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 Wednesday, May 8th. 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 8
NBA Best Bets Today – May 8
Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks – 8:00 pm ET
The Knicks will be without Mitchell Robinson for the remainder of the playoffs, which might seem like a pretty big blow in this series. But this really wasn’t a series for Robinson to begin with. New York is better off playing Isaiah Hartenstein big minutes, and Precious Achiuwa is a decent option off the bench against the Pacers. So, I’m not taking Indiana because of Robinson’s absence. The reason I like the Pacers is that there were quite a few things that happened in Game 1 that should go the other way in Game 2.
A lot has been made of Indiana’s inability to cover Jalen Brunson, and Andrew Nembhard took a brunt of the criticism in Game 1. And that isn’t that surprising considering Brunson scored 43 points in the series opener. Also, according to the NBA’s tracking data, Brunson scored 24 points on 9 for 12 shooting when Nembhard defended him. But Nembhard is a good on-ball defender, capable of bodying up opposing guards and navigating screens at a high level. So, I think he’s capable of doing a better job on Brunson here, especially considering the Knicks star made some really tough shots in Game 1. And if Brunson doesn’t go bananas again, the Pacers will have a shot at winning this one. And to a lesser extent, it’s not likely that Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart will combine to score 49 points again.
It’s also just hard not to like Tyrese Haliburton to play a lot better in Game 2. Haliburton hasn’t been the same player since injuring his hamstring earlier in the year, and New York does present quite a few problems for him. But Haliburton is just way too good to be finishing playoff games with six points on 2 for 6 shooting. Look for him to be a lot more aggressive in Game 2, which would really open things up for the rest of the Pacers.
It’s also worth noting that the Pacers might have been up 1-0 in this series if not for some really lopsided officiating towards the end of Game 1. And because of how bad the officiating was in that game, you’d think the whistle will even out a bit in Game 2. So, when you combine all of that with the fact that these are two very evenly matched teams, it’s just hard not to like the underdog to cover a pretty sizable spread. And I also like the idea of sprinkling the moneyline here.
Bet: Pacers +5 (-112 – 1.5 units) & Pacers ML (+165 – 0.5 units)
NBA Player Props Today – May 8
Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks – 8:00 pm ET
I had Pascal Siakam to go Over 3.5 assists in Game 1, but I’m going to Nembhard to reach the four-assist mark in Game 2. And I’m also playing Nembhard to have at least five assists at +160 odds. Nembhard finished with four assists in Game 1, despite playing only 29 minutes in the game. And perhaps more importantly, Nembhard had 11 potential assists in the first game in this series. That means he was consistently setting his teammates up for good looks, but they weren’t cashing in for him. But I expect Nembhard to have some better luck in Game 2. And the high potential assists in Game 1 wasn’t some fluke either. Nembhard is averaging 9.0 potential assists in the playoffs. The reality is that Nembhard is a point guard that is being asked to play shooting guard because of the presence of Haliburton. But Nembhard is still a player with tremendous instincts as a passer, and he’s going to look to get his teammates involved here. So, I feel really good about playing this Over with tonight’s NBA player props.
Bet: Nembhard Over 3.5 Assists (-135) & Nembhard Alt Assists 5+ (+160 – 0.5 units)
2023-24 Record: 356-388-3 (+9.26 units)
