NBA Expert Picks and Best Bets | May 13

The entertainment never seems to end during the NBA playoffs. Monday night brings us two more games with Game 4 between the Celtics and Cavaliers and Game 4 between the Thunder and Mavericks on the schedule. No team is facing elimination just yet, but Monday’s games are critical in both series. This is also a great time for fans to explore betting apps and find one that fits what they want. In the meantime, the USA Legal Betting team has three expert picks for Monday’s game from three different online betting sites.

Celtics -8 | -105 at bet365

Game 2 may have been a shock to Boston’s system, but the Celtics put things right in Game 3 with a convincing win. Fans using Massachusetts sports betting to back the Celtics can now feel confident heading into Game 4. It’s obvious by now that when the Celtics play their best, they are far superior to Cleveland. They know that letting the Cavs even up the series 2-2 would be a huge mistake, so we expect a strong effort from Boston.

Keep in mind that in all six of their playoff wins, the Celtics have covered the spread. Those six wins have come by an average of 23 points. Saturday’s 13-point win in Game 3 was Boston’s smallest margin of victory during the postseason. That’s not a sign that the Cavaliers are catching up. Rather, it’s a sign of Boston’s dominance. With bet365 only bumping up the spread to eight points, we will definitely lean toward the Celtics to cover.

Under 208.5 | -115 at BetMGM

As mentioned, this might not be a good time for the hometown fans using Ohio sportsbooks to be on the Cavs. Game 2 is looking like an aberration after a sluggish performance by key members of Cleveland’s supporting cast. But if Cavs fans want to place a winning bet in Game 4, they might want to consider the under. The last two games in this series have hit the under, which is a trend we think will continue despite the point total dropping.

The losing team in this series is yet to reach 100 points. In fact, that’s been true in nine of Cleveland’s 10 playoff games. With the Cavs knowing that defense is their only path back in this series and their offense outside of Donovan Mitchell being wildly inconsistent, this figures to be another low-scoring game. If the Cavs fail to reach 100 points again, they should be strong enough defensively to keep the total in Game 4 below 208.5 points.

Thunder ML | +110 at BetRivers

This series has been too competitive not to get to 2-2. With the BetRivers line being so small, there’s not much point in taking the spread. Instead, we’ll take our chances with Oklahoma City’s moneyline and get more value. The Thunder was competitive until the end of Game 3, so they will have plenty of confidence that the result in Game 4 will be different.

Kyrie Irving came up big with 22 points in Game 3, but he’s been too inconsistent during the playoffs. The Thunder also has a distinct advantage in the frontcourt, possessing a lot more depth than Dallas, putting all kinds of pressure on Luka Doncic. While Doncic has carried the load in this series so far, we’re sensing another momentum shift in Game 4 that will favor the Thunder.