The first round of the NBA Playoffs are underway and there’s a two-game slate on Thursday for punters to sink their teeth into. There looks to be some great value on offer in both matchups and we bring you our best bets for them for free below.
Also, make sure to head over to our NBA Tips regularly, as we’ll be providing free tips for all the major games in the NBA post-season!
NBA Playoffs Betting Tips: Thursday, April 25th 2024
Miami Heat at Boston Celtics
TD Garden, 9:00am (AEST)
Series Score: Boston Celtics leads 1-0
Seeking to avenge last season’s shock loss against the Heat in the Conference Finals, the Celtics got this first round series underway with a dominant Game 1 win at the TD Garden (114-94). They hit the ground running and opened up a 15-point lead at the main break, before extending that lead to 32 at three-quarter time, allowing them to cruise to the finish line. Despite the lopsided scoreline, the Celtics played just an eight-man rotation led by Jayson Tatum with a 23-point triple-double. On the other side of the court, the Heat were without star player Jimmy Butler as he continues to miss with an MCL sprain. Bam Adebayo (24 points) led the heat in scoring with Tyler Herro struggling to find his rhythm (11 points, 4/13 FG). Looking ahead to Game 2 and it’s no surprise to see the Celtics priced as the overwhelming favourites in the H2H Market ($1.08 vs $8). However, the spread has been set at a whopping 14.5 points which is a touch disrespectful to the Heat who have proven to rise through adversity in the past. It’s likely they fall to 0-2 in the series, but they should be able to keep it close enough to cover such a big handicap after making the necessary adjustments.
Miami Heat +14.5
$1.92 (1.5 Units)
New Orleans Pelicans at OKC Thunder
Paycom Center, 11:30am (AEST)
Series Score: OKC Thunder leads 1-0
Game 1 of this intriguing series almost went the way of the #8 seeded Pelicans who missed a number of key opportunities late, but in the end it was the #1 seed in the West, the Thunder who came away with the win on their home floor (94-92). The Pelicans were without Zion Williamson who strained his hamstring in their Play-In game against the Lakers, and he will continue to sit out this series. Trey Murphy III stood up in his absence and logged a game-high 45 minutes and scored a team-high 21 points. For the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the stand out once again with 28 points, while rookie Chet Holmgren chimed in with five blocks including a timely one down the stretch. The Thunder would be relieved to come away with the win in Game 1 despite playing nowhere near their best. Their young lineup would’ve learned a lot from just that one playoff game, and should prove hard to stop in this series going forward. I expect them to have an easier time securing the win against the undermanned Pelicans in Game 2.
OKC Thunder -7.5
$1.90 (1 Unit)
