Cole K’s Best NBA Bets Today: NBA Playoff Picks & Predictions 5/3/22

The second round of the NBA playoffs is now in full swing, and there are two games on tap for tonight’s slate. Last night both home favorites controlled their games and went on to become victorious at the end of the night. Unlike yesterday’s slate, tonight’s games feature a road favorite in the Warriors who are 2-point favorites in a game that has a high total of 227.5 in their matchup against the Grizzlies. In tonight’s first game the Celtics are 4.5-point favorites at home playing host to the Bucks in a game that has a total of 215.5. Both of these games have the potential to be great, so let’s dig deeper into the slate. OddsShopper has up-to-the-minute odds for tonight’s games that range from game lines to NBA player props, so be sure to stay tuned throughout the day to lock in the best odds for the best NBA bets today.


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Best NBA Bets Today: Playoff Picks & Predictions

Celtics vs. Bucks

The Boston Celtics were riding high before this series against the Milwaukee Bucks began. It’s only been one game, but the Bucks controlled them on both ends of the court and gave the Celtics issues with their length. Although the Bucks are still without Khris Middleton, they have the depth of a championship-caliber roster and their next-man-up approach has been seamless thus far. As the road team, the Bucks were looking to steal one of the first two in Boston, so now the Celtics need a bounce back to avoid giving the Bucks a stranglehold on the series.

Giannis Antetokounmpo opened the series with a triple-double, and the Celtics will probably have to live with him getting his numbers. However, what they cannot live with is Jrue Holiday and Bobby Portis combining for 40 points. In tonight’s game the Celtics will look to defend the perimeter much better than they did in Game 1. It may seem like a heavy task, but they should make the proper adjustments and get the win. However, it will be tough to cover, and as such the play in this game is under 215.5. The duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown only accounted for 33 points in the series first game, and although that’s unlikely to happen again, it shows how defensively dominant the Bucks can be. Up 1-0 in the series, the Bucks will yet again look to control pace and tempo to keep the Celtics stars from finding a groove, and with Game 1 only having 190 total points, the pace probably won’t be all that different. The Bucks held the Bulls to 100 points or less in all four of their first-round victories, and as the saying goes, defense travels. Take the under tonight.

Best NBA Bet Today: Boston Celtics/Milwaukee Bucks Under 215.5 (-110)


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Grizzlies vs. Warriors: Andrew Wiggins NBA Player Props

The Golden State Warriors are coming off a 1-point Game 1 victory where 90% free-throw shooter Klay Thompson missed two free throws in the final 10 seconds to botch the -2 cover for Warriors bettors. In the first game, the recipe for success was there for the Grizzlies, as they got the Warriors get into foul trouble, Draymond Green was ejected, and both Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. had solid performances. Everything seemed to fall in line for the Grizzlies to pull off the upset, but they still could not find a path to victory, and now it remains to be seen if they will be able to be competitive in this series against a well-oiled, experienced Warriors ball club.

The line in this game is an interesting one where the road Warriors, who already have a 1-0 series lead, are favorites yet again. The spread is a short -2, and in a series that is featuring experience versus inexperience, it will be interesting to see how the styles clash in this contest. Game 2 should be highly competitive, and although the Warriors are the better bet tonight, after the free-throw debacle and failure to cover Game 1, the play in tonight’s matchup comes from the NBA player prop market. Stephen Curry and Ja Morant will have strong games tonight, but Andrew Wiggins and his over on 19.5 points and rebounds stands out the most. Wiggins has hit this mark in 4 of 6 playoff games and is coming off of a 17-point, eight-rebound Game 1. Wiggins was crashing the glass in the series first game and had an unbelievable 18 potential rebounds. The way the Warriors defense played the Grizzlies in Game 1 should be an indictment of how their small-ball lineup is going to rebound, and with Draymond Green focused on containing and boxing out Jaren Jackson Jr., Wiggins is in position to put up strong numbers. Wiggins also got up 14 shots, including five 3’s, so he should continue to look to score the ball when the opportunity arises. With his rebounding looking so strong, play his over on 19.5 points and rebounds (-122) for a full unit, over 4.5 rebounds (-140) for a half unit and over 5.5 rebounds (+115) for another half unit.

Best NBA Player Prop Bets Today:

  • Andrew Wiggins Over 19.5 Points + Rebounds (-122):1 Unit
  • Andrew Wiggins Over 4.5 Rebounds (-140): 0.5 Unit
  • Andrew Wiggins Over 5.5 Rebounds (+115): 0.5 Unit

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