Road to the NBA Finals: NBA Playoff Predictions, Picks for Every Game on Tuesday

Can the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs advance in the NBA Playoffs on Tuesday night?

Both teams have 3-1 series leads heading into Tuesday’s action, which features three games:

Philadelphia 76ers @ Boston Celtics (Boston leads 3-1)
Atlanta Hawks @ New York Knicks (Series tied 2-2)
Portland Trail Blazers vs. San Antonio Spurs (San Antonio leads 3-1)

The New York-Atlanta series has been fantastic, with two games coming down to the final possession. The winner of Game 5 will be in a great spot to win the series, and oddsmakers have set the Knicks as 6.5-point favorites.

Will that be one of today’s bets for my NBA playoff challenge? This year, I’m aiming to bet on every playoff game, a fun way to stay engaged all the way until the NBA Finals.

The Road to the NBA Finals challenge is simple:

Bet on every game through the play-in tournament and playoffs
Bet can be a spread, total, moneyline, player prop or game prop
ENJOY POSTSEASON BASKETBALL!

Tonight’s picks include two sides and a player prop for a veteran guard that has shown he can carry an offense at times this postseason.

Let’s dive into the best bets for the three-game slate on Tuesday, with both No. 2 seeds looking to advance to the conference semifinals.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Boston Celtics -11.5 (-115) vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Boston has blown out the Sixers in two games in this series (Games 1 and 4) and it’s covered the spread in every game that it has won.

So, I’m going back to the well in Game 5 and taking the C’s to cover.

The only game that Philly was able to win in this series came with Boston shooting 13-of-50 from 3, and the Sixers looked out of sorts with Joel Embiid attempting to work himself back into the lineup in Game 4.

Philadelphia finished the regular season with a negative net rating, so this team isn’t on the same level as Boston, which finished in the top five in the NBA in net, offensive and defensive rating.

The C’s have been red hot from beyond the arc over the last two games, and they went 19-17 against the spread during the regular season as a home favorite, posting an average scoring margin of +9.1 points in those games.

CJ McCollum OVER 19.5 Points (-120)

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why McCollum is worth a look in the prop market:

CJ McCollum has inserted himself as this year’s villain at Madison Square Garden, averaging 24.5 points per game over the first four games against New York. He’s put up 23 or more points in three of the four games in this series, shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range.

McCollum hit clutch shots at the end of Games 2 and 3, and he’s taking a whopping 19.0 shots per game for the Hawks.

So, the volume is there for the star guard heading into Game 5.

It’s going to be a hostile environment at Madison Square Garden, but McCollum thrived in that environment in Game 2. He did fall short of this line in his last game, shooting 8-of-15 from the field and 0-of-4 from 3. He still finished with 17 points, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see McCollum reach 20-plus points for the fourth time in this series.

The star guard averages 20.3 points per game in the playoffs (71 games) in his career.

San Antonio Spurs -11.5 (-115) vs. Portland Trail Blazers

Another play from Peter’s Points, I shared why the Spurs should close out this series on Tuesday:

The Spurs rallied from deficits in Games 3 and 4, and they now have a stranglehold on the Blazers in this first-round matchup.

Victor Wembanyama looked like his usual self in his return from a concussion in Game 4, recording seven blocks and four steals while also putting up 27 points and 12 rebounds. San Antonio is a much better team with him on the floor, and the only loss for the team in the series was a second-half collapse in Game 2 after he went out with his concussion.

Portland had the worst offensive rating of any playoff team after Sunday’s Game 4 loss, and I don’t expect that to change against a Spurs team that was No. 3 in defensive rating during the regular season. In fact, the Spurs have a defensive rating that is seven points better than it was during the regular season.

San Antonio dominated at home all season, going 32-8, and it has covered the spread in 21 games as a home favorite. Meanwhile, the Blazers are just 13-14 against the spread as road dogs, posting an average scoring margin of -9.4 in those games.

The Spurs seemed to put this series to bed in Game 4 when they outscored the Blazers 73-35 in the second half. I’m buying them to finish the job at home.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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