Someone’s season is ending on Wednesday. Either the Atlanta Hawks or the Chicago Bulls are playing their last game tomorrow night. Win or go home. Here are my NBA picks for April 17th. Go here for the latest NBA odds
CHECK OUT THE SPORTS GAMBLING PODCAST’S DAILY BEST BETS
NBA Picks April 17th
Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Tipoff – 7:00 pm EST
Spread: 76ers -4.5
Total: 209.5
Do we dare underestimate the Miami Heat again? Every postseason rolls around and we (or at least I) expect the Heat to continue to play like they have in the regular season, and instead, they kick it into high gear and end up rolling deep into the playoffs. Will this year be different?
They definitely have a tough ask in their first play-in game, facing the Philadelphia 76ers with Joel Embiid back in action. The Sixers haven’t lost since March 29th and are obliterating teams – plus they’re at home. I think they cover the 4.5 points for us.
Best Bet: 76ers -4.5 (-103)
Atlanta Hawks vs. Chicago Bulls
Tipoff – 9:30 pm EST
Spread: Bulls -3.5
Total: 218.5
The late game is for all the marbles – the 9th place vs the 10th place game – win or go home. And the winner still has to win their next game to get into the playoffs proper.
Once again, I’m going with the home team here, this time the Chicago Bulls. While Trae Young is back for Atlanta, they’ll be without key contributors Sadiq Bey, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu for the game. Plus, Chicago may have the top clutch player in the league this year, DeMar DeRozan.
Best Bet: Bulls -3.5 (-120)
If you’d like even more info to help make your NBA bets for April 17th, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
