The two teams with the shortest NBA title odds at Caesars Sportsbook begin their second-round series on Monday night, with the Boston Celtics (+185, second-lowest title odds) hosting the New York Knicks and the Oklahoma City Thunder (+130 favorites) battling the Denver Nuggets.
Here’s a look at Monday’s Game 1 matchups, including the SportsLine model’s game projections, player props and expert picks. You can also check out recommended NBA same-game parlays using the model’s top-rated player props on SportsLine. We’ll also share today’s featured promo, which is Caesars offering new users the chance to double their winnings on 10 bets.
New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics, 7 p.m. ET, TNT
The Celtics swept the regular-season series by winning all four games against the Knicks, and now they’re looking for four more victories to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Boston is a massive -850 favorite to advance to the next round, whereas New York is listed at +590 to move on. The Celtics received good news ahead of Game 1, as Jrue Holiday is off the injury report after he missed the last three games of their series against the Orlando Magic with a strained right hamstring.
One of the SportsLine projection model’s top-rated props for Game 1 between the Knicks and Celtics involves Holiday. Holiday’s points + assists prop is set at 12.5, however the Over is a 3.5-star recommendation with his projection coming in at 15.8. Holiday has gone Over this prop in four of his past five games, averaging 14.8 points + assists over that stretch.
The Celtics are 9-point favorites in Game 1 according to the latest SportsLine consensus odds after opening at -8.5. Boston is -400 (wager $400 to win $100) on the money line, while New York is a +314 (wager $100 to win $314) underdog. The total has fallen slightly from 213 to 212.5. We can tell you the model is showing that one side of the spread has all the value, and you can see the model’s latest projections, along with expert picks, at SportsLine. SportsLine experts Mike Barner, Bruce Marshall, Larry Hartstein, Alex Selesnick and Jason La Canfora all have issued picks for this game. And if you’re looking for tips or strategies when betting on the NBA, check out this NBA Betting Guide from SportsLine.
Denver Nuggets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
The only team that is a bigger favorite for series betting this round than the Celtics is the Thunder. Oklahoma City is -900 chalk to make it to the Western Conference Finals, while Denver is priced at +610 to do so. These two teams actually split their four matchups in the regular season, and we’ll get at least four more between top MVP candidates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic.
Of the four 4-star player props for this Game 1, three of them feature Jokic and the fourth is a Gilgeous-Alexander one. Jokic has gone Under his points + rebounds prop in nine of his past 10 games. The SportsLine model is projecting that trend to continue with Jokic’s prop at 40.5, as he’s been calculated for 36.2 points + rebounds. It also likes Gilgeous-Alexander over 1.5 steals (projected for 1.8), and that Over is a juicy +138.
The Thunder are 9.5-point favorites in Game 1, per the latest SportsLine consensus odds. Oklahoma City is also -441 (wager $441 to win $100) on the money line, whereas Denver is +338 (wager $100 to win $338). The total has not moved since opening at 225.5. We can tell you the model has one side of the spread hitting in nearly 70% of simulations, and you can see the model’s latest projections, along with expert picks, at SportsLine. SportsLine experts Mike Barner, Bruce Marshall and Jason La Canfora all have issued picks for this game.
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