The NBA Playoffs resume with an excellent trio of Game 3s on Thursday night, with Knicks vs. Pistons set to take center stage in the early window, followed by Thunder vs. Grizzlies and Nuggets vs. Clippers later in the evening.
Our staff of basketball betting experts dug into the latest odds and identified NBA picks for all 3 of tonight's contests. Continue below for our NBA best bets and predictions for Thursday, April 24.
NBA Best Bets for First Round Playoff Games: Thursday, April 24
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 9:30 p.m. | |
  | 10 p.m. | |
| 9:30 p.m. | |
| 9:30 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NBA Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Knicks vs. Pistons
By Joe Dellera
Tobias Harris has been important for the Pistons. He is playing significant minutes, now up to 40 and 43 in these two games. While his usage rate may be down, he's been compensating with the extended minutes.
Harris has exceeded a 20.5 PR line in both games this series, and when he has played 30+ minutes this season, he averages 22.3 PR and has exceeded this mark in 60% of games. I'll grab this over.
Pick: Tobias Harris Over 20.5 Points + Rebounds (-125)
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Thunder vs. Grizzlies
It's becoming increasingly clear that the Thunder are simply a bad matchup for the Grizzlies. After winning all four games during the regular season convincingly by double-digits, Oklahoma City has carried that trend into the playoffs.
Interestingly, while OKC has won 11 straight games against Memphis, another trend also deserves mention. The total is 2-9 to the under during those games, reflecting OKC's dominance as one of the best defensive teams over the past few seasons. But if we dig even deeper through the numbers, we'll find that OKC is successfully minimizing the Grizzlies' strengths.
For example, after ranking in the top 10 for fastbreak points during the regular season (16.7), Memphis is averaging the lowest output of any team in the playoffs (4.0). The Grizzlies have also struggled from the perimeter, ranking last in 3-point percentage during the postseason (24.6%).
Off the court, the Grizzlies have also had to undergo a coaching change, so this is a team that's clearly in a state of flux. Even as the series shifts to Memphis, I still doubt the venue change will be enough for the Grizzlies to regain their mojo.
While the market might anticipate this will be a high-scoring affair, with the total up to 227 after opening at 225.5, we have an 11-game sample size that suggests things are more likely to go in a different direction.
Pick: Under 227 (-110)
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Nuggets vs. Clippers
The Clippers have clearly been the better team this series and just tied the series in Game 2 off the back of a vintage playoff performance from Kawhi Leonard.
Now they head back home where the Clippers have a definite home court advantage in the Intuit Dome. Opponent FT% playing at LAC is the lowest in the league, and we know "The Wall" is a real depth perception problem.
The largest advantage for the Clippers is the coaching side. Ty Lue is hailed as the best at playoff adjustments in the league, and Adelman is in his 5th career game coming off his first loss.
The deeper this series goes, especially the mid-series counters, should favor LAC.
Pick: Clippers -5 (-110)
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Thunder vs. Grizzlies
Back to the well. Jalen Williams has gone over this line (finishing at exactly 11) in both games this series. He's also gone over this line in six of seven games against Memphis.
