3 Best NBA Playoffs Bets and Player Props for Friday 5/9/25

The NBA postseason is here, and it offers us a wide variety of betting options, from point spreads and totals to player props.

There's a lot to choose from, but various advanced statistics can help narrow the choices. Our NBA projections paired with advanced stats from the NBA can help give the inside track to quality bets.

While utilizing some of the mentioned tools, which NBA odds from FanDuel Sportsbook look like the best bets today?

Please note lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published. All injury news comes from the NBA's official injury report.

NBA Betting Picks for Today's Playoff Games

Cavaliers at Pacers

Tyrese Haliburton 3+ Made Threes (-115)

The Indiana Pacers have a chance to take a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight.

Dating back to last season, Tyrese Haliburton has gone 9-0 in the playoffs on his home court and has added in powerful shooting, which puts me on his threes prop.

Haliburton shoots threes at a cushy 41.5% clip at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. This season, he drained at least three three-pointers in 61.1% of home games -- up from the 53.5% implied probability on these -115 odds.

He took 7, 10, and 10 three-point attempts at home in the first round and has room to fire in tonight's Game 3 after attempting just two three-pointers last time out in Cleveland but draining both of them.

Indiana could have their guard down after stealing both games in Cleveland. It wouldn't shock me if Haliburton treats this one like shooting practice, something he has been known to do more often -- and more efficiently -- at home. Our NBA projections forecast him for 3.3 made threes tonight.

Thunder at Nuggets

Nuggets Moneyline (+205)

The Denver Nuggets took Game 1 of this series thanks to a 42-point, 22-rebound effort from Nikola Jokic, rookie mistakes on the Oklahoma City Thunder's part, and another insane game-winning shot from Aaron Gordon. Oklahoma City hit Denver back with a 43-point beating in Game 2.

Those games seem like the two outcomes we should expect in every game this series. Either OKC wins by a massive margin due to being the more talented team with far more depth, or Denver leverages their experience and having the best player on the court to eventually grind out a win in crunch time.

I think the latter outcome happens tonight -- or at least is worth betting at +205 odds.

There's no denying the Thunder are a country mile better than the Nuggets, but Game 1 showed us why we need to be on the lookout for Denver to steal games. Jokic is one thing -- particularly when he's not being defended by Ivica Zubac -- but Denver's ability to make shots and grind out wins in close games is a whole different beast. The team ranked second in effective field goal percentage and third in clutch net rating this season, two qualities that have held strong throughout these playoffs.

With the series turning to Ball Arena, Denver's role players are at a shooting advantage while OKC's same players could have a tougher time finding the bottom of the net. Plus, Wednesday's blowout saved a thin Denver group from logging heavy minutes.

I like the Nuggets' chances of keeping a home playoff game competitive, and their late-game heroics lead me to believe they have a higher likelihood of going up 2-1 than these +205 odds (32.8%) suggest.

Russell Westbrook Over 18.5 Pts + Reb (-110)

Leaving out a game he left early due to injury, Russell Westbrook has logged 18, 20, 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24 combined points and rebounds (PR) these playoffs.

He's put up 20 PR in both games this series despite Denver's rotation being spared from the fourth quarter of Game 2's blowout. Westbrook has firmly become the preferred option over the banged-up Michael Porter Jr., so I'd expect him to log heavy minutes if this game stays as competitive as a 5.5-point spread suggests.

Westbrook's three-point efficiency was ten percentage points higher at home than on the road this season, and his home (45.5% 3P%) versus away (27.8% 3P%) splits have been even more drastic in the postseason.

As someone who actively tracks down boards and sees increased shooting success at home, Westbrook has a decent shot to maintain his PR streak tonight.

You can also check out our latest 2025 NBA Playoffs printable bracket, which includes the seeding and matchups for each conference.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.