Best NBA Bets Today: Free Betting Picks, Predictions & Player Props 4/15

Things are starting to get serious! The NBA began to work its playoff situation out over the last couple of days, but tonight will mark the end of the season for two teams and the start of the playoff journey for the other two squads. The Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers will get the party started at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. That game will be followed by New Orleans at the Los Angeles Clippers at 10 p.m. ET on TNT. The winners will earn the No. 8 seeds in their respective conferences, while the losers will go home for the summer.

This daily NBA article will examine the best betting picks and NBA player prop bets today. With OddsShopper, bettors can maximize their profits and see the best bets with the highest expected return on investment. OddsShopper can find which sportsbooks offer the best prices for these prop bets. The following are the four best NBA bets today for April 15.

Best NBA Bets Today: Player Props & Expert Betting

Hawks Moneyline (-140) Over Cavaliers

Will Atlanta’s postseason experience or Cleveland’s homecourt advantage prove more important?

Atlanta is looking to make the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. The Hawks had the ninth-best record in the Eastern Conference and they are in this position after rolling over the Hornets 132-103 on Wednesday as Trae Young and Clint Capela each posted double-doubles. All five Hawks starters, along with Bogdan Bogdanovic, also scored in double-figures and the team shot 52% from the field.

As demonstrated in the play-in game, Atlanta owns one of the most proficient offenses in the league. However, the Hawks have not been as efficient offensively on the road as they have at home this season and are just 16-25 away from State Farm Arena. They average 111.2 points on 45.8% shooting from the field and 36.9% from beyond the arc on the road this season. Defense has been a problem for them all season long, but they have won four of their last seven games on the road and coach Nate McMillan appears to have fixed some of their issues. Atlanta held Charlotte to 37.8% shooting from the field in the play-in game. Plus, they limited their opponents to 46.8% from the floor along with 35.8% from beyond the arc over the last five games of the regular season. Sixth man Bogdanovic missed the game against the Hornets and is a game-time decision.

Cleveland has struggled since losing Jarrett Allen to a finger injury, going 7-12 during this stretch, including losing eight of the last 11. Defense has also been a major issue for the Cavaliers without Allen. The Cavs permitted the Nets to shoot 53.2% from the field in their 115-108 play-in loss. That was the seventh time they have permitted their opponents to shoot over 50% from the field over this 19-game stretch as Andre Drummond and Nicolas Claxton dominated the interior for the Nets. They had allowed their opponents to shoot at least 50% from the field just 10 times in the first 62 games.

Moreover, Cleveland has allowed 114.2 points as their opponents are shooting 48.1% from the field and 38.1% from beyond the arc since March 8. While the Cavs have been very good at home this year, they are just 5-5 over their last 10 games at Rocket Mortgage Arena. Some positive news, Darius Garland has been terrific on the offensive end and Lauri Markkanen has been pretty good on that end as well over the last month and a half. Plus, Allen could return to action.

But Atlanta is the play here. The Hawks have experience in these situations and are playing well lately, while the Cavs are not. They took three of the four regular-season meetings, with their last victory being a 131-107 thrashing of the Cavs on March 31. Young has absolutely destroyed the Cavs this year, producing 32.5 points along with 9.0 assists while shooting 46% from the field and 41% from the 3-point line. OddsShopper gives Atlanta a 51% chance of winning the game.

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Pelicans Moneyline (-110) Over Clippers

Los Angeles got some terrible news earlier today, with Paul George being ruled out for the contest due to testing positive for COVID-19. Luke Kennard (hamstring) is questionable. Expect a very physical and close game.

New Orleans has been a much different team, especially in the second half as the Brandon Ingram and C.J. McCollum duo has proven to be deadly. Those two combined for 59 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in their 113-103 play-in win over the Spurs, while Jonas Valanciunas added a double-double (22 points, 14 rebounds). The Pelicans are 14-10 since the All-Star break, as they average 116 points while shooting over 48% from the field during this stretch. In the 10 games that he played in the second half, Ingram has attacked the rim consistently, averaging 25 points on 53% shooing from the field. Meanwhile, McCollum has shot the lights out since coming over from the Trail Blazers.

Los Angeles had been in good form before blowing the fourth-quarter lead to Minnesota in the N0. 7-8 playing game. The Clippers are just 24- 27 without George, as they are considerably worse on the defensive end without their star forward. The Clippers have posted a 112.1 defensive rating without George compared to 105.7 when he is on the court, as their opponents have recorded an effective field goal percentage of 51.7%.

New Orleans is much more athletic than Los Angeles, and they won the season series 3-1 with an average winning margin of 9.5 points. Valanciunas has been dominant against the Clippers and Ingram has played pretty well against them. Reggie Jackson, who the Clippers will count on heavily tonight, has struggled mightily against New Orleans.

Herbert Jones Over 3.5 Rebounds

Jones is very athletic and loves to hit the offensive glass even though he is a very inconsistent rebounder. He totaled five rebounds, with two boards coming on the offensive end, in the play-in game against the Spurs over 37 minutes of action. Jones, projected for 4.46 rebounds tonight, has averaged 5.3 caroms against the Clippers this year. Los Angeles has not done a great job of cleaning the defensive glass this year, as they allow the most offensive rebounds in the league at 12.0 a game. Moreover, opposing small forwards have collected 7.6 boards this year against them. OddsShopper gives the over a 65% chance of hitting and an expected ROI of 11%.

Other Top NBA Bets Today

Reggie Jackson Under 7.5 Assists

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