NBA Betting Tips: Tuesday’s best play-off picks

The opening round of the 2024/25 NBA play-offs continues on Tuesday night, with a four-game slate to sink our teeth into.

I've picked out a 7/1 treble for tonight's NBA betting tips, and you can find my reasoning below.

Indiana Pacers vs Milwaukee Bucks - Pacers (-8.5) @ 21/20

We're starting with the Eastern Conference match-up between Indiana and Milwaukee, which is expected to tip-off at 23:00.

Apart from game three, the Bucks have arguably been the most underwhelming team in the play-offs. The most recent meeting with the Pacers was a disaster by all accounts - they lost a crucial game and star point guard Damian Lillard went down with what appeared to be an Achilles tear in the early stages of the contest.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has done his best to carry the Bucks on his back, as he has done for the past several years now, but it hasn't been enough and now Doc Rivers' side are staring elimination in the face, against the same opposition for the second straight season.

I just can't see the Bucks offering anything different to what we've already seen, and with the Pacers 3-1 up in the series, they'll be sensing an opportunity to close this one out in front of their own fans.

New York Knicks vs Detroit Pistons - Knicks (-6.5) @ 23/20

My next selection focuses on another Eastern Conference battle, this time between Detroit and New York (00:30, live on TNT Sports 1).

Game four was full of drama, and I'm expecting this encounter to be another tightly-contested affair. The Knicks have home-court advantage, and similar to Indiana, can close-out this series in front of a raucous crowd.

Detroit have shown so far in this series that they can keep matches close, but I'm going against that trend here to back the Knicks to win by seven or more points.

The bright lights of Madison Square Garden, especially with the Knicks having the chance to win the series, could be a step too far for this young Pistons team.

Jalen Brunson has been excellent for the Knicks, and I'm expecting him to continue his fine form and lead New York to a series-clinching victory here.

Boston Celtics vs Orlando Magic - Magic (+11.5) @ 10/11

My final pick comes from the Boston Celtic's first-round match-up with the Orlando Magic. (Wednesday, 01:30).

Boston hold a 3-1 series lead coming into tonight's game but Orlando have shown that can make things uncomfortable for the reigning champions.

The Magic battled right till the end of game four, and I think they can keep game five competitive, especially with a spread of 11.5.

Considering that Boston take more three-point attempts than anyone else in the league, the Magic have done a fine job of slowing the Celtics down from behind the arc, as tonight's hosts have made below 10 three-pointers in each games so far this series.

Even with Boston expected to progress here, Orlando's resilience means that can stay within touching distance on the scoreboard.

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