The NBA playoffs continue on Thursday with another three-game slate, starting with the New York Knicks visiting the Detroit Pistons, with the series split at one game each. The Knicks (-1.5) are trying to advance to the second round for the second year in a row. After the opener, the Oklahoma City Thunder (-10) will try to remain perfect in the postseason, but will have to do so in Memphis. The nightcap features the West’s No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup, one of the most intriguing of the first round, as the Los Angeles Clippers (-5) and Denver Nuggets have each secured one win in the series. Their first two meetings were decided by a combined five points, so expect Game 3 to be no different.
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.
New York Knicks at Detroit Pistons
The Pistons mixed up their defensive coverage in Game 1, putting Jalen Duren on Josh Hart so he could serve as a help-defender while letting wings guard Karl-Anthony Towns to take away his 3-point shot. Towns was great in Game 1, scoring 23 points on 14 shots. The Knicks went away from him in the second half of Game 2, and sure enough, they came up short. Jalen Brunson can’t do this alone, and they can’t expect Cameron Payne to bail them out with a 21-0 run in the fourth quarter again. This series depends on the Knicks getting Towns going. That will be their priority for Game 3, and I expect it to prove successful. The Pick: Towns Over 22.5 Points
I don’t care where these games are getting played. There is no evidence whatsoever that the Grizzlies can play a competitive basketball game against the Thunder. They’ve played six times this year. The Thunder have won all six by double digits. The combined margin is 145 points. Memphis isn’t the same team without Brandon Clarke and Jaylen Wells and the Grizzlies are limping into the offseason. The Thunder will shuffle them out of the playoffs without much effort. The Pick: Thunder -9.5
Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers
Norm Powell competed for an All-Star slot early in the season. A few important things happened after that. The first is that he missed almost a month with knee and hamstring issues. He hasn’t quite been the same since coming back, averaging only 15.1 points per game to close out the season after averaging 24.2 before the injuries arose. The second is that Kawhi Leonard came back into his own as a healthy superstar. With the playoffs now here, more of the offense has tilted in Leonard’s direction. With James Harden also running things in pick-and-roll, there just isn’t much scoring volume left over for Powell. He has 25 points through two games, and his scoring should stay on the lower side in this series. The Pick: Powell Under 16.5 Points
