There are four massive playoff games set to play out in the NBA on Thursday in what should be an entertaining day of hoops. The Knicks, Lakers, and Heat are each hoping to close out their respective first round series, while the Warriors and the Kings will battle for ascendency in their matchup which is tied at 2-2. Here, we take a look at each game and bring you our best free betting tips!
Check out our NBA betting tips for Wednesday’s slate below, and good luck to everyone following us this post-season!
NBA Playoffs Betting Tips: Thursday, April 27th 2023
New York Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers
Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, 9am AEST
The Knicks took control of this series with a Game 1 win on the road and managed to convert the series break with two wins at home last week. They now have three chances to clinch the series but will be hoping to tidy it up on Thursday in Game 5.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers would be thoroughly disappointed to be in this position but will still be confident they can fight their way back from a 3-1 deficit.
Game 1 aside, all games in this series have resulted in comfortable wins for the home side, and with everything to play for on Thursday, I’m expecting the Cavaliers to continue that trend and extend the series to at least six games.
Cleveland Cavaliers -5.5
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
Los Angeles Lakers at Memphis Grizzlies
FedExForum, 9:30am AEST
This has arguably been the most intriguing first round series to follow and you can’t help but think there’s at least a couple of twists and turns left before it’s all said and done.
The Lakers took a commanding 3-1 lead with their clutch overtime win in Game 4 despite both Anthony Davis and LeBron James having quiet games by their standards.
Ja Morant was also limited in his impact last outing and will be desperate to put in a big performance on Thursday to keep his team’s chances alive.
The series heads back to Memphis for Game 5 and the Grizzlies will be far more comfortable playing at the venue where they went an astonishing 35-6 in the regular season. With that sort of record, it’s hard to see them losing back-to-back games at home against a Lakers team that went sub 500 on road games this season.
Memphis Grizzlies -4
$1.90 (2.5 Units)
Miami Heat at Milwaukee Bucks
Fiserv Forum, 11:30am AEST
There’s a potential upset brewing in the East in the series between the #1 seed Bucks and the #8 seed Heat.
The Heat, led by an otherworldly performance from Jimmy Butler, came back from the brink of defeat in Game 4 to win by five points and take a 3-1 lead in the series.
Despite Butler’s brilliance this series, it must be said that if Giannis Antetokounmpo had played the first three games it would likely be a totally different story.
With Giannis back on the court and at home in a must-win game, I’m with the bookies here and believe we’ll be in for one of the more one-sided games we’ve seen in the playoffs to date.
Miami Heat Under 104.5 Points
$1.80 (1.5 Units)
Golden State Warriors at Sacramento Kings
Golden 1 Center, 12pm AEST
The only tied series on Thursday’s slate is the matchup between the Warriors and the Kings. Both teams have defended home court through four games, and the series will now head back to Sacramento for Game’s 5 and 7 (if necessary).
Three of the four games have been decided by a combined 12 points which shows you just how tight the battle is between these sides. Most recently, the Warriors held on by one point in Game 4 to take down the Kings 126-125.
Needless to say, it’s been an exciting series so far and Game 5 looms as must-watch TV.
The Warriors will start as the slight favourites which may surprise a few considering their woeful road record this season. However, experience in these moments can’t be ignored and it’s the Warriors who have been in this position infinitely more times in recent seasons.
This is certainly a low-bet game for me as I’m still not sold on the Warriors winning away, but I do have to give them the slight edge in a pivotal game.
Golden State Warriors to Win
$1.80 (1 Unit)
