Three clashes on the hardwood will take place on Thursday night, and we are set to make our NBA playoff picks for all of the duels that are so crucial this time of year.

NBA Playoffs Matchup: Chicago Bulls @ Philadelphia 76ers Game 6
Date: Thursday, May 10th, 8:00 ET
NBA Playoffs Lines: Boston -6.5 (173.5)

Al Horford is back for the Hawks, and they are about as at full strength as they are going to be for the rest of the season. They really fought hard to be able to escape with a one-point win over the Celtics in Game 5 to keep their series alive, and now, they are right on the verge of getting this series to a seventh game in front of their hometown fans at Phillips Arena. The key to this one is going to be defense. When Atlanta has slowed this game down a snail’s pace, it has had a heck of a lot more success. The Celtics have shown some chinks in the armor over the course of these last few games, and we think that they are going to be given at least a run for their money in this do-or-die game for the Hawks on Thursday night.

NBA Playoffs Free Pick: Atlanta Hawks +6.5

NBA Playoffs Matchup: Chicago Bulls @ Philadelphia 76ers Game 6
Date: Thursday, May 10th, 7:00 ET
NBA Playoffs Lines: Philadelphia -3 (169.5)

There really is a point that the ‘total’ in an NBA betting battle is just absurd. Sure, we know that these last three games have been played at the rate that paint dries, but asking for two playoff teams to get to 170 points just isn’t all that much. The truth of the matter is that there have been enough shots in these games to justify getting to this total, as the high-70s per side should really translate into at least 170 points. It doesn’t require a ton to get here, but we think that there has just been too much of a compensation from the oddsmakers after watching this game struggle to reach the 146 points that were scored in Game 5. Look for Chicago to send this series back to the Windy City, but we think that the better play is the ‘over’ in this, one of the lowest ‘totals’ that we ever remember seeing.

NBA Playoffs Free Pick: Chicago Bulls/Philadelphia 76ers Over 169

NBA Playoffs Matchup: Los Angeles Lakers @ Denver Nuggets Game 6
Date: Thursday, May 10th, 10:30 ET
NBA Playoffs Lines: Denver -1.5 (197.5)

No one really thought that the Nuggets were going to be able to get to this point in this series, especially by winning at the Staples Center in Game 5 to stretch this one back to the Rockies. We still think that consistently, the Lakers are winning this game more often than not, and with that being the case, we just don’t think that the Nuggets should be laying points. Could Denver win this game? Absolutely. But is it really more than a 40-45% proposition? Not really. That makes the choice relatively easy to us.

NBA Playoffs Free Pick: Los Angeles Lakers +1.5

Tuesday night features four games on the NBA TV schedule, and all four should be doozies. There are a number of teams that are fighting for survival, and you aren’t going to want to miss our NBA picks to see whether teams are going to get the job done!

NBA Playoffs Matchup: Orlando Magic @ Indiana Pacers Game 5
Date: Tuesday, May 8th, 7:00 ET
NBA Playoffs Lines: Indiana -10 (179.5)

The Magic continue to show fight in this series, and we are actually a bit surprised by that fact. They are overmatched at just about every position, and they know that if they lose this game, the likelihood is there that the team is going to be blown to bits from the top down within a week to suit the potentially departing Dwight Howard. In the end, we just don’t see Orlando giving up. Indiana is a good team, and it might be one of the better teams left in the East at this point, but in the end, we just don’t see how it is going to win this game by so many points in what has been a very defensive minded series. Go with the Magic, even though this might be the night that the Pacers make them disappear.

NBA Playoffs Free Pick: Orlando Magic +10

NBA Playoffs Matchup: Boston Celtics @ Atlanta Hawks Game 5
Date: Tuesday, May 8th, 8:00 ET
NBA Playoffs Lines: Atlanta -1.5 (173)

This NBA betting line almost screams for you to take Atlanta. The Hawks were a great home team this year, but the truth of the matter is that they just aren’t as good as the Celtics are. Boston decided that it wanted to play in this series, and it almost seems as though the team was reenergized when the Bulls lost Derrick Rose and then Joakim Noah. Rajon Rondo, who was nearly traded several times over the course of the year and the preseason, has been absolutely humongous for the Celtics, and the old guard of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen is playing well as well. They have all picked up one another in the past, and even if Pierce is slowed by a knee injury, we see no reason why the Celtics won’t be able to survive this one as well. Go with Boston to close this series out on the enemy’s court on Tuesday night.

