The 2022 NBA playoffs are underway as 16 teams have their eyes set on winning four best-of-7 series en route to lifting the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
After looking at NBA futures odds and lines, here are 3 first-round Eastern Conference futures predictions among our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
The Miami Heat are the East’s top seed and hold a 2-0 advantage over the Atlanta Hawks.
The No. 2 seed Boston Celtics lead the 7th-seeded Brooklyn Nets 1-0, while the No. 3 seed Milwaukee Bucks also have a 1-0 lead against the 6th-seeded Chicago Bulls.
The East’s other series has the No. 4 seed Philadelphia 76ers owning a 2-0 advantage over the No. 5 seed Toronto Raptors.
NBA playoff series futures and predictions
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday, April 19 at 2:39 a.m. ET.
Bank on the 76ers winning in 5 (+162)
As mentioned, 76ers are already up 2-0 in the best-of-7 series and we predict they’ll beat the Raptors in 6 games. The 76ers are on a 5-game home winning streak, including victories in Games 1 and 2. Philly, which is a 1.5-point favorite for Wednesday’s Game 3, will win one of the next two games in Toronto.
The 76ers were the league’s second-best road team, going 27-14 during the regular season. Only the Phoenix Suns were better at 32-9.
The Raptors can’t stop 76ers C Joel Embiid. The NBA scoring champ (30.6 points per game) took over in Monday’s Game 2, finishing with 31 points and 11 rebounds, both game-highs, in a 112-97 victory.
Toronto also has to deal with shutting down Philly SG James Harden, who is one of the best foul-drawers, assist-makers and step-back shooters.
Philly will take one of the next two games in Toronto and will wrap up the series at home in Game 5.
PHILADELPHIA IN 5 (+162).
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Bank on the Bucks winning in 5 (+170)
Milwaukee took the opener 93-86 Sunday and lead the Chicago Bulls 1-0. We see this series also ending in 5 games.
The Bucks are nearly unstoppable at home, posting a 28-14 record, including the Game 1 win. They are 8-2 at home in their last 10.
The Bucks are clear favorites for many reasons. They are the defending champs, PF Giannis Antetokounmpo is playing at an MVP level. Bulls C Nikola Vucevic is good, but there’s no way he can stop Giannis.
MILWAUKEE IN 5 (+170).
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Bank on the Celtics winning in 7 (+330)
Boston leads Brooklyn 1-0, but we predict this goes the distance with the Celtics advancing after 7 games. They have been nearly unstoppable after the All-Star break, posting an NBA-best 17-5 record.
Boston is a clear favorite for many reasons. The Celtics led the league in least points allowed (104.5 PPG), SF Jayson Tatum has been playing at an MVP level down the stretch, including hitting the game-winner in Game 1 of this series – a 115-114 victory.
Two key matchups to look forward to in this series is Tatum vs. Nets PG Kyrie Irving and Celtics SG Jaylen Brown vs. Nets PF Kevin Durant. Any of these four can go off for 40 any night.
The series will come down to which of the four steps up and goes off. While Irving and Durant are better than Tatum and Brown, Boston’s league-leading defense will make the difference.
We like BOSTON IN 7 (+330) and wouldn’t be surprised if Tatum scores 40+ in the deciding game.
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