The 2024 NBA Playoffs roll on into Wednesday, with two different Game 2 matchups set to tip off this evening. Both games involve relatively large betting favorites — Boston -14.5 over Miami and OKC -7.5 over New Orleans — but we have identified multiple over/under, game and player prop bets on BetMGM that yield surprisingly solid betting value.
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The top-seeded Celtics get things started against the Jimmy Butler-less Heat (7 p.m. ET, TNT). Boston took a 91-59 lead into the fourth quarter of Game 1, but Miami outscored the Celts 35-23 in the final frame and reminded us that Erik Spoelstra’s club never gives up in the postseason.
The latter part of tonight’s doubleheader takes place in Oklahoma City, where the young-gunning Thunder look to take a 2-0 lead over the Zion Williamson-less Pelicans (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT). OKC just barely eked out a W in Game 1, surviving a 94-92 scare that has probably kept Coach of the Year favorite Mark Daigneault busy in the film room.
Let’s get to our best bets on the BetMGM betting market for Wednesday night’s NBA playoff action!
After nearly letting the Heat back into Game 1 in the fourth quarter, Jayson Tatum and the top-seeded Celtics should put the pedal to the proverbial metal on Wednesday. Everyone in Boston knows how dangerous “Heat culture” can be in the playoffs, so don’t expect Joe Mazzulla’s squad to take this team lightly because Jimmy Butler’s hurt.
The Celts averaged the second-most points in the Association this season (120.6 PPG), and they finished with the best offensive rating and the best net rating. They put up 114 points in Game 1, and that was with Tatum shooting 7-of-18 from the floor and 1-of-8 from three.
Kristaps Porzingis is locked-in from deep like a teenager playing Fortnite. The Celtics are moving the ball extremely well and getting high-quality shots nearly every possession. Six of Boston’s eight rotational players finished Game 1 in double-digits, and Tatum scored 23 despite the rough shooting.
If JT heats up — or if Miami puts up more of a full-game challenge — this alternate OVER should cash fairly easily. We can’t be sure that the Heat will show out offensively, but either way we can count on Boston. The Celtics average 122.9 PPG at home this season, and the Heat have allowed opponents to hit 110 points in 12 of the 22 games Butler has missed in 2023-24.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: Celtics 115, Heat 109 — Boston wins (-1400) but Miami covers the +14.5 spread (-115), while the score goes well OVER the total (204.5).
New Orleans gave the Thunder a real scare in Game 1, and we’re thinking OKC cleans things up substantially on Wednesday and takes care of business before heading out to the Bayou for Games 3 and 4.
Coach of the Year frontrunner Mark Daigneault knows how important home wins are in the postseason. He was an assistant coach the last time OKC made the playoffs (2020), when the Thunder got bounced by the Rockets in Game 7 because Houston never lost a home game.
OKC went 27-15 ATS at home this season, and the Thunder have covered four of their past five spreads. Back MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his singing partner Chet Holmgren to tune the Pelicans up by at least seven on Wednesday night.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: Thunder 109, Pelicans 101 — OKC wins (-350) and covers the -6.5 alternate spread (-130) and the game finishes just UNDER the total (212.5).
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BetMGM is offering plus odds for J-Dub’s OVER here, a clear indication that the sportsbook doesn’t like the Robin to SGA’s Batman to go off in this one. But we’re biting, as we like the upside after Williams came just one point away from 20 despite shooting 8-of-18 in Game 1.
When J-Dub last scored 20-plus, the calendar still read March. But it’s important to know that he dealt with an ankle injury in early April that cost him four games and significantly decreased his usage upon his return.
Well, the usage is back up — and we like Williams to get past the 20-point mark now that he has kicked the rust off a bit. NOLA will be doing everything it can to stop SGA, which should leave J-Dub with plenty of open looks or driving lanes. Let’s turn a $50 into a $100 with our player prop of the night!
