As the NBA’s brightest stars prepare to navigate a loaded playoff bracket in pursuit of the Larry O’Brien Trophy, NBA betting is getting underway in full force.
Thought it couldn’t get any better after March Madness?
The imminent postseason is shaping up to be one of the best in recent history thanks to juggernaut teams, a dramatic trade deadline day and veteran legends making a final run at the throne.
This one goes out to the sports betting diehards who are still poring over the numbers to figure out which teams and markets they like the most.
Here are our teams to watch and best bets for the NBA playoffs:
Best bet: Los Angeles Lakers to win title (+1600 at FanDuel)
The Lakers generate better offense than any team in the league when they are clicking.
Luka Doncic was in the NBA Finals last year, and LeBron James usually lives there, while JJ Redick has proven himself to be an impressive young coach with great tactical acumen.
The purple and gold have already done a number on star players such as Nikola Jokic and Anthony Edwards, and they have arguably the best seven-man rotation in the league. To top it off, they were third in net rating against teams with top-10 net ratings once Doncic made his L.A. debut Feb. 10.
Dark horse: Minnesota Timberwolves (+6500 at DraftKings)
The Wolves might not even make it out of the first round of the NBA playoffs ... but if they do, watch out!
They proved their resilience by beating the Denver Nuggets on the road in Game 7 of the conference semifinals last year and have a superstar in Anthony Edwards who is knocking on the door of being one of the five best players.
Minnesota is one of just four teams ranking among the top 10 in offensive and defensive rating. The Wolves struggled in the clutch at times, but they do everything well and have physicality that typically holds up well in the postseason.
Top seed at risk: Oklahoma City Thunder (+185 at FanDuel)
The Thunder finished with the best season point differential in NBA history and are the favorites to win the Finals.
However, they were only 10-12 against the Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Timberwolves and Lakers, and it’s likely that they will face one, if not two, of those teams en route to the Finals.
OKC would become the youngest team in NBA history to win the championship, and its only experience in big games came in a second-round loss to the Dallas Mavericks last year and an In-Season Tournament championship blowout loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in December.
The Thunder's depth may also have masked the fact that their top seven players don’t have enough to compete with the powers in the NBA.
Top favorite pick: Boston Celtics to win the East (-140 at BetMGM)
The East's second-seeded Celtics have the most cohesive roster in the league. They were second in offensive and fourth in defensive rating during the regular season, are as versatile as anyone, == and they now have the experience of having just won the Finals one year ago.
The Celtics went 4-0 this season with three blowout wins against the East's third-seeded New York Knicks and should be able to coast their way to meet the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference finals.
Joe Mazzulla has also become a trustworthy coach in short order, and Boston has too much talent and time together to feasibly lose to a Cavs team that has just burst onto the contender scene.
First-round series bet: Detroit Pistons +2.5 games vs. New York Knicks (-144 at FanDuel)
The Pistons went 3-1 against the Knicks and just beat them by nine points on April 10.
They didn’t close the year playing their best basketball, but their defense and physicality will muddy up their games against a team that is used to doing that to their opponents, essentially eliminating that advantage.
Cade Cunningham torched the Knicks to the tune of 30.8 points, 8.3 assists, and 5.0 rebounds across their four matchups this season.
Meanwhile, New York's Jalen Brunson only averaged 21 points on 43.5 percent shooting since returning from a late-season ankle sprain, and the Pistons’ players are much more rested than the Knicks’, making them one of the most attractive series betting options.