The second round of the NBA Playoffs resumes with an excellent doubleheader of Game 1s on TNT this Monday. The first matchup of Knicks-Celtics takes center stage at 7:00 p.m. ET, followed by Nuggets-Thunder at 9:30 p.m. ET.
Our staff of basketball betting experts dug into the latest odds and identified 5 NBA picks spanning both of tonight's contests. Continue below for our NBA best bets and predictions for Monday, May 5.
NBA Playoffs Best Bets, Picks, Predictions: Monday, May 5
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
| 7 p.m. | |
  | 9:30 p.m. | |
| 7 p.m. | |
| 9:30 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. | ||
Nuggets vs. Thunder
By Joe Dellera
Nikola Jokic should dominate on the interior of this entire matchup. This season he has recorded 12, 20, 13, and 18 rebounds in four games against OKC, while averaging an absurd 15.8.
The Thunder simply don't have a great answer for Jokic, and while these every game bets add some volatility, Jokic has 10+ rebounds in 75% of games this season, but the matchup here is great.
Oklahoma City allows the fourth-most rebounds per game to their opponents this season. I’d play a full unit on the RPG, and then a partial on the 10+ in every game.
Pick: Nikola Jokic to Record 10+ Rebounds in Every Game (+290) / 12+ RPG Series (-140)
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Nuggets vs. Thunder
Denver just wrapped up a grueling 7-game series on Saturday. OKC hasn't played since April 26. Not that the young Thunder need a rest advantage, but it's a staggering difference.
Playing at home after more than a week off, I'm expecting them to get off to a quick start.
OKC posted a massive 17.1 net rating in the 1st quarter during the regular season. They had the best offensive rating and the 2nd-best defensive rating.
Denver actually edged OKC in 1st-quarter PPG, but they struggled mightily on the other end.
Only the Wizards allowed more points per game in the opening period than the Nuggets this season.
Pick: Thunder First Quarter Spread -2.5 (-110)
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Knicks vs. Celtics
By Alex Hinton
By his standards, Kristaps Porzingis had a quiet series against Orlando as he cracked double digits just twice. However, I am expecting him to have better a showing against the Knicks.
Since being traded to Dallas, Porzingis has averaged 21.7 points in 15 games against his former team. He has scored 15 points in 14 of those games and finished with 14 in the lone miss.
Porzingis particularly likes to torment his former team from deep. In those 15 games, he has made at least two three-pointers in 13 of them, including each of his last 12 games against them. He has averaged 3.3 made threes against his former team.
If he knocks down two tonight, he will be well on his way to scoring 15 points. However, he made eight threes in his last game against them. Another game like that will put him in contention to lead the series in made threes.
That is worth a shot at 30-1 on DraftKings, particularly compared to 21-1 elsewhere. Porzingis' ability to space the floor as well as match and/or outplay Karl-Anthony Towns will give Boston the edge in this series.
Pick: Kristaps Porzingis 15+ Points / 2+ Three-Pointers (-130)
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Knicks vs. Celtics
My model makes this line 212.4 with regular season numbers, and in the playoffs we should further reduce those.
This total simply opened with a bad line at recreational books, ranging between 217.5 and 219.5, before sharp books came online at 214.5, and the market started to plummet.
Now we are down to 213, and I think this has another bit to go.
I would play any best number on the market, I think we see a very slow pace out of these two teams that hunt matchups by using switches with a first screen, and a secondary screen sets up the pick-and-roll action.
Expect efficient offense, but one where pace and possessions slow.
Pick: Under 213 (-110)
Knicks vs. Celtics
The Celtics are going to try to outshoot the Knicks, as they've done all regular season.
Kristaps Porzingis is a big part of that. He has made two or more threes in every game that he's played against the Knicks since joining the Celtics.
Tatum is plus-money to hit over 3.5 threes. And while I think he can do it, 3.5 is just a lot, so I'd rather play these two legs in a parlay, acknowledging that there is heavy juice.
But in terms of three-point shots, expect Tatum and Porzingis project to get up a lot in this series, among others in Boston.
