3 Best NBA Playoffs Bets and Player Props for Tuesday 5/6/25

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

Pacers at Cavaliers

Cavs Over 119.5 Points (-108)

The Cleveland Cavaliers set a trend when they dropped Game 1 and lost home court advantage to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. Look for the offense to come out with a vengeance tonight.

Cleveland scored a low-by-their-standards 112 points on Sunday. They averaged a league-leading 121.9 points per game in the regular season and scorched the Miami Heat for 126.0 points per night in the first round.

What it took for the Cavs to score only 112 points shouldn't repeat itself tonight. They went a trying 9 for 38 (23.7%) from downtown after shooting threes at a 38.3% clip this season (second-best in the NBA). Cleveland was also missing Darius Garland (toe), who is questionable for tonight. Evan Mobley and De'Andre Hunter join him as questionable on the injury report. It's unclear how serious those injury designations are, but I'll want Mobley in to consider the over here.

Both sides played at a top-10 pace this season and showed signs of just that when Cleveland got 98 shots up in Game 1. Had the Cavs shot at their season-long average from three in that one, they would have theoretically scored roughly 128 points. That leaves us with quite a bit of wiggle room in terms of how much shot regression we are asking for in Game 2.

Donovan Mitchell 4+ Made Threes (+112)

Donovan Mitchell scored a game-leading 33 points on Sunday, but it wasn't as simple as that. He shot 43.3% from the field and went a gross 1 for 11 from downtown, making him a prime regression candidate for Tuesday.

Mitchell shoots threes at a 39.9% clip at home. He's drained at least four threes in 54.3% of home games -- up from the 47.2% implied probability on these +112 odds.

He's played 11 home games against top-10 pace teams, such as Indiana (7th). In this split, he's averaging 4.5 three-point makes and drained at least four threes in 9 out of 11 contests.

Add in the opportunity to see regression, as well as a seismic role on offense, and Mitchell is in line for a more fruitful performance in Game 2.

Warriors at Timberwolves

Jimmy Butler Over 22.5 Points (-102)

The Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves will kick off a seven-game series tonight, pitting Jimmy Butler against his former team.

If memory serves, things did not end well between Jimmy and Minnesota. Some believe the drama-filled divorce is the reason why Butler hasn't suited up in games at Minnesota since 2021. That streak will end tonight, and I want to be on Playoff Jimmy's side when it happens.

In the first round, Butler left one game early with an injury and was limited to 25 minutes in another due to a blowout. Beyond that, he's been a figure on the stat sheet. Here's a look at Jimmy's other point totals since a down-the-stretch April 9th game: 20, 24, 25, 27, 27, 30, and 38 points.

His ability to draw real contact and get to the charity stripe is always a big help, especially since he's an 87.0% free-throw shooter. Minnesota just had a dominant showing on both ends of the floor against the Los Angeles Lakers, but they still let Luka Doncic and LeBron James shoot more free throws than their season-long average.

Since joining the Warriors, Butler has more or less answered the call when asked to be aggressive. As the competition gets stiffer in the second round, that'll certainly be asked of him. I like his chances to deliver.

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.