Saturday, April 20 NBA Playoff Parlay Picks

The play-in tournament is captivating but the real NBA fun begins on Saturday, April 20 when the playoffs officially start. For teams that finished in the top six in their conference, the extra days of rest will help and we’ll see just how those clubs benefit. The defending champion Denver Nuggets rolled through the Western Conference last year losing just three games to reach the NBA Finals for the first time. They got there by sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers in the conference final. The teams meet again in the first round with Nuggets favored by 7.5-points at Caesars sportsbook on the Game 1 NBA betting line. 

Many pundits have the Philadelphia 76ers as a sleeper to make a deep NBA playoff run. Boosted by the return of MVP Joel Embiid, the Sixers closed the regular season with eight straight wins and were a perfect NBA pick against the spread in those outings. Embiid was on the floor for five of those games after returning from a knee injury that cost him two months. Philly then rallied to beat Miami in the 7-seed play-in game setting up a series with the New York Knicks that starts at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Bet on the NBA Playoffs at Caesars sportsbook 

NBA Playoff Schedule for Saturday, April 20

Orlando at Cleveland, 1 p.m. ET / ESPN

Phoenix at Minnesota, 3:30 p.m. ET / ESPN

Philadelphia at New York, 6 p.m. ET / ESPN

LA Lakers at Denver, 8:30 p.m. ET / ABC

I think we all can agree that the NBA playoffs are a lot different than the regular season. There are certain outings within the 82-game grind that take on added importance, but the intensity of playoff basketball is unmatched even in a seven-game series. The teams are quite familiar with one another having played multiple times during the regular year just adding to the energy.

The Phoenix Suns are a confident club entering their series with the No. 3 seed Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves had seven more wins during the season, but the Suns swept the series covering the NBA point spread each time. Phoenix scored 125 and 133 points against one of the NBA’s top defensive units and also won a tight affair, 97-87. Matchups are a problem and the Suns seemingly have the edge with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker supplying enough offense to steal a Game 1 road win.

I had enough success on my NBA picks and parlays during the regular season that I feel confident in a four-teamer. And making it more interesting is a single bet on each game. The series between the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers is intriguing given the youth and upward trajectory of the clubs. They were separated by one game in the standings and split their four regular season games. However, the Cavs’ playoff experience and with a few extra days for Donovan Mitchell to recover should be enough for them to cover in the opener.

There have been some low scoring games between the Sixers and Knicks this season prompting the total on the NBA odds to drop to 207 at the opener. Those games were played without guys who can score the basketball with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey out for a game the Sixers won 79-73. New York’s defense is good, but it aint that good and I can see Embiid having a big game without Julius Randle offering resistance. Jalen Brunson is a scoring machine for the Knicks and with those guys on the floor the OVER looks like a NBA best bet.

My NBA playoff parlay cashes out when the Nuggets cover the NBA line against the Lakers. Denver has eight straight wins in the series sweeping the West Final last year and taking all three games the season. And with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray getting some down time before starting their title defense, the Nuggets are in a good place. They own one of the best homecourt advantages and didn’t lose a game at home to a conference foe last postseason. The Lakers are more balanced than last year and will make this is a series, but Denver gets started with a rested group ready to challenge for another NBA crown.

NBA Playoff Parlay Picks for Saturday, April 20

Phoenix ATS

Cleveland ATS

Philadelphia / New York OVER

Denver ATS

Bet $100 to Win $1300 On This NBA Parlay at Caesars sportsbook