playoffs tip off in full swing on Saturday, with four games highlighting a busy slate.
What can bettors look forward to?
Here are some of our favorite NBA playoffs series predictions ahead of Round 1.
All NBA odds used for these Round 1 predictions are current as of Thursday, April 16, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
NBA Playoffs Round 1 Predictions
Knicks -1.5 Games (-115) vs Hawks
The sixth-seeded Hawks have been one of the NBA’s hottest teams since trading Trae Young, going 28-15 — a 53-win pace — over their last 43 games.
Their reconfigured lineup of Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Onyeka Okongwu, and CJ McCollum has been at the heart of that success, outscoring opponents by more than 20 points per 100 possessions.
The Hawks are young and hungry, and if they can get the most out of Johnson and Alexander-Walker, who combined to average 43.3 points per game, they will make this a long series. But the third-seeded Knicks, led by Jalen Brunson, boast a significant edge in playoff experience and are big favorites for a reason.
Back New York to win this first-round series by 1.5 games or better as one of your best NBA bets today.
Nuggets vs Timberwolves: Over 5.5 Games (-135)
Could the Nuggets make this a short series? Oddsmakers have third-seeded Denver winning in five games as the likeliest outcome, and that very well could happen.
But that’s doing a disservice to the Timberwolves, who won the most recent matchup — in Denver, no less — on March 1 despite 35 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists from Nikola Jokic.
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Denver is on a roll, having won 12 straight games, but despite sixth-seeded Minnesota’s recent struggles (4-5 over its last nine games), you can never count out any team with Anthony Edwards.
Look for the Timberwolves to keep this interesting.
Celtics -2.5 Games (-175) vs 76ers
There, of course, isn’t much value in backing the heavily favored Celtics (-900) to win the series outright, so I’m shifting gears here.
Boston went just 2-2 against Philadelphia during the regular season, though all of those matchups came before Jayson Tatum returned on March 6 from an Achilles tear. Tatum looked like his old self in his 16-game cameo, averaging 21.8 points, 10 rebounds, and 5.3 assists while shooting 41.1%.
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Tyrese Maxey may help the 76ers steal a game, but the second-seeded Celtics will prove why they’re the oddsmakers’ pick to win the Eastern Conference (+155).
Look for this series to be over in five or fewer games.
