The 2023-24 NBA regular season is over and we’re turning 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 Wednesday, April 24th. 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 April 24
NBA Best Bets Today – April 24
Miami Heat at Boston Celtics – 7:00 pm ET
These teams combined to score 208 points in Game 1. So, we know these two are capable of going Over this number. And I think we’re going to see a better offensive performance out of Miami here.
Bam Adebayo and Jaime Jaquez Jr. showed up for the Heat in Game 1, combining to score 40 points in the loss. And Delon Wright added another 17 on the bench, with most of them coming at a meaningless time in the game. But Caleb Martin, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson scored only 19 points for Miami. That simply isn’t going to cut it moving forward. So, I’m expecting better performances out of that trio, even in defeat. And Haywood Highsmith likely won’t play 26 scoreless minutes either. The Heat are also coached by Erik Spoelstra, who should have a new way to attack the Celtics after pouring over the Game 1 tape. He’s one of the best playoff coaches in the league, especially when it comes to game-by-game adjustments.
As for the Celtics, you never really have to worry about them scoring. They scored 114 points in Game 1 and they shot 44.9% from 3 in that game. That was also a game in which the Heat played ugly. If Miami can up its offensive production, Boston will do the same. So, I’m going to the Over in tonight’s game, even if it might be hard to watch.
Bet: Over 203.5 (-110 – 1.5 units)
NBA Player Props Today – April 24
Miami Heat at Boston Celtics – 7:00 pm ET
I was right about the Heat making Bam Adebayo the focal point of their offense when I took his NBA player props in Game 1. However, Adebayo was more aggressive as a scorer than I thought he’d be. But I think Adebayo will try and change things up a little in Game 2, looking to use his big body to free up some of Miami’s shooters. That should mean some assists on dribble handoffs. Adebayo will also do his part in finding cutters and open shooters when he’s surveying the floor from the elbows. That said, Adebayo really should find a way to get to four assists tonight. We just have to hope this isn’t a blowout, as he needs a full workload to put up numbers.
Bet: Adebayo Over 3.5 Assists (-120)
New Orleans Pelicans at Oklahoma City Thunder – 9:30 pm ET
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points and four assists in Game 1, and he shot just 11 for 24 from the floor and 0 for 3 from 3. Gilgeous-Alexander falling below his season average of 30.1 points per game wasn’t surprising to me, as the Pelicans did a pretty good job on him all year. Gilgeous-Alexander averaged only 25.0 points per game against New Orleans during the regular season. But I was surprised to see that Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t a bit better as a facilitator. After all, he averaged 6.2 assists per game during the regular season, and he also averaged 7.0 assists per game against the Pelicans.
With that in mind, I’m going to Gilgeous-Alexander to have at least six assists in tonight’s Game 2. The Thunder should be a bit sharper than they were offensively in the first game, and that will benefit Gilgeous-Alexander greatly.
Bet: Gilgeous-Alexander Over 5.5 Assists (+100 – 1.5 units)
2023-24 Record: 336-350-3 (-8.31 units)
