NBA Playoffs Odds, Picks & Predictions: Wednesday (5/7)
The second round of the NBA Playoffs has been wild. Not a single favored team has won a game in the second round through the first five games. Will that change tonight? I’ve added NBA best bets for the Knicks-Celtics and Nuggets-Thunder games. Check out our top NBA playoffs picks and predictions for Wednesday’s games below.
Wednesday’s Best NBA Playoffs Bets: Picks & Predictions
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics
The New York Knicks were down by 20 points in the third quarter against the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of this series. Yet, the Knicks rallied back after the Celtics settled for way too many threes.
Jalen Brunson was clutch, and OG Anunoby stepped up with some big shots to help the Knicks escape the Celtics on the road. This is a series now. The Knicks will be taken seriously moving forward.
Ultimately, the Celtics have limited teams to 104.4 points per 100 possessions in the playoffs. It’s the best defensive rate in the NBA, especially since they’ve held opponents to a 48.1% effective field goal percentage. However, the Celtics have still earned just 12.8% of turnovers and have allowed 30.4% of offensive rebounds per game. These are two areas where the Knicks can find success. It’s also likely the Knicks will shoot better than a 48.1% effective field goal percentage.
Meanwhile, the Celtics have turned the ball over 14.4% of the time in the playoffs. They’ve had trouble securing the ball. When it mattered the most, the Celtics didn’t even get a shot up late in Monday’s overtime period because of a turnover. At the end of the day, the Celtics were really good at getting to the foul line in the first round of the playoffs against the Magic. But the moment they settled for threes, it was hard for the Celtics to replicate that. If the Celtics can drive and create contact, the Knicks will often send them to the foul line. But if the Celtics continue to take threes that aren’t falling, Boston will be in real trouble in this series.
While the Celtics should win tonight’s game, Boston’s high turnovers and trouble on the defensive glass should at least keep the Knicks in it. I’m taking the Knicks at +10.5.
Pick: Knicks +10.5 (-110)
Denver Nuggets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Denver Nuggets earned a surprising come-from-behind win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road in Game 1. The Thunder fouled up three, and it backfired. However, you can’t second-guess something like that. It was the right decision that wasn’t executed properly.
Anyway, the Thunder have allowed just 104.8 points per 100 possessions in the playoffs. They’ve also limited teams to a 48.7% effective field goal percentage and have forced 18% of turnovers. Those turnovers should still be there against the Nuggets. However, the Nuggets have added 33.8% of offensive rebounds, while the Thunder have given up 32.2% of offensive rebounds in the playoffs so far. The Nuggets will add a bunch of second-chance opportunities. They’ll have to limit the turnovers, or it won’t matter much.
Conversly, the Thunder have scored 119 points per 100 possessions, while limiting turnovers to 9.3%. The Thunder should win the turnover battle every game in this series. Plus, the Thunder should get better looks throughout each game, including Game 2. The Nuggets have allowed a 54.9% effective field goal percentage in the playoffs and have given up 115.6 points per 100 possessions.
The Thunder lost a heartbreaker on Monday, but they’ll come back and earn some revenge in Game 2. Take the Thunder at -10.5.
Pick: Thunder -10.5 (-110)
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Wednesday: