NBA Playoffs Round One Best Picks and Top Odds | Monday, April 18

Every team has officially kicked off their NBA Playoffs run and while there were some blowouts, it is shaping up to be a competitive playoffs. Naturally, the first round is usually hit or miss and the best of seven set up usually isn’t conducive to upsets. However, this year, there are a lot of intrigue in the lower seeds and there aren’t a lot of clear cut title contenders. Regardless, there are three games slated for this Monday and we will have a pick for each one of the games.

Toronto Raptors at Philadelphia 76ers

The first game of this series was a bit of a dud. Philadelphia was able to control the tempo and allow themselves the opportunity to dictate the game. This allowed them to play slowly, feed their star Joel Embiid and repeat. While Embiid didn’t put up his normal 30 points, he was able to get a touch on just about every possession and dish the ball to his shooters for open threes. Ultimately, this game one was likely a microcosm of the whole series and this line still hasn’t caught up to how much better Philly is.

The Raptors are in trouble. Not only are they down 1-0 in the series after a relatively lifeless performance, now they may be missing key rookie Scottie Barnes. Barnes went down last game and is currently questionable for this matchup. If he misses, Toronto’s problems go from bad to worse and they will miss him on both sides of the ball. Yes, Toronto has the talent to steal a game or two from Philly, but away from home, Toronto will likely suffer another loss. Take Philly -6.5 and until they make Philly a heavier favorite, they may be an auto bet.

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Utah Jazz at Dallas Mavericks

This number is very low and a reaction to game one. In game one, neither team crossed the 100 point threshold and both teams shot very poorly. Yes, if the Mavericks are without Luka Doncic for this game, their offense will struggle. But even so, this line is so small where as long as both teams shoot a little better than their first game, the over will hit with ease. The Jazz have a reputation as a good defensive team but this year, they have struggled on that side of the floor. Take the over and as long there isn’t another lid on the rims for this game, it should hit comfortably.

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Denver Nuggets at Golden St Warriors

This is a bit of a risky bet because of how dominant Golden St looked in game one. They were able to control the game and shut down Nikola Jokic. Maybe it’s naive, but Jokic seems like a player that will be able to bounce back. He had a historic NBA season and the Nuggets will go as far as Jokic brings them. He should be able to bounce back and make this series look tighter than game one showed us. The Warriors are a better team as a whole, but the Nuggets have the best player and Jokic should be able to grab a game or two with his sheer domination.

The Nuggets +7 is a good line. They will likely play the Warriors close and this game could come down to free throws at the end. Ultimately, the Nuggets will not go down easy and while it may be hard for them to bounce back on the road, they will come out with more fight than they did in game one. Take the Nuggets +7 in what should be a highly competitive matchup.

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