NBA Playoffs Best Bets for April 21: The Clippers Even the Series Tonight
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Spread Astaire
- April 21, 2025
Top NBA Pick: Clippers ML (-120) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
The NBA Playoffs tipped off this weekend, and we had plenty of exciting action. Now, these series shift to Game 2. In both games we will be discussing, the home team got a significant win in Game 1. Can either road team bounce back and even the series?
Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks
Monday, April 21, 2025 – 7:30 PM EDT at Madison Square Garden
The Detroit Pistons came into this series with a lot of fanfare. They had their best season in a while and finished the season strong. After the All-Star break, they were one of the best teams in the league in net rating. They face off against a New York Knicks team that had slumped to end the season. Therefore, a lot of pundits were thinking Detroit had a good chance to pull the upset in Game 1. It definitely seemed that way with 9:16 left to play in the 4th quarter when the Pistons were ahead 98-90. Unfortunately for the Pistons, this is where the playoff experience of the Knicks took over, and they went on a 21-0 run to put the game out of reach. The Knicks took over in crunch time, and the Pistons must feel that they lost an excellent opportunity to steal a Game 1 on the road.
Brunson and Towns Prove Too Much for Detroit
The Knicks rode the offensive combination of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Brunson had 34 points and 8 assists. Towns put in 23 points and was an efficient 10-14 from the floor. The Pistons are going to have to figure out a way to defend this duo, or their season could end soon.
Knicks forward OG Anunoby did a good job on Pistons star Cade Cunningham in this game. When Anunoby was the primary defender on Cunningham, Cunningham was only 2-8 from the floor. Anunoby’s defensive contributions were huge in this game.
The Pistons are also going to need a more consistent game from veteran Tobias Harris. In the first half, he scored 22 points on 7-10 from the floor. In the second half, he barely registered to be out there, only scoring three points on 1-3 shooting. The Pistons are going to need a full effort from their starting lineup as well as contributions from veterans Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr.
Defensive Struggles Continue for Detroit
The Pistons are going to have to step it up on defense if they want to win Game 2. The Pistons have now allowed 119 points or more in six of their last nine games. For the Pistons to bounce back, they’re going to need to be more efficient with better strategies on the defensive end.
Unfortunately for Detroit fans, I don’t know if the Pistons will be able to solve these problems on the defensive end that quickly. Game 1 landed on 235, and this total still seems low at 222. Both teams play at a high pace, and the Knicks are just too efficient on the offensive end. There will be no zigzag here, take the Over at -110 NBA odds.
NBA Pick: Over 222 (-110) at BetOnline
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets
Monday, April 21, 2025 – 10:00 PM EDT at Ball Arena
This was definitely the most exciting game on the opening Saturday of the NBA Playoffs. This game went to overtime, and the Denver Nuggets prevailed 112-110. This game could have definitely gone either way, and there are some key takeaways that we can use to try and find a winning pick for Game 2.
Turnovers Cost the Clippers a Victory
Turnovers were the key to this outcome. The Nuggets had 11 turnovers and the Clippers had 20 turnovers. It is safe to say that if the Clippers were able to protect the ball better, they would have gotten the victory.
The Nuggets were also able to get offensive rebounds in the clutch. Aaron Gordon and Russell Westbrook had seven offensive rebounds in the 4th quarter and overtime. The Clippers are going to need to do a better job controlling the glass if they are going to want to change the result in Game 2.
Nuggets head coach David Adelman decided that Michael Porter Jr’s lackluster play did not cut it, and went with Russell Westbrook to close the game. How will MPJ respond? Will he use this as a motivation to try harder, especially when it comes to defense and rebounding? Or, will he simply shut down and continue to play lackadaisical? The Nuggets will need a good effort from Michael Porter Jr. in order to make a deep playoff run, and Nuggets fans should be hoping that he is able to respond to this benching positively and not negatively.
Clippers Have Fresh Legs
Although the Nuggets got the win, they also played their key players many more minutes. Clippers head coach Ty Lue was more conservative with his minutes, and only Kawhi Leonard and James Harden played over 40 minutes. In contrast, four of the five Nuggets key players played over 45 minutes in Game 1.
Although the Nuggets won Game 1, they failed to cover the spread. This Game 2 line reflects that, however, and rather than laying 2.5, they are now catching one point in the Game 2. This game is essentially “pick the winner.”
I like the zigzag theory here. I do think the Clippers can bounce back and make improvements on what they saw in Game 1. Also, it’s tough to just assume that the Nuggets will get another excellent performance from the mercurial Russell Westbrook again in Game 2. Westbrook has been wildly inconsistent in the later years of his career, and I would expect that the Clippers would be able to make the proper adjustments while the Nuggets might regress a little. This series is going seven and it’s going to be tied heading back to Los Angeles. Take the Los Angeles Clippers.
NBA Pick: Clippers ML (-120) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
