The NBA Playoffs rolls on with three pivotal Game 3 matchups on Saturday. The first game is the Celtics at 76ers which tips off at 9:10am (AEST), followed by the Lakers at Rockets which begins at 10:10am, and concludes with the Spurs at Trail Blazers starting at 12:40pm.
NBA Playoffs Betting Tips: Saturday, April 25th 2026
Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers (9:10am AEST)
The series is tied 1-1 after a woeful performance by the Boston Celtics at home in Game 2 as the Philadelphia 76ers won 111-97. The Sixers were lights out from deep, shooting 19-39 from beyond the arc, and 48% from the field. It was the opposite for the Celtics shooting 39% from the field and 26% from three.
It’s hard to imagine the second seed shooting so poorly in Game 3 and they were well performed on the road throughout the regular season. Besides Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, no other Celtic scored double figures in the loss, so expect the likes of Derrick White, Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard to play much better.
Rookie VJ Edgecombe is sure to receive more defensive attention after dropping 30 points in the Game 2 win for the Sixers. The future looks bright for him. Boston was clearly the better team during the regular season and with Joel Embiid doubtful to play, the Celtics look a strong chance to make a statement in Philadelphia.
Celtics -7.5
$1.92 (2 Units)
Los Angeles Lakers at Houston Rockets (10:10am AEST)
The series shifts to Texas with the Los Angeles Lakers leading 2-0 in the series despite not having Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves in either game. LeBron James has been phenomenal leading the Lakers in both games so far, including a 101-94 victory where he dropped 28 points. Luke Kennard finished with 23 points and Marcus Smart scored 25 points and had five steals.
Many will expect the wheels to fall off the Lakers at some point in the series as LeBron and co. are not a deep bench team with two of their superstars out. Kevin Durant is questionable for Game 3 with an ankle sprain, and the Rockets desperately need their future Hall of Famer to play this must-win game.
The Lakers are less likely to receive the 50/50 foul calls on the road which makes the task a little tougher, but the line of +9.0 almost looks disrespectful after winning the first two games by nine and seven points. While the Rockets are likely to walk away with the win, the Lakers have strong claims to keep it close and cover the line.
Lakers +9.0
$1.93 (2 Units)
San Antonio Spurs at Portland Trail Blazers (12:40pm AEST)
All eyes will be on Victor Wembanyama who is questionable to play Game 3 after suffering a concussion in the San Antonio Spurs’ Game 2 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Despite only having Wemby for 11 minutes, the Spurs fought tenaciously, falling 106-103. If Wemby plays, the Spurs will prove hard to beat, while they can still win without him, although it will be a lot harder.
It was a good team effort with Devin Vassell, De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle trying their best, although all three were a bit inefficient from the field. There is plenty of room for improvement from that trio and newly crowned Sixth Man of the Year, Keldon Johnson.
For the Blazers, Scoot Henderson has been excellent, scoring 31 points in the previous game. Deni Avdija was quiet in the second game despite a big 30-point performance in the opening game. This should be a great contest but I give the edge to the Spurs, with or without Wemby.
Spurs -2.5
$1.95 (2 Units)
