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.
Game 1 between the Knicks and Pistons yielded 235 combined points, but that total feels inflated for a few reasons. The obvious is the staggering 42 combined points off of turnovers. Even if you combined the averages for the two teams that generate the most points off turnovers per game in the NBA (the Thunder and Warriors), you still wouldn’t reach 42. The Pistons aren’t coughing it up 19 more times on Monday. Both teams made their 3s in Game 1. Both got outlier role player performances, like Cam Payne’s 14 points in 15 minutes or the 22 Tobias Harris scored in the first half. Expect a slower, more disciplined and more physical Game 2 that more accurately reflects what these teams have been all year. The Pick: Under 221.5 (via BetMGM)
The Clippers were the better team in Game 1 outside of one, critical area: turnovers. They coughed the ball up 20 times. They got outscored on those turnovers by 20 points. They were significantly better in the half-court. The shots they generated were much more palatable. They just kept handing Christian Braun and Russell Westbrook breakaway opportunities. The Clippers rank 10th in turnovers overall, but since Feb. 1, when Kawhi Leonard started getting healthier, they committed the sixth-fewest in the NBA per game. If the Nuggets need to play a high-variance, gamble-for-steals defense to survive in this series, the Clippers have a distinct advantage. You can shift your offense in ways that protect the ball. You can’t magically turn Nikola Jokić into a rim-protector. The Pick: Clippers -1.5 (via BetMGM)
