Will Hill
FOX Sports Bet -analyst
On Saturday the NBA play-offs tip away, and the Boston Celtics will want to defend their title and try to have the Cruce team repeated as champion since the Warriors 2017-2018.
At Draftkings Sportsbook, the Celtics enter the late season with +195 opportunities to win the NBA Finals. They have the second sharpest opportunities behind Oklahoma City. The Thunder is currently +165 to win everything, after a dominant 68-14 regular season, the best record in the competition.
We already have six matchups for the first round, while the best placed thunder and Cavaliers are waiting for their respective first round opponents.
Let’s take a look at every series and find bets for every matchup.
Orlando Magic Vs. Boston Celtics
The Celtics are -5000 to win the series, while the magic is +1600. Before you can automatically bring the Celtics to the next round, consider the recent series history between these two teams.
The magic went 2-1 against the Celtics this year and has gone against them with 6-4 in the past three seasons, including four double digits. They have a great size and the defensive skills to disturb the defending champion, so maybe this is not easy as the opportunities that Wold indicates.
Orlando can win a game and maybe even two, but I don’t think we’ll see an upset here. I don’t think the Undog has enough scoring punch, because the magic is dead in the NBA made in 3-Pointers and in 3-point percentage. And they are confronted with hungry and have deducted the Celtics team, so I go in game 1 under the magical team.
Pick: Magic Game 1 under 95.5 points scored
Kat is’ Under Durass’ for Knicks’ Round 1 matchup versus pistons
Milwaukee Bucks Vs. Indiana Pacers
The pacers are now -165 favorites and the bucks are on +135 opportunities for this first -round matchup.
This is an AUATCH of the round 1 series last year, a series that won the Pacers in six games. What is also comparable this year, in addition to the matchup, is that the availability of the stars of the bucks is an imminent question.
Last year Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the series with an injury, while Damian Lillard played in just four of the six games. This year the status of Lillard is at stake, so he gets back from the blood clot. Reports indicate the optimism about the return of Lillard, but the bucks also brought optimism about Antetokounmpo last postseason. And as soon as the play -offs ended, it was clear that he was never close to playing.
Without a healthy Lillard I can only look at the underrated pacers.
Pick: Pacers (-165) to win series
Detroit Pistons Vs. New York Knicks
This will be a nice series. This is a pistons team that this year went from 14 wins to 44 last season. The Knicks are -400 to win the series, and the pistons are underdogs on +310.
Although the Knicks are the heavy favorites, I think the revival of Detroit has flown under the radar and varies live to pull up here. These teams met four times in the regular season. The pistons went 3-1, with two wins in New York. They, remarkably, have not won the play -off game since May 2008, but the pistons have been excellent on both sides of the ball in the second half of the season.
My bet here is that Detroit wins the series 4-2, which will be on 9-1 payout. I think if the pistons win, they probably don’t sweep or win in five games. Winning game 7 on the road would be difficult. Game 6 would be in Detroit and is where the pistons could close the knicks. I expect this to be a competitive series.
Pick: Correct Series Score (+850) for pistons to win 4-2
Golden State Warriors Vs. Houston Rockets
I think many were surprised when the 7 -Seed Warriors opened like -200 favorites. The current line is Warriors -190, Rockets +155.
Golden State won the season series 3-2, and it is worth mentioning that teams met three times in four years between 2015 and 2018 in the play-offs. This includes twice in the final of the conference. Here we are ten years later, and the Warriors have many of the same faces.
I think that the experience of the Warriors eventually wins, but the rockets here have potential benefits in terms of size, youth and physicality that Coul could wear older former champions.
I don’t have the guts to choose the upset. But I will take Houston +1.5 games, which means that this bet will win or Houston wins the series or that it goes seven games.
Pick: Rockets (-115) +1.5 Games
Minnesota Timberwolves Vs. Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers are -195 favorites and the Timberwolves are at +160.
The series schedule is interesting here, because the older Lakers get a break early in the series with two days free between games. But as the series goes, there is only one day free between games as soon as we go to Game 4 and beyond.
Can the older Lakers be the younger, athletic T-wolves in the course of what a long series can be? I think having LeBron and Luka, and having the potential fall game in Los Angeles will come to the finish. But it can go the distance.
Choose: Timberwolves (-140) +1.5 Games
Why Luka – Not LeBron – The main Laker is for an NBA Finals -Run
Los Angeles Clippers Vs. Denver Nuggets
This is a fascinating series of first round, with a lot of talent on both sides.
This series is a coin flip according to oddmakers, with both teams with -110 chances to win. The opening line had the Nuggets as -190 favorites, but there has been a lot of enthusiasm for this reviving clippers team, which ended 15-2 run to close the season.
I understand the love for the Ultra-Nummer Clippers, and they can eventually win this series. But I find it difficult to trust Kawhi Leonard to stay healthy, I actually see him doing it for the first time in serious years.
This should be an excellent matchup, but I am going with the best player in the world, Nikola Jokić and Homecourt Advantage to prevail.
Pick: Correct Series Score (+375) for Nuggets to win 4-3
Will Hill, to the employee of the Bears Bets Podcast, you have been following sports for more than ten years. I have a gambling analyst who hosted VSIN, as well as the Goldboys network.
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