Top NBA Betting Picks for Saturday, April 17
The NBA has given us a rather quiet six-game slate for Saturday, but the schedule is not lacking in intriguing matchups. The Los Angeles Lakers versus the Utah Jazz is no longer the elite draw the schedule makers hoped it may be, but the Golden State Warriors versus the Boston Celtics have enough marquee names (even at less than full strength) to fill that void. There appears to be value all over the board for this evening’s contests, from spreads and totals to team props and player props.
Here are the top NBA betting plays for Saturday, April 17, provided by BettingPros experts Raju Byfield and Isaiah Sirois (Main game odds courtesy BettingPros Consensus; lock and prop odds sites may vary):
Check out our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet for the top bets of the day >>
Betting Lock of the Day
Byfield: Cavaliers +2.5 (-110 at FD Sportsbook)
The Chicago Bulls continue to struggle despite some strong trade deadline moves and have lost each of their last five contests. However, tonight they will square off against one of the only teams in the NBA with a worse record in the Cleveland Cavaliers. With that said, the Cleveland Cavaliers, despite being deadline sellers, still feature one of the more talented starting fives in the Eastern Conference, making this a contest that can legitimately go either way. Chicago however, looks more like a team that could make a run for a play-in spot, while the Cavaliers are already going in-depth in their offseason research on lottery picks. However, with Zach LaVine set to miss tonight’s contest due to health and safety protocols, the Cavaliers should be able to pull this one out against a Bulls team that may also be without Thomas Satoransky. The points are a welcomed cushion, tap the Cavaliers for one unit.
Top Team Prop of the Day
Byfield: Pistons 1st Quarter Over 27.5 Points (-132 at FD Sportsbook)
The Washington Wizards have surrendered 30.9 first quarter points per game this season, good for the second-worst mark in the NBA. Posted at just 27.5 points due to facing the Detroit Pistons, the over on the Detroit Bad Boys is the top team prop on the board. Detroit has averaged 27.6 points per first quarter, which is likely why we are seeing such as favorable line. The sharps have pounced on this line and have already pushed the juice to -132. The high juice suggests we could see the line change before game time, so lock this one in as soon as possible.
Top Player Prop of the Day
Byfield: Steph Curry Over 32.5 Points (-116 at FD Sportsbook)
Steph Curry has been on fire recently and that has resulted in FanDuel listing him at an astounding 32.5 point over/under for tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics. Curry has surpassed the required total in seven of his last eight games and has averaged 39.5 points over the last 14 days. At this point betting against Curry lighting it up seems foolish at best, and the -116 juice suggests that the early bettors and sharps disagree. Tap Curry for at least one unit.
Check out our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet for the top bets of the day >>
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