Now that the 2024 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 vs. Indiana Pacers
The Pacers nearly won Game 1. The Celtics turned around and covered in Game 2. There was a sense after that set of Boston games that the Celtics had taken Indiana's best shot, overcame it, and then reasserted itself as the superior team in the series. It seems like a similar situation is set to play out in Indianapolis. The Celtics went into Game 3 expecting a walkover with Tyrese Haliburton injured, but the Pacers responded with another impressive performance. Boston still managed to win in the end. It's just hard to imagine an Indiana team without its best player mustering up another 41-of-69 shooting performance from inside of the arc. The Celtics can taste the Finals now. They'll finish the sweep on Monday. The Pick: Celtics -7.5
The Pacers may not shoot 59% on 2's again, but they probably won't shoot 22.7% on 3's in Game 4 either. Boston has been held to an uncharacteristic 35.9% on 3's in the series, and while Haliburton's absence makes the Pacers better defensively, they're still a long way off from good. This has been an all-offense series. Why should Game 4 be any different? The Pick: Over 222.5
In Game 3, we bet Andrew Nembhard's over on a 12.5-point line. It was a logical bet: take the secondary ball-handler in a game in which the primary ball-handler isn't playing. He rewarded us with a 32-point explosion. That performance has pushed his line up four full points to 16.5. That's too far. In 35 career games without Haliburton, Nembhard has averaged 13.4 points per game. Before you argue that last season was his rookie year and he's improved since then, his numbers without Haliburton are actually slightly worse this season (12.5 points per game). A single game inflated Nembhard's line, so we're going the other way. The Pick: Nembhard Under 16.5 Points
