Tuesday has a trio of NBA Playoff games to pick from.
If you’re planning to plant yourself on the couch from the 7 p.m. ET tipoff in Indiana to the after-midnight finish in L.A., you might as well have something to cheer for.
I take my favorite spreads and totals from those three contests and tie them together for my best NBA picks for April 22.
Today's best NBA Playoff parlays: April 22
Pacers -4.5
Grizzlies/Thunder Under 229
Timberwolves +5.5
Indiana Pacers -4
The Indiana Pacers were fueled by a feverish home crowd in Game 1 and came out swinging, putting the Milwaukee Bucks on their heels.
Milwaukee should have star guard Damian Lillard back, and that’s dropped this spread from Pacers -6 to -4 — through a key number of five points. There’s no doubting Lillard’s postseason marbles, but he hasn’t played in more than a month, so how much will he go tonight?
Indiana had balanced scoring (six players in double figures) and fantastic defensive efforts in Game 1. I’m expecting more of the same in Game 2.
Grizzlies/Thunder Under 229
The Oklahoma City Thunder delivered an absolute ass-waxing in Game 1, beating the Memphis Grizzlies by a record 51 points. It wasn’t OKC’s offense that did the damage either; it was its defense.
Oklahoma City checked Memphis to 80 points on 34% shooting, including a 6-for-34 outing from beyond the arc. The Grizzlies turned the ball over 24 times, which OKC flipped into 24 points, and the Thunder put Memphis’ fastbreak in the sand, allowing only five FBPTs.
This was nothing new, however. In their four matchups this season (0-3-1 O/U), Oklahoma City has locked up the Grizzlies to scores of 103, 104, 106, and 112 points — a massive shift in gears for a Memphis team averaging 121.1 points a night (second-most in the NBA).
Minnesota Timberwolves +5.5
Los Angeles Lakers fans (and I’m one of them) are trying really hard not to push the panic button after losing Game 1 in L.A. Honestly, though, we should be smashing that MFer.
The Minnesota Timberwolves manhandled the Lakers from the opening tip, and that aggressive approach showed just how ill-prepared Los Angeles was for the intensity of the postseason.
With Saturday’s win, the T-Wolves improved to 8-7 SU and 10-5 ATS as road pups this season. Minnesota has been making money as a road dog for a while now, boasting a 60% ATS clip the past two years, including a 7-2 ATS record when catching points away from home in the playoffs.
The Game 2 spread has climbed from the closing number of Minnesota +4.5 in Game 1 to +5.5, with the market padding for a bounce-back game from LeBron & Co.
Los Angeles may win this one, but it’s not covering.
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