Peter’s Points: NBA Best Bets Today (Predictions, Prop Bets for Anthony Edwards, Hawks-Knicks, Raptors-Cavs)

The NBA Playoffs are here, and there’s only one anthem that truly can get us ready for the next two months of high-stakes basketball:

All kidding aside, Saturday’s playoff action features some awesome Game 1 matchups, where only one road team is set as the favorite:

Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets
Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks
Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers

I’m looking to bet on most of these matchups, whether it’s a side or a player prop to kick off the postseason in style.

After the NBA’s Play-In Tournament games didn’t disappoint, let’s dive into the best bets for Saturday’s playoff action.

1 Season, 600 Bets: NBA Betting Record

2025-26 season record: 250-208 (+1.83 units)
2024-25 season record: 281-293-5 (-4.94 units)
OVERALL (since 2021-22 season): 1541-1448-27 (+34.98 units)

Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

NBA Best Bets Today

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Toronto Raptors +8.5 (-115) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Denver Nuggets Team Total OVER 119.5 (-105)
Anthony Edwards OVER 2.5 3-Pointers Made (-168)
Atlanta Hawks-New York Knicks UNDER 216.5 (-110)

Toronto Raptors +8.5 (-115) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland’s offense took a step forward in the second half of the season with James Harden in the fold, but the Cavs were just 18th in the NBA in defensive rating after the All-Star break.

Their inability to get stops – and lack of elite wing defenders – is a major concern against this Toronto team. Sure, the Raptors are not an elite offensive group, but their three best scorers – Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes – are all bigger wings that the Cavs may not have the personnel to match up with.

Toronto also finished the season with the fifth-best defensive rating in the league, showing that it can stay in games on that end of the floor.

The Cavs were awful as home favorites this season, posting the second-worst against the spread record in the NBA (15-23). That, and the fact that they’ve struggled to get stops for a couple of months, makes it tough to bet on them as such a major favorite on Saturday.

I’ll take the points with the Raptors, who posted an average scoring margin of just -2.7 as road dogs in the 2025-26 regular season.

Denver Nuggets Team Total OVER 119.5 (-105)

The Denver Nuggets led the NBA in points per game (122.1) during the regular season, and they posted the best offensive rating in the NBA.

The crazy part? That offensive rating is 10 points higher when Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon all share the floor, something that didn’t happen all that often in the 2025-26 regular season.

Gordon is back healthy, and that’s a great sign for the Nuggets entering this series.

Denver scored over 120 points in three of the four meetings (all wins) with the Timberwolves this season, and Minnesota isn’t exactly coming into the playoffs on fire, ranking 11th in defensive rating since the All-Star break and 18th in net rating during that stretch.

The Nuggets’ offense was the best in the NBA in the regular season, and it should hover around its season average at home in Game 1.

Anthony Edwards OVER 2.5 3-Pointers Made (-168)

Anthony Edwards made three or more shots from beyond the arc in two of his three meetings with Denver this season, and he’s undervalued at this number on Saturday – even though he’s recovering from a knee injury.

Edwards shot 39.9 percent from beyond the arc during the regular season, averaging 3.4 made 3-pointers per game. In the playoffs, he’s averaged 3.1 made 3-pointers on over eight attempts per night.

So, this number is a bit of a steal, especially since Denver (21st in defensive rating) has struggled defending the 3-ball in the 2025-26 campaign. During the regular season, the Nuggets allowed 13.6 3-pointers per game (18th in the NBA) despite posting the third-best opponent 3-point percentage.

Atlanta Hawks-New York Knicks UNDER 216.5 (-110)

The New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks have played three times this season and the last two meetings have fallen well short of this number.

The Knicks rank just 25th in the NBA in pace, which could offset Atlanta’s up-and-down style. Every year, playoff games seem to slow down a little and teams are forced to play in the half court, which leads to much lower-scoring games. The Knicks fell short of this total in nine playoff games during their 2025 postseason run.

The UNDER was 45-38 in the Knicks’ games this season (including the NBA Cup Final) and 41-41 in Atlanta’s matchups. The Hawks really picked up their defense after the All-Star break, ranking No. 2 in the league in defensive rating.

The Knicks finished seventh in defensive rating overall and eighth in that statistic after the break.

I think Game 1 at Madison Square Garden could be a bit of a slugfest after the last two regular-season meetings between these teams finished with 210 and 213 combined points.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Claim the latest DraftKings promo code offer today. Sign up and get $300 in bonus bets instantly when you make your first $5 bet and that bet wins.

Add us as a preferred source on Google