NBA Odds, Picks & Predictions: Monday (4/20)
The NBA playoffs continue on Monday night, as we have three more matchups, all on the NBC family of networks. At 7:00 p.m. ET, it’s Game 2 of the Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers on Peacock and NBCSN. At 8:00 p.m. ET, it’s Game 2 of the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks, while the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets meet at 10:30 p.m. ET for Game 2 of their series. Those two games are available on NBC/Peacock. Let’s build our bankroll with our best NBA picks & predictions for Monday, April 20th.
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Monday’s Best NBA Picks & Predictions
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
Toronto Raptors (+280) at Cleveland Cavaliers (-350) | O/U 223.5 (-110/-110)
The Cavaliers lead this best-of-seven series 1-0 after posting a 126-113 win in Game 1 as 8.5-point favorites on Saturday as the Over (222) cashed. The series will shift to Toronto for Game 3.
Cleveland shot 54% (44-of-81) from the field in the Game 1 win, but Toronto was right there at 52% (37-of-71). On 3-pointers, the teams were pretty even, too, as the Cavs shot 50.0% (16-of-32), and Toronto was 48% (13-of-27). The difference came at the free-throw line, as the raps managed just 74% (26-of-35), leaving nine points on the floor. In addition, Cleveland had a plus-6 rebounding margin, and it was plus-6 in steals. While Toronto had four blocks, to zero for Cleveland, and it had five more assists, the Cavs were good 52 points in the paint, to just 36 for Toronto.
Donovan Mitchell led the way with 32 points on 11-of-20 shooting, including 4-of-7 from downtown, but the real savior was Max Strus, hitting 8-of-10 off the bench, including four made 3-pointers, good for 24 points. That was actually second on the team, and quite unexpected. James Harden had 22 points, 10 assists and four triples, too, while adding two steals in his first Cleveland playoff game.
For Toronto, RJ Barrett did a good job, hitting 7-of-13 from the field for a team-best 24 points, and Scottie Barnes added 21 points and seven assists, while both teams were good for three 3-pointers apiece.
There was a lot of talk prior to that game about how Toronto won each of the three regular-season meetings while going 3-0 against the spread (ATS) in those games, but Cleveland showed that, in the playoffs, the regular-season truly doesn’t matter. That being said, while it is fully expected the Cavs win this game, take the Raps catching more than four buckets. We’ll also go low on the total in Game 2, as Toronto’s defense looks to make adjustments.
The Over is now 3-1 in the past four meetings between these teams in Cleveland, and the Over comfortably cashed in Game 1. Let’s go high on the total for Game 2.
Picks: Raptors +8.5 (-110) & Over 223.5 Points (-110)
Atlanta Hawks (+184) at New York Knicks (-220) | O/U 217.5 (-108/-112)
The Knicks picked up a 113-102 victory in Game 1 to jump out to the series lead, covering as a 6-point favorite as the Under (217.5) cashed.
The Knicks shot 48% (38-of-80) from the field in the series opener, while the Hawks were 44% (38-of-87). The difference came from distance, as New York was 48% (12-of-25) from behind the arc, too, while the Hawks were just 38% (14-of-37) from the perimeter. The Hawks need some improvement at the charity stripe, too, as they were just 63% (12-of-19), while New York made 11 more trips to the free-throw line, hitting 83% (25-of-30).
While Atlanta was plus-3 in assists, New York was plus-5 in rebounding, including seven more on the defensive glass, and it had a plus-2 ratio in both blocks and steals. The Knicks were plus-1 in turnover margin, too.
Karl-Anthony Towns had a strong game, going for 25 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks with a steal, while Jalen Brunson chimed in with 28 points and seven assists with five boards. CJ McCollum posted 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting, including 4-of-9 from behind the arc. Meanwhile, Dyson Daniels struggled with just four points, but he amassed 11 assists with nine rebounds and three steals to make his presence felt.
The Knicks covered in the opener, and the total went Under, as we hit our same-game parlay (SGP). Let’s roll with that exact combination again for Game 2, before the series shifts to the Dirty South for Game 3.
Picks: Knicks -5.5 (-110) & Under 217.5 Points (-112)
Joe Williams is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Joe, check out his archive and follow him @winwithjoe