2018 NBA Playoffs Betting Predictions for First-Round

The first round of the National Basketball Association’s playoffs are underway, and we already have intrigue. Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers is tweeting out his displeasure at the team “babying” him instead of letting him participate in the postseason, particularly after Dwyane Wade turned back the clock in Game Two, scoring 28 points off the bench to lead Miami to a big win to take home court advantage as the series moves down to South Beach. The Cleveland Cavaliers find themselves in a 1-0 hole — and San Antonio finds them down in an uncharacteristic 2-0 hole in the first round. What can we expect in sports betting as the first round unfolds? Check out some of NBA Playoffs betting predictions for the first-round.

5 NBA Playoff First-Round Betting Predictions

The Warriors extend their franchise record with their 11th straight home playoff win. Golden State hasn’t lost a home playoff game since Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals against the Cavaliers.

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 17, 2018

Philadelphia still breezes through

Yes, “Father Prime” came off the bench to put up 28 on the Sixers. Miami was able to slow the game down to their pace, thanks to some ice-cold shooting from Philadelphia. However, the Sixers did not build a 17-game winning streak by collapsing when adversity strikes, and with the possible return of Embiid in Game 3 or 4, the Sixers should take matters in hand down in South Beach, at least evening the series at two games apiece before returning to Philadelphia for Game Five. This isn’t the same Dwyane Wade who put the Heat on his back (with a lot of help from the officials) to win a title in 2006 — it’s the same Wade who didn’t do a whole lot for Chicago and couldn’t elevate Cleveland this year. So don’t let one game scare you away from backing Philadelphia.

The Warriors might just sweep the Spurs

Without Stephen Curry, the Warriors sputtered down the stretch. They only won seven of their last 17 in the regular season, and some betting writers (including me) thought that the Spurs might be able to sneak up and pull off the upset on a Warriors team that looked a lot readier for some off-season rest than the grind of the playoffs. But then Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson pulled off a couple of terrific performances, and we saw that the Spurs can’t get very far with just LaMarcus Aldridge playing at an elite level. If the Warriors stay focused, they can end this series early down in Texas and get some rest before the conference semifinals.

New Orleans could beat Portland thanks to this mismatch

In Game One, Portland’s Jusuf Nurkic was in charge of guarding Anthony Davis, and every time Davis went outside the paint, Nurkic just looked lost trying to keep up with him. Davis has progressed to the point where his offense is just about unstoppable, even against top defenders, so this represented a real problem for the Trail Blazers. So they shifted Al-Farouq Aminu onto Davis and put Nurkic on Nikola Mirotic. However, Mirotic is a jump shooter who comes in the land only infrequently, and what the Pelicans did was run  Mirotic through a series of screens until Nurkic was far away, and then find Mirotic for the open shot or drive. When New Orleans had both Davis and Mirotic on the floor, they were a +12 for the game. If Portland doesn’t figure out what to do here, they are in trouble.

Cleveland will wake up if they use this mismatch

Did anyone tell the Cavaliers that the playoffs started the other day? In Game One against the Pacers, they went 8 for 34 from downtown. LeBron James looked bored on defense, letting Darren Collison loose from outside (and this is the league’s best shooter from behind the arc). Trevor Booker slid around King James for an offensive board on a free throw. In short, LeBron spent a lot of this game sulking instead of getting back on defense. Indiana came out focused and intense, and Cleveland did not. However, if LeBron posts up Lance Stephenson or Bojan Bogdanovic, the passing lanes that open will either lead to an easy shot at the rim or a three-ball for Cleveland, because LeBron uses his post game to get other people scoring.

Milwaukee still looks good against Boston

The Celtics had a hard time scoring in their Game One overtime win, both early in the game and late. You can thank the Bucks for some key blunders that kept Boston in the game. Once the Bucks moved Giannis Antetokounmpo to center, though, things got interesting, as he outplayed Al Horford. If Milwaukee stops fronting the post-ups, which basically just gives Boston’s guards a big pick, and keeps their defensive approach intact, they can outscore Boston.