The 2023-24 NBA regular season is over and we have turned the page to the NBA Playoffs. Throughout the postseason, Jonathan Von Tobel will continue to provide you with his exceptional coverage of the greatest league in the world. Just click here for all of his content. However, all of my picks will be featured in this daily column, which will combine my NBA best bets and NBA player props. So, keep reading to find out how I’m playing the playoff games on Saturday, May 11th. Also, check out our NBA Playoffs Betting Hub for all of our series previews and additional postseason content.
We also put together an NBA Playoffs Betting Primer with in-depth analysis for everything you’ll see the next couple of weeks.
MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for everything our experts have on May 11
NBA Best Bets Today – May 11
Oklahoma City Thunder at Dallas Mavericks – 3:30 pm ET
Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers – 8:30 pm ET
I wish I had a stronger feeling on either of these two games, but I think the spreads are just about right. So, I’m going to put in a small moneyline parlay just to get a little something on some sides here. Of course, the tougher of the two games is the first one of the day.
The Thunder and Mavericks are just extremely evenly matched. But I do think there’s something to be said about this being the first big road test for this young Oklahoma City team. The Thunder obviously played two road games against the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round, but they were expected to win both of those — and do it rather convincingly. Beating a team on their level, in one of the toughest road environments in the NBA, will be tough for them. Oklahoma City could get a little rattled here. Now, it should be noted that PJ Washington won’t be going 7 for 11 from 3 again. But we also haven’t seen Kyrie Irving get himself going in this series. And it’s only a matter of time before he does. With that in mind, I’m expecting Irving and Luka Doncic to continue to terrorize this Thunder defense. I also think the Mavericks defense will continue to give the Thunder trouble. What Oklahoma City should do with Josh Giddey seems like an easy decision, but Mark Daigneault already stated that he’s nervous about pulling the plug on one of the team’s talented young players. I’m siding with Dallas until we see that play out. The right decision still might not be enough for the Thunder to win in Dallas.
With the Celtics, I just think we can flush what we saw in Game 2. We saw something very similar in the series against the Miami Heat. The Celtics played an off game on both ends of the floor, but they got back to playing like the juggernaut they are in Game 3. Look for Boston to be a little more direct in attacking Darius Garland again. And overall, we should see more purpose out of the Celtics on both ends of the floor. Joe Mazzulla isn’t a perfect head coach, but Boston’s problems in Game 2 were easily identifiable. I’m not overthinking this.
PARLAY: Mavericks ML + Celtics ML (+132)
NBA Player Props Today – May 11
Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers – 8:30 pm ET
Derrick White only had 10 points in Boston’s Game 2 loss to Cleveland. However, White just averaged 22.4 points per game in a series against the Heat, and he had also scored at least 25 points in three straight games heading into Game 2. White just gets a ton of open looks in the Celtics offense, and he is one of the best shooters in the world. So, as he continues to play off of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, he should have more big games throughout the playoffs. And I think he’ll have a good night against the Cavaliers in Game 3. He’s simply too good of a shooter not to bounce back from a game in which he went 3 for 11 from the floor and 1 for 8 from 3. And the Cleveland backcourt isn’t good enough defensively to make him panic. So, I’m not putting too much weight in the Game 2 stinker. White should get back on track.
Bet: White Over 16.5 Points (-112)
2023-24 Record: 362-392-3 (+12.62 units)
