How should you bet the first round of the NBA playoffs?
Here are our NBA betting experts Tyler Fulghum, Andre Snellings, Eric Moody, Jim McCormick and Steve Alexander with the bets they like most for each series.
Odds are updated as of publication. For latest odds go to ESPN BET
No. 2 New York Knicks vs. No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers
76ers to win the series 4-2 (+350). Jalen Brunson has averaged 34.8 points and 7.4 assists per game over the past 16 games, and the Knicks have been playing great, but I believe the 76ers will be too much for New York, especially without Julius Randle. Philadelphia has a 31-8 record in the games Joel Embiid has played, which is significant. The Knicks also rank last in pace, which actually benefits Embiid from a conditioning perspective. The 76ers should close this series out in six games. — Moody
Knicks +1.5 games over 76ers (-175). I expect this to be an extremely tough matchup and could see it going either way. If I knew Embiid to be fully healthy and himself all series, I’d be more comfortable in the 76ers winning because he’s the ultimate mismatch. But visibly, he didn’t appear to be at his best in the play-in game against the Heat. The Knicks have built a tough, hard-nosed team that will defend and make the 76ers work for everything they get. And Brunson has averaged 37.8 PPG and 8.3 APG in his past 10 outings, providing the kind of scoring punch and creating the kinds of shots for his teammates that will allow the Knicks to make every game competitive. With the expectation of a tight series, I’ll take the 1.5 games on the higher-seeded team with home-court advantage. — Snellings
No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 Indiana Pacers
Pacers to win series 4-2 (+475). The Pacers have had the Bucks’ number all season, taking the regular-season series 4-1; Doc Rivers has struggled in the playoffs; and Giannis Antetokounmpo sounds like he won’t be available for the beginning of the series due to his calf injury. This is a perfect storm for the Pacers to bust out of the gate and steal Game 1 in Milwaukee, and if it happens, the series might be over. If you want to go all-in for the sweep, the Pacers’ odds jump to +1100. — Alexander
Bucks to win series (+110). The Giannis injury does appear to stack the deck against the Bucks, but stylistically Milwaukee might match better with the Pacers when not always playing two 7-footers together. The Pacers were able to out-quick the Bucks in the regular season,…
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