NBA Playoffs Free Pick: Boston Celtics +1.5

NBA Playoffs Matchup: Philadelphia 76ers @ Chicago Bulls Game 5
Date: Tuesday, May 8th, 9:30 ET
NBA Playoffs Lines: Chicago -5 (171.5)

We just refuse to believe that the Bulls are finished in this series. Sure, Philadelphia has won three straight games, and has won them all in convincing fashion, but there just isn’t a player out there on the court for the Sixers that has impressed us all that much in the series. There are still some stars on the court for the Bulls that can take over a game, and we have seen this team fight hard without Derrick Rose all season long. Maybe we’ll go down with the sinking ship in the Windy City, but even without Rose and Joakim Noah out there, we think that Head Coach Tom Thibodeau will be able to will his way to a victory here in Game 5 to start to put the pressure back on the 76ers.

NBA Playoffs Free Pick: Chicago Bulls -5

NBA Playoffs Matchup: Denver Nuggets @ Los Angeles Lakers Game 5
Date: Tuesday, May 8th, 10:30 ET
NBA Playoffs Lines: Los Angeles -5.5 (198.5)

It’s time to bid farewell to the Nuggets. We know that they have played their butts off in this series, but they just have to be so beaten down, knowing that they were beaten in that game two nights ago at the death even though they put together one of their best games of the entire season. Kobe Bryant really hasn’t turned it on in that big time “Kobe way” of late, but in the end, he is going to get the last laugh. We really think that the Lakers were undervalued in this series the entire way, and it will show again in a close out Game 5 on Tuesday night.

NBA Playoffs Free Pick: Los Angeles Lakers -5.5

Sunday will feature a ton of games on the NBA betting lines, and we are set to make our NBA playoff picks for the duels on the hardwood that will help determine what teams are going to beat the NBA Finals odds this year!

NBA Playoffs Matchup: Chicago Bulls @ Philadelphia 76ers Game 4
Date: Sunday, May 6th, 1:00 ET
NBA Playoffs Lines: Philadelphia -2.5 (173.5)

The Bulls are in a heck of a lot of trouble, and they look like a defeated team right now. They are going to be in some big, big trouble if they lose this game, and they are going to really need to figure out how to get some more offense together. The bigs have already gotten the job done, and that hasn’t changed. However, 14 points in the fourth quarter, especially in a game that was under control for the majority of the time, just isn’t going to cut it when push comes to shove. Head Coach Tom Thibodeau knows that he has to keep the defense up as well. We still believe that the Bulls are the better team in this series and will eventually get back into the saddle. Time is definitely running out, though.

NBA Playoffs Free Pick: Chicago Bulls +2.5

NBA Playoffs Matchup: Miami Heat @ New York Knicks Game 4
Date: Sunday, May 6th, 3:30 ET
NBA Playoffs Lines: Miami -8 (183.5)

The Knicks are going to be on the mend in this one, and we just don’t know if they are going to have the fight against a team that has had their number over the course of this series. Amare Stoudemire might be back in the lineup, but in the end, he isn’t going to make all that much of a difference. As long as the Heat want to put this series away once and for all, they will do just that and do so in impressive fashion once again. The offense just isn’t there for New York this time of year.

NBA Playoffs Free Pick: Miami Heat -8

NBA Playoffs Matchup: Atlanta Hawks @ Boston Celtics Game 3
Date: Sunday, May 6th, 7:30 ET
NBA Playoffs Lines: Boston -5 (172)

We still really don’t know if we are going to be seeing Josh Smith in the fold for the Hawks or not on Sunday. That being said, we don’t think that it is going to make a difference. Atlanta gave everything that it had defensively in Game 3, and it still came up short thanks to the fact that no one aside from Joe Johnson or Jeff Teague could get going. Smith might change that, but the Celtics are clearly a better team now that they have Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo back. These two teams should put on another defensive show, but in the end, we just think that the Celtics are slightly better than the Hawks and this five point spread.

