NBA Betting: Four bets that stand out for Wednesday’s playoff games
The NBA playoffs continue Wednesday night with two teams looking to advance to their respective conference finals.
The New York Knicks travel to Boston to face the Celtics in Game 5, with the Knicks holding on to a 3-1 series lead. The Celtics will be without franchise star Jayson Tatum, who left Game 4 in the fourth quarter with a torn right Achilles tendon that has ended his season.
In the Western Conference, the Minnesota Timberwolves host the Golden State Warriors as they look to finish the series at home and advance to their second straight Western Conference finals.
Odds are as of publication time. For the most up-to-date odds, visit ESPN BET
Bets for Wednesday
Payton Pritchard over 13.5 points (-120). The Celtics are down 3-1 to the Knicks and reeling from Jayson Tatum’s torn Achilles that he suffered in the final minutes of Game 4. History suggests Boston is unlikely to win the series — but that doesn’t mean they’ll go down quietly. Pritchard has scored 14 or more points in seven of eight games where he played 29 or more minutes without Tatum. — Moody
Julius Randle over 21.5 points (-120). Golden State hasn’t had an answer for Randle all series. He’s taken advantage of their lack of size and rim protection, clearing this line in three straight games. He’s also attempted at least 17 field goal attempts in each of those contests. Expect the Timberwolves to keep leaning on Randle as they look to close out the series. — Moody
Jaylen Brown over 26.5 points (-105). Brown will be the focal point for the Celtics’ attack moving forward with Tatum out. And Brown’s primary skill set is scoring, particularly in attack mode. He’s not the strongest distributor or a dominant rebounder, but he can get his own shot at any time and the Celtics still have a ton of 3-point shooters to keep the floor spread so the Knicks can’t double Brown. I expect the Celtics to put their best foot forward tonight to try to win without Tatum, and Brown will be at the front of the charge. — Snellings
Jonathan Kuminga over 18.5 points (-105). Kuminga has taken advantage of his opportunity to be a focal point for the Warriors offense with Stephen Curry sidelined. Jimmy Butler III is the centerpiece of the Dubs’ attack, but the Timberwolves know that as well and tilt their entire defense toward stopping him. This lets Kuminga be aggressive against a unit that isn’t checking as much for him, which has led to him averaging 23.7 PPG in 30.7 MPG over the last three games. Kuminga will have a great opportunity to score over 20 points for the third straight game on Wednesday. — Snellings
Projections and injury reports
Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds by ESPN BET
All times ET.
New York Knicks at Boston Celtics
7 p.m. on TNT
Line: Knicks +4.5 (-110) | Celtics -4.5 (-110)
Money line: Knicks +150 | Celtics -180
Total: 207.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
BPI Projection: Knicks by 2.6, straight up 59%, 214.1 total points.
Injury Report:
Knicks: None reported
Celtics: Jayson Tatum (OUT – Achilles); Sam Hauser (GTD – Ankle)
Golden State Warriors at Minnesota Timberwolves
9:30 p.m. on TNT
Line: Warriors +10.5 (-110) | Timberwolves -10.5 (-110)
Money line: Warriors +400 | Timberwolves -600
Total: 203.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Timberwolves by 4.7, straight up 65%, 212.2 total points.
Injury Report:
Warriors: Stephen Curry (OUT – Hamstring)
Timberwolves: None reported
Source: espn.com