After a wild Tuesday slate that included two clinchers for the Pacers and the Celtics, the NBA playoff schedule turns Wednesday to the west. The Golden State Warriors will attempt to send the Rockets home at 7:30 p.m. ET, as the No. 7 seed leads the No. 2-seeded Houston team 3-1 in the series. At 10 p.m., the No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves will face off against the No. 2 Los Angeles Lakers as Anthony Edwards and his crew try to clinch their own berth. The winner of these series will face each other in the second round. Will it be both lower seeds? Let’s find out!
Now that the 2025 NBA postseason has begun, the basketball betting market is hotter than ever. CBS Sports will be providing daily picks for the duration of the postseason. Sam Quinn will make at least one pick for every game between now and the NBA Finals.
Houston’s double bigs look is the only thing that has really worked for the team in this series. The Rockets are +23 with Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams on the floor together and -42 in any other configuration. Expect Ime Udoka to go all out with that look in Game 5 as he attempts to save Houston’s season, which means plenty of rebounding opportunities for Houston’s backup center. The Pick: Adams Over 6.5 Rebounds
This has been a tougher series for Austin Reaves than the numbers suggest. He’s not getting to the line at all and is struggling to generate much aside from 3-pointers. Anthony Edwards has given him problems all series, and through four games, the Lakers haven’t shown they can create advantages consistently enough for Reaves to punish weaker defenders as he has all season. This might just be a bad matchup for him. The Pick: Reaves Under 18.5 Points
