A three-game NBA playoff slate tips off tonight in New York as the Knicks look to eliminate the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Cleveland Cavaliers play host to the Orlando Magic in a pivotal Game 5, while the Milwaukee Bucks also try to stave off elimination at home vs. the Indiana Pacers.
If you want to tie together tonight’s action, here are my best NBA picks for April 30.
NBA playoffs parlay picks April 30
- Embiid Under 32.5 points + Cavaliers -5 + Middleton Under 35.5 points (+597 at FanDuel)
- Anunoby Under 14.5 points + Banchero Over 21.5 points + Pacers -4 (+542 DraftKings)
Best NBA bonuses
All Users
Get one no-sweat 3+ leg NBA SGP
Bonus bets back if you don't win! Claim Now
See our DraftKings sportsbook review.
All Users33% boost for one NBA bet
e.g. +100 BOOSTS to +133! Claim Now
See our BetMGM sportsbook review
Eligible USA locations only. Also, see our full list of best sportsbook promotions for 2024.
21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
Best NBA parlay picks for Tuesday
NBA parlay pick 1
Joel Embiid Under 32.5 points
Cavaliers -5
Khris Middleton Under 25.5 points
When Isaiah Hartenstein was in foul trouble on Sunday afternoon, Tom Thibodeau called on 6-foot-7 O.G. Anunoby to match up with Joel Embiid. Embiid scored exactly one of his 27 points in the fourth quarter. Anunoby may not be able to handle that matchup for a full game, but he played 47 minutes in that Game 4 win; he found success while likely rather worn out. Thibodeau now has another wrinkle he can deploy against the 76ers superstar, and in an elimination game, he will not hesitate to.
The Cavaliers laid two eggs in Orlando to guarantee at least one Eastern Conference series will reach a Game 6, and perhaps there should be some reaction to that. But Cleveland was a 5.5-point favorite in Games 1 and 2 and covered them by 8.5 points and 4.5 points. Logic says this series will continue to yo-yo between home teams, somewhat a natural outcome for middling playoff teams.
Lastly, fading a second star in this NBA playoff parlay makes sense simply because too much is on Khris Middleton’s plate right now. Without Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Middleton is on his own. Yet he went 9-of-22 for 25 points in Game 4. And that was without Bobby Portis after seven minutes. Portis is an offensive piece, and if he can stay on the court tonight, he will take away from Middleton’s usage. Since returning from injury in mid-March, Middleton has scored 25 or more points just twice in 16 games. Indiana will focus on him to earn this elimination.
NBA parlay pick 2
O.G. Anunoby Under 14.5 points
Paolo Banchero Over 21.5 points
Pacers -4
If O.G. Anunoby is going to spend more time defending Embiid tonight, he will put in less work on offense. That is not a shot at the former Raptor. It is an acknowledgment of priorities in the playoffs. Even when Anunoby was not devoted to Embiid for added swaths of time, he has averaged just 13.5 points this series, cracking this prop twice. Any added defensive responsibility will be pulled from his 11.8 shots per game.
Supporting Paolo Banchero, the only Over thought in this pile of NBA playoff predictions, is in part because his points prop should not be this low. He has scored at least 22 points in seven of his last 11 games, with two of the exceptions being 21 points and a third being 20. To put that in plainer terms, Banchero has fallen short of 20 points just once since April 3, so what if it happened to be by going 4-of-14 for nine points in Game 4 on Sunday?
“1, 2, 3, Cancun” is traditionally a chant for teams about to get swept. Can it also apply to a team that has lost three straight in a best-of-seven series? There are no positive vibes around the Bucks. Their two superstars are injured with no clear signs of returning in a possible Game 6. Their head coach continues to shirk responsibility in press conferences. The franchise is teetering on a tumultuous offseason, and any signs of vigor to put off that offseason would be a new revelation.
Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Covers may receive advertising commissions for visits to a sportsbook or betting site.
