Best Bets for Sunday’s NBA Playoff Games
The NBA Playoffs should be extremely exciting on Sunday, May 14th, as we have a Game 7 between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics that will determine who goes to the Eastern Conference Finals. Make sure you keep reading for our NBA best bets for the day, and continue to stop back in for VSiN’s coverage of the NBA Playoffs. You can find everything you’ll possibly need in our NBA Playoffs Hub. We’ll hopefully have at least one pick for you on every game the rest of the way, and that includes one today.
MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for everything our experts have on May 14
Here is our favorite NBA bet for Sunday, May 14th (odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook):
Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics (-6.5, 201) – Game 7
The Sixers had a golden opportunity to close out the Celtics and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, but Boston was able to roll into the Wells Fargo Center and extend the series. The Celtics are now favored heavily to get the job done on their home court, but I don’t see the Sixers going down without a fight. Philadelphia tightened up down the stretch in Game 6, but nothing we have seen thus far has suggested that Boston is levels above in this matchup. The Sixers have proven they belong, and they are still going to feel like they can go out and win this game.
Of course, Philadelphia will need James Harden to avoid having the type of game that has plagued him throughout his career. The superstar has occasionally failed to show up in elimination games, and it has made him something of a punchline to this point. However, Harden has had a good series for Philadelphia, and I expect him to make his mark in this one — whether it’s as a distributor or a scorer. From there, the Sixers will have a good shot if somebody outside of Harden and Joel Embiid can rise to the occasion. Perhaps it’ll be Tyrese Maxey, who is averaging 28.0 points per game over the last two games in this series.
Overall, it’s just a little hard not to believe in the road team here, and Doc Rivers’ presence is a big part of that. I’m not that high on Rivers as a head coach, and he has been known to choke away series in the past. However, Rivers is a much better coach than Boston’s Joe Mazzulla, who has looked completely lost in key moments throughout this postseason. So, the Sixers should have something of a tactical edge in this one.
Philadelphia also happens to be 18-7 against the spread when coming off a loss to an opponent this season, which is yet another thing that points to Rivers’ ability as a sidelines patroller. And since Rivers became the head coach of the Sixers, the team is 51-31 ATS when coming off a game in which it scored 105 points or less. So, this Philadelphia team shouldn’t look as lousy offensively as it did last game.