NBA Playoffs Free Pick: Boston Celtics -5

NBA Playoffs Matchup: Los Angeles Lakers @ Denver Nuggets Game 3
Date: Sunday, May 6th, 9:30 ET
NBA Playoffs Lines: Denver -2 (201)

We think that the oddsmakers have badly adjusted the ‘total’ in this game. The number is coming down rapidly, and anything below about 203 or so is just too low in our eyes. Now, the ‘total’ sits at 201, 1.5 points shorter than it was when these teams played in Games 1 and 2, and that just isn’t going to cut it. The teams are still running up and down the floor, and at least one squad has had 90+ shots in all three of the games that these teams have played. Sure, there were only 182 points put up in the first game here at Pepsi Arena, but we think that the two will shoot the ball a heck of a lot better and get into the low-210s when push comes to shove on Sunday night.

NBA Playoffs Free Pick: LA/Denver Over 201

The second Saturday of the NBA postseason is sure to be interesting, as there are teams that are trying to hold onto their seasons, and others that are trying to put teams out of their misery once and for all. Our NBA playoff picks are not to be missed, so be sure to check out our NBA playoff predictions!

NBA Playoffs Matchup: Indiana Pacers @ Orlando Magic Game 4
Date: Saturday, May 5th, 2:00 ET
NBA Playoffs Lines: Indiana -5 (181.5)

We have no doubts whatsoever that the Pacers are the better team at this point in this series, but we think that the Magic still have the ability to be able to shoot their way to wins against anyone in the league. Indiana has figured out how to guard the perimeter, but will it last? We just don’t think that that is going to be the case when push comes to shove for the whole series. If the Magic are going to make one last stand, this is going to be when that stand happens, and we think that the couple of days off is really going to help Head Coach Stan Van Gundy rally his troops. Look for Ryan Anderson to be the difference maker in a Magic upset in Game 4 to level this series.

NBA Playoffs Free Pick: Orlando Magic +5

NBA Playoffs Matchup: Memphis Grizzlies @ Los Angeles Clippers Game 3
Date: Saturday, May 5th, 4:30 ET
NBA Playoffs Lines: Los Angeles -3 (187.5)

We are actually a bit surprised that the Clippers are favored in this game with the way that this series has panned out. Save for about a 14-minute stretch in Game 1, the Grizzlies have clearly been the better of the two teams in this series, and we think that in general, the oddsmakers are giving too much credit to the inferior teams, especially when they are playing at home here in the postseason in general. CP3 and Blake Griffin could put this team on their backs and carry it to a win here and there, but we just don’t think that it is happening more often than not here in this spot. Go with the Grizz to take back home court advantage in this series.

NBA Playoffs Free Pick: Memphis Grizzlies +3

NBA Playoffs Matchup: Oklahoma City Thunder @ Dallas Mavericks Game 4
Date: Saturday, May 5th, 7:30 ET
NBA Playoffs Lines: Dallas -1 (202)

The Mavericks are the defending NBA champs, and they are on the verge of getting knocked out of the playoffs without winning a game this year. We don’t think that they stand a chance of actually coming back and winning this series, especially with so many games yet to be played on the road in this one, but we do think that they are going to at least put up a fight in this one. The Thunder are great, and they have proven their point, and though we think that this young team has matured a ton over the course of the last two seasons, we still could see the immaturity setting in. Oklahoma City won’t quite be able to put the Mavs aside just yet.

NBA Playoffs Free Pick: Dallas Mavericks -1

NBA Playoffs Matchup: San Antonio Spurs @ Utah Jazz Game 3
Date: Saturday, May 5th, 10:00 ET
NBA Playoffs Lines: San Antonio -5 (202)

With apologies to the Jazz, they just aren’t going to be able to hang around in this series with the Spurs. San Antonio is clearly the superior team, and it has shown in the form of two blowouts that were handed down in the first two games of this series. Yes, this series has shifted over to Energy Solutions Arena, but we just don’t think that it is going to make all that much of a difference in the end. The Spurs are going to walk away with two more wins on the road in convincing fashion to make sure that they can put away the Jazz and not have a repeat performance of what happened in the first round of the playoffs last year against Memphis.

NBA Playoffs Free Pick: San Antonio Spurs -5