NBA picks, odds, best bets for Cavaliers vs. Celtics and Mavericks vs. Thunder: Why Boston's offense shows up
CBSN
A pair of Game 5s headline the slate of Wednesday's NBA action
The 2024 NBA postseason is well underway, and the basketball betting market is hotter than ever. CBS Sports will provide 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 has a tendency of pouring it on in series-clinching wins. Since the beginning of the 2022 postseason, they've averaged roughly 114 points in their six closeout wins. The notion that the Celtics are front-runners is a bit overstated, but there really is an element of "when it rains, it pours" to their 3-point shooting, and they tend never to be more confident than they are in closeout games. The possibility of garbage time shenanigans or the sort of hot 3-point shooting Cleveland got in Game 4 makes this more of an over pick than a Boston spread pick, but regardless, I'm expecting Boston's offense to come out hot in Game 5. The Pick: Over 205.5
