The NBA playoffs kick-off on Sunday, with four games set to play out in round 1 of the NBA playoffs. After a long and gruelling regular season, the cream has risen to the top, and today we get to see 3 Eastern Conference matchups, and the single Western Conference game. We run our eyes over each one, give you a preview of how we see it playing out, and provide our best bets for all 4 games.
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2022-23 NBA Playoffs Betting Tips: Sunday, April 16th
Brooklyn Nets at Philadelphia 76ers
Wells Fargo Center, 3:00am AEST
The actions kicks off early, with the #3 seed Philadelphia 76ers hosting the #6 seed Brooklyn Nets. These teams met on 4 occasions during the regular season, with the 76ers winning all 4 games, by an average margin of a little over 11 points. However, if you take out the final matchup between the pair less than a week ago, where both teams rested starters, the average margin of victory was just over 5. The 76ers should be far too good in this one, however with the spread sitting at 8/8.5, the 76ers have to come out and make an early statement to cover this spread.
The Nets were horrible in the playoffs last season, and that was when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were on the roster. The 76ers will want to get this series wrapped up quickly, with a likely 2nd round matchup against the Celtics, and I expect them to come out firing. Small stakes early in the playoffs, with the stakes to be upped the more we learn about these matchups.
Philadelphia 76ers (-8)
$1.91 (1 Unit)
Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics
TD Garden, 5:30am AEST
It took the Celtics a while to get going in last season’s playoff series, and whilst the Brooklyn Nets last year were certainly a tougher first round matchup than the Hawks this season, I still think we see a slight rustiness early on for the Celtics in the playoffs.
The Hawks were exceptional in the 7v8 play-in game against the Heat on Wednesday, coming home 116-105 winners in Miami. It was an all-around performance by the Hawks, with 10+ points from 6 different players. With Jaylen Brown likely out for the Celtics, they will have to play solid team defence to stop this Hawks offense the way it is playing right now.
I see the Celtics getting better the longer this series goes on, but I believe the Hawks can keep this one tight and cover the large spread.
Atlanta Hawks (+9.5)
$1.90 (2 Units)
New York Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, 8:00am AEST
This series should be box office, with the #4 seed Cleveland Cavaliers taking on the #5 seed New York Knicks. The Cavs are solid 5.5-point favourites in game 1, but this could honestly go either way. The Cavaliers have a top 3 defence in the league, and coming up against one of the more pleasantly surprising offences in the league in the Knicks, it should be a wonderful back and forth.
I’m taking this game to have a crack at a big underdog in this slate. I’ve loved the Knicks for a few months now, and I decided to take the Cavs in the last matchup between these two teams, only for the Knicks to pull their pants down and win 130-116 in Cleveland. The Knicks have been tremendous on the road this year, and I believe they can get the job done on the road in game 1.
I don’t mind the under in this game, and it’ll be my second bet, but jut small stakes. The Cavs will try and slow this game right down, it’s just a matter of whether the Knicks can be efficient enough on offense.
Other Bet
Under 214.5 points - $1.90 @ TAB (1u)
New York Knicks to Win
$2.98 (1 Unit)
Golden State Warriors at Sacramento Kings
Golden 1 Center, 10:30am AEST
The final game of the day has an interesting matchup between the Warriors and Kings. On one side, we have the reigning NBA Champions, coming off an up and down regular season, trying desperately to stay atop the NBA. On the other hand, the upstart Sacramento Kings, expected to be also-rans yet again heading into the season, the Kings have been amazing, threatening at one stage to claim the number 2 seed in the west.
My head is telling me the Warriors have to be the bet here. They have so much more experience in these situations, and whenever you’ve got Steph Curry in your team, you’ve got to believe you can get the job done.
However, I’ve bet against this Kings team all season, and they’ve always seemed to have the answer. The Warriors were 11-30 on the road this season, the 4th worst record in the NBA. At some point, with such a large sample size, you can’t just say it’s an aberration. It’s a genuine problem that I won’t bet against until I’m proven otherwise. Kings to win and show the world they are the real deal.
Sacramento Kings to Win
$1.95 (2 Units)
