NBA Odds, Picks & Predictions: Tuesday (4/21)
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has three playoff games on the schedule for Tuesday night. On Monday, the road team and underdog won two games outright, with the favorite and home team only cashing in one game. The Under also hit in two of three games. Will we get more unexpected finishes Tuesday?
The Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics meet for Game 2 at TD Garden at 7:00 p.m. ET on Peacock/NBCSN. At 8:00 p.m. ET, the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs meet for Game 2 on NBC/Peacock, while the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers battle in Game 2 at 10:30 p.m. ET, also on NBC/Peacock. Let’s build our bankroll with our best NBA picks & predictions for Tuesday, April 21st.
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Tuesday’s Best NBA Picks & Predictions
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
Philadelphia 76ers (+640) at Boston Celtics (-950) | O/U 216.5 (-110/-110)
The Celtics rocked the 76ers in Game 1 on Sunday, posting a 123-91 victory at TD Garden to easily cash as 13.5-point favorites while the Under (216.5) cashed.
Boston shot 50% (45-of-90) from the field, while hitting 36% (16-of-44) from behind the 3-point line. On the flip side, the Sixers shot just 39% (35-of-90), and a dismal 17% (4-of-23) from downtown. Boston also had a plus-3 rebounding margin, a plus-11 in assists and plus-2 in blocks, while Philly committed five more turnovers. If Philly can hang its hat on anything, it was that it outscored Boston by a 58-to-42 margin in the paint, and it was plus-6 in offensive rebounding margin. Other than that…
Tyrese Maxey did his thing for Philly, going for 21 points, but he was just one of four 76ers to hit double digits, and he was just 8-of-20 from the field, and 1-of-4 from behind the arc. Paul George chipped in with 17 points, but it wasn’t even close to being enough.
For Boston, Jaylen Brown dropped 26 points on an efficient 11-of-21 shooting, while going 2-of-2 on treys. Sam Hauser started, and was good for 12 points, all on 4-of-6 shooting from the perimeter, while adding seven boards, two assists, and a steal. Jayson Tatum struggled from distance, but he went for 25 points and 11 rebounds with seven assists and two steals.
Including the final regular-season meeting, Boston has won the past two games with Philadelphia by at least 16 points, and the Under has cashed in four straight meetings. Let’s back the C’s laying the double-digit points, and we’ll go low on the total. Why go away from what’s working?
Picks: Celtics -13.5 (-114) & Under 216.5 Points (-110)
Portland Trail Blazers (+500) at San Antonio Spurs (-700) | O/U 220.5 (-112/-108)
The Spurs posted a 111-98 victory, and they covered at most shops. The line closed at -12.5 most places. The Under (223.5) also came through in Game 1, and the total has gone low in four straight meetings.
San Antonio was just a touch better from the field, hitting 48% (40-of-84), and 45% (15-of-33) from distance, while Portland hit a respectable 43% (39-of-91), but it was a poor 26% (10-of-38) from behind the 3-point line. San Antonio was plus-7 in rebounding, while posting three more blocks than the Blazers. San Antonio was minus-3 in turnover margin, so that’s something it will need to clean up.
Deni Avdija is so underrated. He went for 30 points on 12-of-21 shooting, while adding 10 rebounds. Casual fans might not see a lot of Portland games, but keep an eye on No. 8 when he is operating for Rip City. Scoot Henderson also went for 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
Victor Wembanyama was the story for the home side, dropping in 35 points on 13-of-21 shooting, including 5-of-6 from behind the arc. The Spurs had four starters for 15+ points, including 17 from De’Aaron Fox.
The Blazers won Jan. 3 in the regular season at San Antonio, 115-110, cashing as an 8-point underdog. We’re definitely not picking them outright, but look for the Blazers to cover the big number. We’ll also keep slamming the Under until these teams have a high-scoring game.
Picks: Trail Blazers +11.5 (-106) & Under 220.5 Points (-108)
Houston Rockets (-196) at Los Angeles Lakers (+164) | O/U 206.5 (-114/-106)
The Lakers were a 2.5-point underdog at home for Game 1, as Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (rib) were sidelined. That’s how Luke Kennard was able to etch his name into Lakers playoff lore, going for 27 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including a perfect 5-for-5 from downtown. Deandre Ayton went for 19 points and 11 rebounds for the double-double, while LeBron was good for 19 points, 13 assists, and eight rebounds. Kevin Durant missed the game due to a right knee contusion, and Josh Okogie wasn’t KD35, or anything close to him. Alperen Sengun did his best, going for 19 points, eight rebounds, and six assists with a block, but it wasn’t close to enough.
This game is hard to handicap with Luka and Reaves out again, and Durant questionable due to his bruised knee. He was questionable for Game 1, but it appeared he would go. The books still must feel he is good to go for Game 2, as Houston is a surprising road favorite despite the Game 1 result.
Let’s back the Lakers catching more than two buckets at home, based on the opening game result. It’s a slap in the face to make L.A. an underdog on its own floor in the playoffs, especially if Durant cannot go. And, we’ll back the Under, which cashed in Game 1, and has hit in three of the past four games, including the Christmas Day game in L.A.
Picks: Lakers +4.5 (-106) & Under 206.5 Points (-106)
Joe Williams is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Joe, check out his archive and follow him @winwithjoe