The NBA Playoffs resume via an excellent trio of Game 3s on Friday night, with staggered start times scheduled throughout the evening, as Celtics vs. Magic will tipoff the evening at 7:00 p.m. ET, followed by Pacers vs. Bucks at 8:00 p.m. ET, and then we'll close out the night with a highly anticipated third matchup between the Lakers and Timberwolves at 9:30 p.m. ET.
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 Friday, April 25.
NBA Best Bets for First Round Playoff Games: Friday, April 25
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7:00 p.m. | |
  | 8:00 p.m. | |
  | 9:30 p.m. | |
| 7:00 p.m. | |
| 8:00 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. | ||
Lakers vs. Timberwolves
We hit this in Game 2. I'm going back to it for Game 3. Conley scuffled to 7 PRA in 21 minutes on Tuesday. He missed all 5 of his shots. The shooting for Conley will likely fall somewhere between his strong Game 1 and his poor Game 2.
He grabbed 6 rebounds on Tuesday, but they came on just 7 rebound chances. Conley now has 9 rebounds on 10 rebound chances this series, which is an unsustainable conversion rate.
I mentioned on Tuesday that Conley's 22 minutes in Game 1 might be the most he plays all series. Even with Donte DiVincenzo dealing with foul trouble, Conley barely topped 20 minutes in Game 2. Chris Finch tossed Terrance Shannon Jr. out there for a handful of minutes and Nickeil Alexander-Walker saw more playing time.
As long as DiVincenzo keeps his hands to himself, he should continue to cut into Conley's workload. Conley played less than 20 minutes in 11 games during the regular season. He averaged 7.3 PRA in those games.
Pick: Mike Conley Under 13.5 Points, Rebounds, & Assists (-130)
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Pacers vs. Bucks
Here is a great example of playing into the zig-zags of an NBA Playoff series, and finding places where the oddsmakers seem to agree are strong bounce-back spots.
The Bucks are 5.5-point home favorites tonight, after being tagged as 4-point 'dogs on the road. These teams are close to evenly power rated (if anything shaded towards Indy), but the looming down 0-2 returning home angle is worth 2 points to the spread, and it's worth backing.
The Lakers went from 4-point favorites to 5.5-point favorites after a Game 1 loss, before covering with ease in Game 2. We saw the Clippers go down 0-1 as a 3-point underdogs, and then become a -1.5-point favorite on the road in Game 2.
Sometimes the betting line speaks volumes, and the Bucks are forecasted to have a big game on Friday night.
Pick: Bucks -5 (-110)
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Pacers vs. Bucks
By Joe Dellera
I’m running this back after cashing in Game 2. Haliburton has been able to cook against Damian Lillard, as he can exploit the soft Milwaukee defense. He just dropped 21 in Game 2 while taking 19 shots, and there was volume for even more.
I like adding the rebounds, as he’s had 5 and 7 in the two games this series, and has averaged 5.4 rebounds per game against the Bucks since 2022.
I like the combo prop with the rebounds floor, but he could easily go over this number on points alone.
Pick: Tyrese Haliburton Over 22.5 Points & Rebounds (-125)
Celtics vs. Magic
By Alex Hinton
On Wednesday, the Celtics did not have Jayson Tatum available, but they were still able to take a 2-0 lead to Orlando. They will likely not have their star for Game 3 as well, as he is doubtful with a wrist injury.
Without Tatum, expect Jrue Holiday to continue on more playmaking responsibilities.
Holiday cleared this line with five assists and Tatum available in Game 1 and then had six assists in Game 2. He is averaging 4.5 assists in 21 playoff games with the Celtics. He has cleared this line in five of his past eight games, averaging 4.8 per game in that span.
Holiday has converted 11 of 19 potential assists opportunities thus far in this series. Nine or 10 potential assists tonight will give him the chance to record at least five assists in this spot.
Pick: Jrue Holiday Over 4.5 Assists (+115)
Celtics vs. Magic
Paolo Banchero kinda has to do this. Orlando's offense is incredibly elementary, and Banchero has to overcompensate.
In two games this series, he has gone 2-for-6 and 4-for-7 from deep.
This is a volume play more than anything else. I'd expect Banchero to continue to put up three-point attempts as long as few others can do anything to score. And other than Franz Wagner, this is the case for the Magic.
