2022 NBA Eastern Conference First-Round Betting Advice

2022 NBA Eastern Conference First-Round Betting Advice

Boston vs. Brooklyn Series Winner Pick

Oh, boy, this is a juicy matchup and the best online sportsbooks are almost split on who the favorite is. Though, the Nets have slightly better odds despite being the seventh seed (needing to win the play-in game to get this matchup) and not owning home-court advantage. Here’s where the Boston vs. Brooklyn series betting odds currently stand:

TeamBetOnlineBovada
Boston Celtics-110-110
Brooklyn Nets-120-120

The C’s are arguably the hottest team in the league. In the second half of the season, Boston went 31-10. What keyed the team's turnaround is second-to-none defense. Over the course of the season, the Celtics gave up 106.2 points per 100 possessions, which ranked tops in the whole NBA. And for what it’s worth, Boston beat Brooklyn in three out of four regular-season meetings.

But despite that, the Nets are still our betting pick to win the series — and honestly, we don’t think this goes past six games. The NBA, more than any other team sport, is dictated by individual stars. And no disrespect to Jayson Tatum, but Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are a cut above him. The latter two are capable of being the single-best players on the planet at any given moment so long as they’re healthy (speaking of which, they missed two of the four games against Boston this season).

And right now, Durant and Irving are healthy and firing on all cylinders. The Nets have rallied off five straight wins, including a relatively easy win over Cleveland in the play-in game. Look for Brooklyn to topple Boston in six games in a “Kyrie revenge tour” of sorts versus his former team.

Brooklyn to beat Boston
-120
Bovada

Philadelphia vs. Toronto Series Correct Score

We’re incredibly drawn to the Philadelphia vs. Toronto series correct score prop. Why? Well, that’s because it’s the most lucrative prop available in this series. We mean, look at how long the odds are across with every betting option:

OutcomeBetOnlineBovada
Philadelphia 76ers 4-0+900+900
Philadelphia 76ers 4-1+375+375
Philadelphia 76ers 4-2+425+425
Philadelphia 76ers 4-3+400+400
Toronto Raptors 4-0+2000+2000
Toronto Raptors 4-1+900+900
Toronto Raptors 4-2+500+500
Toronto Raptors 4-3+600+600

Picking the outright series winner is one way to whittle down the list of bets. For us, it's Philadelphia's series to lose and we’re going to use the same rationale we said earlier about Brooklyn — they’re simply more talented of the two. Joel Embiid should win the MVP this season and James Harden might be a step slower, but he’s still a fringe superstar.

Speaking of that, the Raptors don’t have one marquee star. However, they are a much more well-rounded team — and one that isn’t still figuring out how to mesh with one another like the Nets post-Harden trade. Toronto has been sneaky good since the start of the new calendar year, a period where they’ve gone 34-17.

We think this series is going to be an absolute dogfight — a back-and-forth affair that ultimately goes to seven games. The Sixers will prevail from a heroic effort from Embiid, but it won’t be easy. Take Philly to win 4-3 at the lucrative +400 price. At those odds, you don’t even need to bet a lot to make a killer profit either.

Philadelphia 4-3 correct series score vs. Toronto
+400
Bovada

Milwaukee vs. Chicago Games Played Pick

Unless you think the Bulls are winning this series in shocking fashion, there’s no real reason to bet the regular series price. That’s because the most popular NBA betting sites have pegged Milwaukee as staggering -1200 favorites to win (Chicago are +750 underdogs). Therefore, we’re betting on the Milwaukee vs. Chicago games played prop instead. There’s actually betting value here, which is outlined underneath:

Games PlayedBetOnlineBovada
4 Games+275+275
5 Games+175+175
6 Games+300+300
7 Games+350+350

We’ll be completely upfront: this series is either going to be a sweep or a short five-game one. One or the other because the Bulls are on a downward spiral. They finished the season 7-15, are riddled with injuries, and its best player, DeMar DeRozan, has the notorious reputation for coming up short come playoff time.

We’re betting the sweep happens. Heck, that’s what happened during the regular season as the Bucks won all four head-to-head matchups. Chicago is the ultimate pretender, evident by its 2-21 record against the top-4 East teams this season. Milwaukee is the standard in the East and should roll to victory here. Unlike the Bulls, they’re trending up with a 15-6 record post-All-Star break.

4 games played in Milwaukee vs. Chicago series
+275
Bovada

How To Bet On 2022 NBA Playoffs?

The three bets we covered above are just a snippet of what’s available right now. To get a full list of 2022 NBA playoffs bets, you need to visit one of the top-rated sports betting sites features underneath. They have you covered for the first round and up until the NBA Finals. Spreads, over/under, props, futures — you name the NBA wager and these sites are carrying it for the next two months.