NBA Picks & Parlay of the Weekend | April 20

The play-in games were fun, but the real NBA playoffs begin on Saturday. To celebrate the first full day of the playoffs, the USA Legal Betting team decided to put together a three-leg parlay of Saturday’s games. We’re using odds from BetMGM for our parlay. But you can choose from a variety of betting sites to place your bets and follow any or all of the games in our parlay. 

Magic +4.5 | -110 at BetMGM

This has a chance to be a tight series, and it’ll start in Game 1. Despite some issues on the road late in the season, Orlando was 15-13 against the spread as a road underdog this season. Let’s not forget that Orlando finishes the season with the best record against the spread in the entire league. That tells us that the oddsmakers have consistently underestimated the Magic. Even if the home team won all four of the regular-season meetings between these teams, everything changes when we get to the playoffs. Orlando may not win the game, but Game 1 should come down to the wire, allowing the Magic to at least beat the spread.

Covering the spread wasn't exactly a strength of Cleveland’s this season. Over the past month, the Cavs went 4-10 against the spread. As a home favorite this season, the Cavs went 14-17-1 against the spread, which is one of the worst records of any team in the playoffs. That just doesn’t fill us with a lot of confidence heading into Game 1, especially knowing that playoff games tend to be close and competitive.

Timberwolves -1.5 | -110 at BetMGM

This is another game that we’re expecting to be competitive for 48 minutes. Given the small spread, we have no problem leaning toward the T’Wolves to win by at least two points and cover the spread. We’re not putting too much stock in the fact that the Suns won all three games against Minnesota this year, including two games in April. The playoff atmosphere in Minnesota will be different and give the T’Wolves the lift they need.

Throughout the regular season, the Suns had a habit of letting us down just when they were starting to look like the real deal. Phoenix has undeniable star power and won a lot of games based on talent alone. However, cohesiveness and effort count for a lot during the playoffs. Look for the T’Wolves to send a message in Game 1 that they have the edge over Phoenix in those areas.

Nuggets -7.5 | -105 at BetMGM

The Lakers were a different team once the playoffs began last season, and that could be the case again this year. However, facing the defending champion Nuggets might be too much for Los Angeles. This is the same Denver team that swept the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals last season. Plus, the Lakers lost all three of their games against Denver during the regular season by an average of 10 points.

Hometown fans using Colorado sports betting have every reason to believe those trends will continue in Game 1. The Nuggets went 4-1 against the spread to close out the regular season and have had more than enough rest, which the Lakers can’t say for themselves. If you think Denver has had too much rest, keep in mind the Nuggets won their playoff opener last year by 29 points against a Minnesota team that was in the play-in tournament. That’s enough to convince us that the Nuggets will prove that they’re the better team in Game 1 and can cover the spread.