Betting The NBA Playoffs: Picks, Odds and Predictions For Today (4/20/22)

ScoresAndOdds betting expert Derek Farnsworth provides in-depth analysis and best bets for the NBA playoffs! Be sure to check out all of our FREE articles and picks under our news section.

The good news is that we have secured a small profit through the first four days of games. The bad news is that a couple of the series bets are looking a little iffy, but we still have a long way to go in the first round of the playoffs. I don’t have any interesting quips for today’s article, although I was able to snag some tickets for the Jazz game on Saturday. Spoiler alert, I will be betting on the Jazz to enhance the experience. Perhaps I should play the life hedge and bet the Mavericks, but where’s the fun in that? 

Let’s get back on track here. We have three games on Wednesday that we need to break down. We have two Game 2s and our first Game 3 of the playoffs. Let’s get to the betting picks!

Free NBA Betting Picks For Wednesday

Brooklyn Nets at Boston Celtics (Series: BOS 1-0)

The older I have gotten, the less time I try to spend on my phone or watching television when I am with the family. Try as I might on Easter Sunday, I couldn’t pull myself away from this game. It was one of the best playoff games of the last few years and hopefully a precursor as to what we can expect from this series the rest of the way. In case you missed it, the Celtics got out to a sizable lead before the Nets stormed back and appeared to be headed for a win. A couple of bad possessions late gave the Celtics a chance to win the game on the final possession and they managed to do just that thanks to an acrobatic play from Jayson Tatum. 

To sum up my original breakdown of this series, the Celtics have the better team but the Nets have Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The Nets were a popular upset pick before the series started, while it felt like there was some value in betting the Celtics. Regardless of which team you picked, you should feel good about where you stand. The Nets nearly pulled off the upset on the road in Game 1 and the Celtics are out to a 1-0 lead. It’s still far too early to tell, but perhaps the best bet was for this series to go to seven games. 

Looking at the numbers from Game 1, the Nets were extremely efficient shooting the ball. They were 54% from the field, 46% from the three-point line, and 79% from the foul line. It’s hard to expect a more efficient game from them tonight, but they could certainly do a better job of taking care of the ball. The Celtics didn’t shoot nearly as well as Brooklyn, but they dominated the glass (43-to-29) and took better care of the ball. I liked Boston heading into the series and see no reason to stray from that now. The spread has come down to 3.5 points for Game 2, which is good news if you are planning to back the Celtics like myself. 

• PICK: Boston -3.5, Multiple Sportsbooks

Philadelphia Sixers at Toronto Raptors (Series: PHI 2-0)

This is the series I might have to take my biggest loss on, as I had the Raptors spread in Game 1 and had the Raptors to win the series. At this point, I blame variance and I blame injuries. Kidding aside, I was not expecting Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey to be two of the best players in the series. Through the first two games, Harris has averaged 23 points and eight rebounds while Maxey has averaged 31 points, six rebounds, and five assists. 

While I’d love to blame the absence of Scottie Barnes on the Game 2 loss, I’m not sure he makes a 15-point difference. Correction, I AM sure that he does NOT make a 15-point difference. While he’s set to miss another game, perhaps a change in scenery can help get the Raptors back on track. They won seven of their last eight games at home during the regular season and will treat Game 3 as a must win. 

When I decided to bet on every game for this article series, I knew there would be a handful where I didn’t have a strong take on the outcome. This is one of them. The Sixers have the momentum and are in better health, but the Raptors should play better at home. In general, role players tend to be better in front of their home crowd, especially in the playoffs. I’m tempted to abandon ship and side with the Sixers to sweep the series, but I’m holding onto hope for Toronto for at least one more game. 

• PICK: Toronto +2, DraftKings

Chicago Bulls at Milwaukee Bucks (Series: MIL 1-0)

They say you should never count your chickens before they hatch, but that’s exactly what I was doing with my Bucks bet on Sunday. They jumped out to a massive lead in the first quarter and Giannis Antetokounmpo looked like he was going to finish with 20 points and 20 rebounds in the first half. Unfortunately, games aren’t decided in a single quarter. The Bucks’ offense stalled and could only muster up 59 points in the final three quarters combined. They held on to win the game, but didn’t cover the 10-point spread. 

Looking at the numbers from Game 1, the Bucks couldn’t have played much worse on the offensive end of the floor. They were 41% from the field, 26% from the three-point line, and 65% from the foul line. On top of that, they committed 21 turnovers. Keep in mind that the Bulls were a bottom five defensive team in the second half of the regular season. 

The Bulls only committed 11 turnovers, but were out-rebounded by the Bucks and also struggled to shoot the ball. This was more expected than Milwaukee’s struggles given how bad Chicago was offensively over the last few weeks of the regular season. I’m not changing my stance here. The Bucks won Game 1 despite a near floor performance. 

This is a back up the Brinks truck and unload the bankroll type of spot.

• PICK: Milwaukee -10, FanDuel