The New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves are on the brink of earning a conference finals appearance tonight.
With Jayson Tatum out, the New York Knicks are much smaller underdogs on the road. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves are heavy favorites at home against the Golden State Warriors, who are still without Stephen Curry.
Let’s see if either team will join the Indiana Pacers in the Final Four of the NBA Playoffs. I’ve added best bets for each matchup below.
Wednesday’s Best NBA Playoffs Bets: Picks & Predictions
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics
The New York Knicks have a chance to make the Eastern Conference Finals tonight. Jayson Tatum is no longer available, which will make things very difficult for the Celtics. Still, this won’t be a cakewalk for the Knicks.
They’ve trailed by double-digits in all four games, but are up 3-1. They’ve been resilient and clutch behind Jalen Brunson, who has scored 28 points per game in this series. Beyond that, Brunson has shot 41.2% from downtown and has attempted nearly nine threes per game in this series.
Additionally, other guys are stepping up, specifically in the second half. It likely has something to do with conditioning. After all, the Knicks’ starters played many minutes in the regular season and aren’t settling like the Celtics late in the game.
While the Knicks don’t have a high effective field goal percentage in the playoffs, they’ve been able to limit turnovers to under 14%. Since the Celtics haven’t been earning many turnovers in the playoffs, that’s helped the Knicks get more shots up to add more second-chance buckets.
On the other hand, the Knicks have limited teams to a 51.1% effective field goal percentage in the playoffs. New York has forced way more turnovers and has allowed just 111 points per 100 possessions.
With Tatum out, you’d have to figure the Celtics will be even worse from the field and turn the ball over more. This season, the Celtics turned the ball over more when Tatum wasn’t on the court.
Therefore, the Celtics will likely run out of gas late in this game, giving the Knicks the keys to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Pick: Knicks ML (+150)
Golden State Warriors vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Golden State Warriors have been challenged offensively, even when Stephen Curry was playing. In the playoffs, they have scored only 110.6 points per 100 possessions while shooting a 51.7% effective field goal percentage. They’re below the top ten in all major offensive categories.
Meanwhile, the Timberwolves have allowed only 107.8 points per 100 possessions. Minnesota ranks second in the NBA Playoffs with 16.7% of turnovers on defense and has allowed just 27.7% of offensive rebounds.
Conversly, the Timberwolves have added 115 points per 100 possessions. This isn’t a super high number, but it’s better than what the Warriors have produced. Additionally, the Timberwolves have gained 34.2% of offensive rebounds in the playoffs, which has already been a major factor in this series.
That said, the Timberwolves have also turned the ball over 15.2% of the time. You can’t get offensive rebounds or foul shots consistently when you turn the ball over consistently.
The Warriors have gained 16.5% of turnovers per game, which is currently third-best in the NBA Playoffs. If Golden State can continue earning a high rate of turnovers, they’ll still likely cover the 10.5-point spread.
Golden State’s back is up against the wall, but there’s enough experience on this Warriors team to hold the deficit to single digits.
Pick: Warriors +10.5 (-105)
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Wednesday:
