NBA Betting Tips: It’s Conference semi-finals time!

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New customers only. Deposit via Debit Card & place first bet £10+ (1/1+) on Sports in 7 days. £30 Sports & £20 Acca Free Bets within 10 hrs of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility, payment excl. & T&Cs Apply.

New York Knicks -8.5 (vs Philadelphia 76ers) @ 1/1

A classic rivalry is renewed when the Knicks and 76ers meet on Monday night. It's quite possible that the Eastern Conference representative in the NBA Finals will emerge from this series, as both team flourished in the first round.

The Knicks, after back-to-back single-digit defeats in games two and three, came back to blow the Atlanta Hawks out of the water in the remaining three matches, including a 51-point blowout in a series-clinching game six. Meanwhile, the Sixers came from 3-1 down to eliminate the Boston Celtics in seven games, against all odds.

The two teams are bringing size, elite point guards and strong defences to this series, which should lead to some excellent matches over the next week or so. The Knicks are clearly the more established team; in fact, since Jalen Brunson's arrival in New York in 2022, the team has been in the final eight of the play-offs every year - no other franchise can say that. An unbelievable stat, when you consider where the Knicks have been as a franchise since the late 1990s.

In terms of game one, I'm backing a Knicks win on the spread. I'm expecting New York to start quickly, especially at home in front of an electric MSG crowd, which is arguably the best home-court advantage in the league.

Philly's biggest concern, in my opinion, aside from keeping Joel Embiid healthy, will be how well they handle Brunson. The 29-year-old is an elite scorer, who can get his shot off from anywhere on the floor.

San Antonio Spurs -13.5 (vs Minnesota Timberwolves) @ 10/11

The Spurs will host the Timberwolves in game one of the Western Conference semi-finals on Monday night, and it's unsurprising to see San Antonio such heavy favourites for this match, as well as the series, given Anthony Edwards' injury.

The young superstar went down with a knee injury against the Denver Nuggets and missed the final two matches of the series, but he's questionable to feature here.

Even if Edwards does play, the Timberwolves have no answer for Victor Wembanyama, in my opinion. If Minnesota double-team the Frenchman, the Spurs have enough shot-creation elsewhere to have 'Wemby' act as a decoy and draw Rudy Gobert out of the paint, and pressure the Timberwolves' perimeter defence, which is suffering with injuries.

So, I'm backing a big Spurs win in game one as they're simply more talented than Minnesota. Edwards' potential absence in this game, and the series, will obviously play a factor, but even if he does return for game one, he won't be at his best.