Filip Tomic
Show Bio
The NBA postseason is two weeks old and the 1st Round is heating up. On Saturday we have 4 tasty matchups across both Conferences, I’ve prepared a NBA Mega Parlay featuring 3 picks. Find out which teams made the cut below!
Head over to our NBA picks page for predictions on the side and total for all 4 Saturday NBA Playoffs games.
Now let’s dive into my bet!
OKC Thunder -1 (-108)
MIA Heat ML (+330)
DEN Nuggets ML (-158)
Parlay odds: +1252
OKC Thunder -1 over NO Pelicans (-108)
Apart from the Nuggets vs Lakers series, this one appears to be the most lopsided one in the first round. The Thunder are the more talented team, plus they have health on their side with Zion Williamson likely missing the entire series for New Orleans. After that feel out game in the series opener, the young Thunder players have now settled in and the postseason debut jitters are out of the way.
For the Pelicans this is basically a must-win game — just like it was for the Lakers in their Game 3 vs Denver. Things aren’t looking bright from a Pels perspective; they have covered the spread only once in their last 7 home games, while in head-to-head meetings vs OKC they are 0-9 ATS in the last 9. Brandon Ingram still appears to be bothered by his knee injury; he has not scored 20 points in any of his last 5 outings. I have the Thunder covering in Game 3.
MIA Heat ML over BOS Celtics (+330)
Everyone expects a bounce -back performance from the Celtics, but from a betting perspective it makes way more sense to go with Miami. The Heat torched the C’s from downtown in Game 2, knocking down a record 23 triples in a 10-point win. Unlike Joe Mazzulla, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has actually been in situations like this — which gives the Heat an edge in the coaching department.
Obviously not a lot of people see the Heat winning this series, but after watching that Game 2 performance I think they can push the Celtics to at least 6 games. Kristaps Porzingis was neutralized in Game 2; Miami executed the game-plan on him to perfection. Adjustments will be made for Game 3, but if the Heat continues shooting like that they will be hard to beat. I’ll give the Heat the benefit of the doubt and back them to win their first home game of the postseason.
DEN Nuggets ML over LA Lakers (-158)
I hate to say it, but it’s time to bring out the brooms. The Lakers looked absolutely demoralized in Game 3 in front of their home fans, blowing yet another double-digit lead against the Nuggets. Denver just owns this team and I think it’s a mental thing at this point; 11 straight losses against the same team can get into your head.
Whatever the Lakers throw at them, the defending champs have a counter for it. The Lakers bench has been a no-show this entire series and now with D’Angelo Russell seemingly disconnected with the starting unit, I’m just not sure where the points come from in Game 4. We saw this movie last season. I thought Game 3 was the Lakers’ best opportunity to get a win; now I think we are headed for a sweep.
