Betting The NBA Playoffs: Picks, Odds and Predictions For Sunday (4/24/22)

ScoresAndOdds NBA betting expert Derek Farnsworth breaks down his best bets for the NBA playoffs on Sunday, April 24, 2022!

While it wasn’t the best betting day for yours truly, the Jazz game was incredible. They could have easily won by double-digits and they could have easily lost outright. I wish they would have covered the spread, but evening up the series was the next best thing. I don’t have any fun quips or remarks heading into Sunday’s slate, so let’s get right into the games.  

Free NBA Betting Picks For Sunday

Milwaukee Bucks at Chicago Bulls – 1:00 PM ET

Series: MIL 2-1

The Bucks were able to pick up a big win on the road in Game 3 to take a lead in the series. They played exactly how I was hoping they would play in Game 2. The offense was firing on all cylinders and they had their best defensive outing of the series. They will look to extend their lead today in Chicago. The game features a 4-point spread and while it’s early, it appears the money is rolling in on the Bucks. 

This is a difficult game to predict. On the one hand, the Bucks have finally found some momentum on the offensive end of the floor. They are also facing a team that had the third worst net rating since the All-Star break. On the other hand, the Bulls are playing at home, they will naturally play better than they did the other night, and the Bucks are still without Khris Middleton. 

While I generally like to cheer for series to go six or seven games, I am going back to the well with Milwaukee in this one. The absence of Middleton is notable, but the Bucks picked up a win in Game 3 without a big performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo. If the supporting cast shows up like they did the other night, they should be able to return to Milwaukee with a chance to close out the series. 

• ATS Pick: Milwaukee -4, BetMGM Sportsbook

Golden State Warriors at Denver Nuggets – 3:30 PM ET

Series: GSW 3-0

The Warriors and Nuggets were in a tight battle for three and a half quarters, but the Warriors had the better closers on the floor and were able to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series. In case you haven’t heard, there has never been a team to comeback from this deficit in NBA history. Will the Nuggets be the first? I highly doubt it. 

The question is whether the Nuggets will battle back like the Raptors did on Saturday or whether they will lose focus and start looking forward to the offseason. There’s really no way to tell what their motivation is going to be at this point. I will note that they put up a good fight in Game 3 and that Denver is generally a difficult place to play given their home crowd and the altitude. 

I am hoping the Nuggets come out with something to prove. If they can improve a little on the defensive end of the floor and if they can take better care of the ball, they should have a good chance of picking up a win in this series. The fact that we have four points to work with is icing on the cake. I don’t mind betting the Nuggets to win outright, but I’ll take the +4 for the purposes of this article. 

• ATS Pick: Denver +4.5, Caesars Sportsbook

Miami Heat at Atlanta Hawks – 7:00 PM ET

Series: MIA 2-1

The Hawks were able to pick up a big win in Game 3. Many thought they would take the Heat to six or seven games before the series started and can now hold serve at home with another win in Game 4. The big difference between Game 3 and the first two games was ball security. After struggling with turnovers in the first couple of games, the Hawks limited their mistakes and put together a strong fourth quarter. 

The big question heading into this game is the availability of Kyle Lowry. He didn’t practice on Saturday and is officially listed as questionable for this game. On top of that, Bam Adebayo has been playing through a hamstring injury and P.J. Tucker has been playing through a calf injury. The Heat are certainly capable of picking up a win on the road, but they are certainly at less than full strength. 

Trae Young is coming off of his best game of the series. He dished out eight assists, he scored 24 points, and he only committed three turnovers. Honestly, his best game is likely still to come. The Hawks were solid at home during the regular season and should play with a ton of confidence after their big win in Game 3. I still like the Heat in the series, but I like the Hawks in Game 4. 

• ATS Pick: Atlanta +2, PointsBet

Phoenix Suns at New Orleans Pelicans – 9:30 PM ET

Series: PHO 2-1

Game 3 was a great example of the huge difference a true closer makes when it comes to winning or losing NBA playoff games. The Pelicans couldn’t find a bucket late in the game, while Chris Paul looked unstoppable. The future Hall of Famer put the Suns on his back and led his team to a big win to take back home-court advantage in the series. They would love nothing more than to win the next two games and get some rest before the second round. 

The Pelicans played well in Game 3, but ultimately couldn’t get enough stops down the stretch. The Suns had an interesting box score in that they only committed five turnovers and only shot 15% from the three-point line. We can expect both of those to regress to their norms, as they will likely commit more turnovers and shoot the ball better in Game 4. 

This is more of an eye test than anything that I have seen in the stats, but the Suns got an incredible amount of production from their centers in Game 3. Deandre Ayton and JaVale McGee combined for 43 points and 20 rebounds. This isn’t exactly a good matchup for the bigst, so I would be surprised if those two played that well again tonight. I’m going back to the well with the Pelicans in hopes that they can even up the series at two games each.

• ATS Pick: New Orleans +3, PointsBet