NBA Playoffs Odds, Picks & Predictions: Sunday (4/27)
Sunday is a full four-game slate of NBA action. With four Game 4s on the schedule, there are plenty of great opportunities to find value in sides and totals. Let's take a deeper look at some of the matchups for my best bets.
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Sunday’s Best NBA Playoffs Picks
NBA odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All picks are for 1 unit
Los Angeles Lakers at Minnesota Timberwolves
The story of this series has been the Lakers’ inability to keep up with the Timberwolves in the paint. Minnesota has outscored the Lakers 146-104 through the first three games of the series in these short-range attempts, and there's reason to believe this trend will continue.
Ever since trading away Anthony Davis, the Lakers haven't had a real rim-defending presence. Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle have been able to have their way with this Los Angeles frontline that gave up 64.5% shooting at the rim on the season, one of the worst rates in the league.
Minnesota dominated both wins in this series, and Los Angeles needed a terrible shooting game by the Timberwolves in Game 2 in order to steal one at home. Minnesota has shown they're the better team despite the stars on the Lakers. I expect them to take care of business and dominate the paint again in Game 4.
Pick: Timberwolves -3 (-110)
Boston Celtics at Orlando Magic
It's no surprise that when the two slowest-paced teams have squared off in the Playoffs, we've seen them average 195.3 PPG through the first three games. Game 4 is a pivotal one for both teams, and we should expect to see the defense ratchet up on both sides.
Boston has made life miserable for the Magic. They've been held to 43.5% from the field, which is a poor mark even for a team that was second to last in shooting throughout the regular season. Their 28.4% from deep is even below their league-worst 3P% during the year.
The Celtics don't want to let this series go back to Boston tied and should continue to put the clamps down defensively. Orlando will play their typical brand of top-three defense. I expect this game to be a defensive slugfest and go under for a third time this series.
Pick: Under 197.5 Points (-107)
Indiana Pacers at Milwaukee Bucks
Game 1 of this series seems to be somewhat of a mirage. With Damian Lillard out, the Bucks were unable to score at a rate their top-four shooting offense has all season. The Pacers still put up 117 points on their typical offensive outburst, but the total only reached 215.
Since Lillard has returned, the Bucks have scored 120 PPG, and the Pacers were a uncharacteristically poor 13-of-41 shooting performance from deep away from pushing both games to the Over.
These are two of the best shooting teams in the league, and that's been on display at points throughout this series. In an absolutely crucial Game 4 in Milwaukee, I expect both teams to put on a strong offensive performance. The total dipped after going under in Game 3, and we're getting some value here towards the over.
Pick: Over 226 Points (-110)