Okay MYBookie NBA basketball betting faithful…the real season is finally here. After a long, 82-game regular season that kicked off way back in October, the playoffs are here – and along with it – a bunch of chances for you to add to your annual NBA hoops betting haul. Thanks to this fun0filled look at the complete playoff picture, you’re going to find out who’s on court and which teams are looking good as potential NBA Finals participants. Okay, with all of that said, let’s get down to business.
NBA 2019 Playoff Matchups Odds & Betting Predictions
Western Conference
No. 1 Golden State (57-25) vs. No. 8 LA Clippers (48-34)
Despite losing their meaningless regular season finale, Golden State (35-46-1 ATS) hits the postseason looking good after winning eight of their previous nine games.
Los Angeles went 14-5 over their final 19 regular season contests with five-game and six-game winning streaks included among their victories, but it should be know that the Clips lost three straight to the Warriors after taking their first meeting in the regular season. As a matter of fact, the Dubs recorded a statement-making 131-104 smackdown win over L.A. on April 7 that serves as an excellent reminder of just how dominant Golden State can be when they’re playing their best basketball.
More importantly, L.A. is a young team that is trying to find its way and although the Clippers went 22-19 on the road this season, it won’t be good enough to get past a Warriors team that went 30-11 at home and has a chip on their collective shoulders as they seek their third straight NBA Championship amid a season full of drama. The Dubs will win this first round series, but I I like L.A. to take at least one game.
Pick: Golden State 4 L.A. Clippers 1
No. 2 Denver (54-28) vs. No. 7 San Antonio (48-34)
While these two conference rivals split their four regular season meetings, Denver is by far, the better defensive team in this first round pairing and they’ve been a completely different team at home as opposed to being on the road – and the same applies to San Antonio. The Nuggets have been in either first or second place all season long out west while San Antonio has had a much more trying season while trying to deal with injuries and find their new identity. Denver went 34-7 at home while San Antonio went 16-25 on the road and those two simple facts, combined with the fact that Denver now has the better roster of players, is why Denver will win and advance – in seven thrilling games.
Pick: Denver 4 San Antonio 3
No. 3 Portland (53-29) vs. No. 6 Oklahoma City (49-33)
Portland might have locked down the third seed in the loaded Western Conference, but they were swept by Oklahoma City in their four regular season meetings while allowing the Thunder to top the 120-point plateau in three of those contests. While the Blazers capped off their regular season with a trio of wins and eight wins in their last 10 games, it seems like Oklahoma City should be the favorite to advance in this first round matchup, particularly seeing as how they won five straight to finish off the regular season.
With Portland going1-4 ATS in their last 5 games against teams from the Northwest division and Oklahoma City winning three of their four regular season meeting by at least nine points, I’m thinking the Thunder win this first round series despite being the lower seeded team. I’m going with Paul George and company in six games!
Pick: Oklahoma City 4 Portland 2
No. 4 Houston (53-29) vs. No. 5 Utah (50-32)
Houston (40-39-3 ATS) might have lost their regular season finale against Oklahoma City, but James Harden and company have the look of a team that could beat anyone out west, seeing as how the boys from H-Town won their previous six games while locking down eight wins in their final 10 games overall. The Rockets put up a healthy 113.9 points per game (11th) while allowing 109.1 points per contest defensively (10th).
Despite dropping two of their final three games to the Lakers and Clippers, Utah (44-36-2 ATS) hits the postseason looking good after winning eight of their final 10 games. Let it be noted however that the Jazz beat only one playoff team during the span although they did manage to split their four regular season meetings against Houston evenly. Utah closed out the regular season averaging a modest 111.7 points per game (17th), but the Jazz limited the opposition to just 10.5 points per contest to rank a stellar fourth in points allowed.
Utah won’t go out with a whimper, but the jazz just don’t have enough offensive firepower to keep up with a Houston team that is looking to reach the conference finals at the very least. Houston wins and advances, but it won’t be easy.
Pick: Houston 4 Utah 3
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Milwaukee (60-22) vs. No. 8 Detroit (41-41)
The Bucks have arguably the best player in the league on their team in still-blossoming superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, not to mention they recorded the best record in all of basketball and best home mark as well. Not only that, but the Bucks swept the Pistons in their four regular season meetings and it wasn’t even close as they topped the 115-point mark three times and held Detroit to 105 or less in each meeting.
Milwaukee averages 118.1 points per game to rank first in scoring while limiting the opposition to 109.3 points per contest to rank 11th in points allowed. Detroit averages 107.0 points per game (25th) while giving up just a shade more than that per game defensively (107.3 ppg, 7th).
With the Pistons going 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games prior to the postseason and the Bucks going both, 13-3-1 ATS in their last 17 games against teams from the Central Division and 27-12-2 ATS in their last 41 games against their Eastern Conference counterparts, I’m thinking this series could end in a sweep.
Pick: Milwaukee 4 Detroit 0
No. 2 Toronto (58-24) vs. No. 7 Orlando (42-40)
The second-seeded Raptors (38-44 ATS) closed out the regular season by winning seven of their final eight games and they’ll need to be at their best to hold off a streaking Orlando Magic (45-36-1 ATS) that enters the playoffs having won four straight and eight of its last 10 games overall.
While these two conference counterparts split their two regular season meetings with each team winning once on the road, let it be known that the Magic struggled mightily in going 17-24 on the road while Toronto finished with the second best mark at home (32-9) during the regular season.
While Toronto is the easy pick to win this series and advance to the second round, Orlando won two of the four regular season meetings and the Magic are a blistering 15-5-1 ATS in their last 21 games against teams from the Atlantic division and 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record. The Raptors win and advance, but the Magic look like a great pick on each individual contest in the first round. Still, I like the Raptors in six.
Pick: Toronto 4 Orlando 2
No. 3 Philadelphia (51-31) vs. No. 6 Brooklyn (42-40)
Philadelphia (38-44 ATS) might have the higher seeding in their first round matchup against upstart Brooklyn (42-40 ATS), but Philly had better be on guard against a Nets team that won three straight to reach the playoffs while recording wins over Milwaukee, Indiana and Miami along the way.
Not only that, but these two Eastern Conference rivals split their four regular season meetings with each team winning once on the road. Brooklyn’s 19-22 SU mark on the road, combined with Philly’s stellar 31-10 home mark, means the Sixers will win this first round series to advance, but it’s going at at least five games and likely, six.
Pick: Sixers Win 4-2
No. 4 Boston (49-33) vs. No. 5 Indiana (48-34)
Boston (39-42-1 ATS) won four of five and six of their last eight regular season games to give themselves some momentum as they look to live up to their preseason billing as the top team in the east. More importantly, the C’s beat the Pacers 114-112 at home on March 29 and then again, 117-97 in Indiana (41-41 ATS) on April 5 to deliver a message to Indiana that they are not going to be dispatched in the first round.
More importantly, Boston used their late run and Indiana’s modest 3-5 mark over their final eight games, to leap-frog the Pacers for the fourth seed and the home court advantage it bring in the first round. That’s super important, seeing as how Boston went 28-13 at home and Indy went 19-22 on the road.
While I’m picking Boston to win and advance, I’m thinking this one could go the distance and that if Indiana had their best player available in Victor Oladipo, they’d actually dispatch a Celtics team that has underachieved all season long despite their lofty expectations. Still, with the C’s going 0-8 ATS in their last eight home games and the underdog in this rivalry going 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings, I’m thinking the Pacers could cover the chalk more often than not in this first round matchup.
Pick: Boston 4 Indiana 3
