The NBA playoffs continue on Friday with another three-game slate, starting with the Boston Celtics attempting to take a 3-0 series lead over the Orlando Magic. Jayson Tatum is listed as doubtful for Game 3 after the team’s leading scorer suffered a wrist injury in the series opener and was then sidelined for Game 2. Regardless of Tatum’s status, the Celtics (-5.5) will still have to score on the second-best defense in the league. The Milwaukee Bucks are determined to “go home and take care of business” after dropping their first two games to the Indiana Pacers (+5.5), who are the underdogs in Milwaukee. The final game on Friday will feature the Los Angeles Lakers traveling to the Minnesota Timberwolves after splitting their first two in L.A. The Timberwolves (-3) are a slight favorite at home.
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.
Boston Celtics at Orlando Magic
If you like Orlando with the points in Game 3, it’s for one of two reasons: you either think the Magic will get stronger at home or you think the Celtics are far worse with an injured Jayson Tatum. Well, the Celtics went 33-8 on the road this season, while Orlando went 22-19 at home. The Celtics had a net rating of +7.8 this season without Tatum on the floor. The Magic, overall, were at -0.2. As close as Game 2 felt at times, the Celtics ultimately won it by nine. Tatum’s absence doesn’t give the Magic any sort of meaningful opportunity. They can’t score well enough to compete with Boston with or without Tatum available. The Pick: Celtics -5.5
Indiana Pacers at Milwaukee Bucks
I’m not above repeating picks. In Game 2, I picked Andrew Nembhard to go over 10.5 points. He scored 17. He’s now reached 11 points in seven of his eight playoff games against Milwaukee, and he’s gotten there in all but two of his non-Bucks playoff games as well. The Bucks can’t stay in front of anyone right now, and even if they could, their defensive attention is going to get spent on Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam. That puts Nembhard in a position to keep scoring. The Pick: Nembhard Over 10.5 Points
Los Angeles Lakers at Minnesota Timberwolves
This series, thus far, has been about defense. The Lakers haven’t reached 100 points yet. The Timberwolves went wild in Game 1 after making 21 3s, but were held to 85 in Game 2. But as a series progresses and teams get to know each other a bit better, weaknesses begin to reveal themselves. If there’s a vulnerability in Minnesota’s defense, do you really think Luka Dončić and LeBron James won’t find it? We know there are vulnerabilities in the Lakers’ defense. They don’t have a usable center. I’m expecting a higher-scoring series than we’ve seen thus far, and that starts on Friday. The Pick: Over 206
