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With the 2021-22 NBA regular season now in the books, the basketball betting market is hotter than ever. CBS Sports will provide daily selections for the duration of the postseason. Sam Quinn will make at least one pick for every game leading up to the NBA Finals. All lines courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.
Featured Game | Boston Celtics vs. Brooklyn Nets
Lost in the disappointment of Kevin Durant’s 9-on-24 shooting night in Game 1 were several other untenable factors that led to Brooklyn’s near-excitement in Game 1 year again. Brooklyn’s supporting cast likely won’t be shooting 21 of 34 on the road again. Those two teams were relatively evenly matched behind the arc during the regular season, so it would be difficult for Brooklyn to count on shooting nearly 10 percentage points better from 3 than Boston from game to game. Even with Durant playing his normal, excellent basketball in Game 2, there are just so many areas where Boston can close that gap and still win. The pick: Celtics -3.5
Featured Game | Toronto Raptors vs Philadelphia 76ers
Ahead of the series, it looked like Philadelphia missing Matisse Thybulle for road games in Canada was going to be a big problem. However, in the first two games of this series, Thybulle only played 29 minutes. Philly looked good without him in two blowouts. Toronto, on the other hand, is really struggling to sort out its own injury woes. Gary Trent Jr. may be over the illness that knocked him out of Game 2, but unless Scottie Barnes is healthy, Toronto will again have to rely on reserves it hasn’t trusted all season. If the Sixers are buzzing, that’s a recipe for another loss. The choice: sixes -1.5
Featured Game | Milwaukee Bucks vs. Chicago Bulls
Game 1 scored a paltry 179 points, but the conditions for attacking are ripe here. The Bulls are a jump shooting team. The Bucks are happy to give away sweaters to protect color. The Bucks may have the top inside scorer in the NBA. The Bulls don’t have rim protection. Call me crazy, but I doubt these two teams combined will shoot 3s again at 22.6 percent. I don’t think the three most recent All-Stars in Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic will make 21 out of 71 combined again, nor do I think Milwaukee’s two non-Giannis stars in Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday will make 10 again of 29 will be achieved. The choice: Over 225