The NBA Playoffs resume with an excellent doubleheader on TNT tonight, with Pistons vs. Knicks set to tipoff the Monday night slate, followed by Clippers vs. Nuggets in the late window.
So, our staff of basketball betting experts dug into the latest odds and identified 5 NBA picks for tonight's contests. Continue below for our NBA best bets and predictions for Monday, April 21.
NBA Best Bets for First Round Playoff Games: Monday, April 21
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 10 p.m. | |
| 7:30 p.m. | |
| 10 p.m. | |
| 7:30 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NBA Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Pistons vs. Knicks
By Alex Hinton
In the regular season, Cade Cunningham torched the Knicks to the tune of 30.8 points, five rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game.
Entering this series, you knew he would be the No.1 priority for head Tom Thibodeau. The Knicks threw a little bit of everything at him with blitzes and OG Anunoby as the primary defender.
Cunningham went 8-for-21 from the field in Game 1, but he had 12 assists. If the Knicks continue trying to force the ball out of his hands, Cunningham will keep setting up his teammates. His main outlets were Tobias Harris and Malik Beasley, who combined for 45 points.
In Game 1, Cunningham had 20 potential assists. He converted 60% of them, which matched his rate from the regular season. If he gets 16 potential assists tonight, he will have a strong chance of recording 10 assists tonight.
Playing north of 35 minutes with a 30% usage rate will give him the opportunity to do so.
Pick: Cade Cunningham Over 9.5 Assists (+105)
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Clippers vs. Nuggets
By Joe Dellera
The Clippers look to even up the series against the Nuggets after an OT loss in Game 1, and one player they leaned on heavily was Kris Dunn. Dunn is needed for his defensive prowess and he should be able to stay on the floor again tonight.
In Game 1, Dunn played 30.8 minutes. While some of that was in OT, the clear point of this is that he is relied upon as a key rotational cog. When he has played between 20 and 35 minutes he averages 13.7 PRA and hit in 65% of games this season.
Dunn is out there on the floor enough that he is able to pick up stats by virtue of getting so much playing time. He averages 7 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in those minutes.
Denver will likely continue to leave him fairly open from 3-point range as well, as they would rather commit to defending Harden, Kawhi, and Norman Powell. He was 4/8 from the field and 2/5 from long-range, which are numbers they can live with
Pick: Kris Dunn Over 11.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (+100)
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Pistons vs. Knicks
This could reach auto-bet territory if Game 2 is another Over for Malik Beasley. The sharpshooting wing shot 7-for-16 from the field and 6-for-12 from three-point range in Game 1.
The Knicks struggle to guard the perimeter, and Beasley will be the Pistons' main secondary source of offense behind Cade Cunningham all series.
I think Beasley could legitimately average about 18-20 points per game. Teams shot nearly 37% from three against New York this season, and despite winning Game 1, there aren't many signs of that changing this series given the looks that Detroit may generate, especially for Beasley.
Pick: Malik Beasley Over 14.5 Points (-130)
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Clippers vs. Nuggets
Game 1 went to Denver after a roaring comeback and overtime victory, but it truly felt like a bit of a shooting variance anomaly.
The Clippers went ice cold in the second half, while the Nuggets found their groove and non-shooters were hitting very big shots.
