5 Best NBA Playoffs Bets and Player Props for Wednesday 5/7/25

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

Knicks at Celtics

Celtics Over 111.5 Points (-105)

The New York Knicks stunned the Boston Celtics in Game 1, coming back from down 20 halfway through the third and winning in overtime.

Boston missed a staggering 45 three-pointers on Monday. That's not only a lot -- it's an NBA playoff record. Were they settling down the stretch? Sure. Nonetheless, the Celtics are due for some pretty major regression, putting them in a spot to score north of 111.5 points.

Boston averaged 17.8 three-point makes and 48.2 three-point attempts -- which works out to a 36.8% 3P% -- in the regular season. An impressive 86.5% of those three-point looks were considered open or wide open, via the NBA's tracking info. You can criticize Boston's style, but it allowed the Celtics to average 116.3 points with the second-best offensive rating in the league.

In Game 1, 56 of Boston's 60 3PA were considered open or wide open, meaning a higher percentage of their threes were open (93.3%) than normal (86.5%). Allowing Boston to shoot 56 open threes would normally result in disaster for the opponent, but absolutely atrocious shooting on the Celtics' part resulted in self-destruction.

Boston scored 118, 119, 131, and 132 points versus the Knicks in the regular season -- in large part due to New York letting the Celtics get to their spots on the perimeter. We saw a similar thing in Game 1, but the Celtics couldn't come close to buying a shot. Look for that to change tonight.

Jayson Tatum to Score 30+ Points (+138)

The biggest disappointment in Game 1 was none other than Jayson Tatum.

He started off the game well, scoring 13 points on 4-for-8 shooting in the first quarter. From there, he practically disappeared as the Celtics were maintaining a lead, and he was ice cold when it was time to start caring again. He ended with 23 points on 4-for-15 shooting from downtown. It was the stuff of Tatum's earlier years with the Celtics, something he seemed to have left in the past until Monday.

Tonight, he figures to prove why Game 1 was a blip.

Tatum scored 36, 37, and 35 points in the final three games of the first round. He was getting to the foul line and making his threes -- something he's done all season, including against this Knicks group. In fact, he roasted the Knicks for 25, 32, 37, and 40 points in the regular season.

Not only is he due for three-point regression in Game 2, but I'm also expecting him to be extra aggressive after letting Jalen Brunson outplay him on Monday. You can also get Tatum Over 8.5 First-Quarter Points at -114.

Josh Hart Over 20.5 Pts + Reb (-108)

Though OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson came up huge in the second half and Mikal Bridges provided the ultimate stop in OT, Josh Hart was probably the start-to-finish MVP of Game 1.

He hauled in 11 boards -- five of which were offensive -- and went 5 for 9 from the field for 14 points. The Celtics were leaving him wide open and will likely do the same tonight, but the 52.5% FG% shooter should look to burn them.

Hart has exceeded 20.5 combined points and rebounds (PR) in four straight playoff games. In the regular season, he surpassed 20.5 PR at a 70.1% rate -- up from the 51.9% implied probability on these -108 odds.

Though the Celtics are due for a better shooting performance, they will still miss plenty of threes tonight, allowing Hart the opportunity to track down long defensive rebounds. He's passed 20.5 PR in four straight games against Boston and should do the same tonight.

Nuggets at Thunder

Russell Westbrook Over 20.5 Pts + Reb + Ast (+100)

Russell Westbrook still comes off the bench for the Denver Nuggets, but he's been getting good minutes and has been closing games.

He's tallied 19, 22, 24, 26, 26, and 30 combined points, rebounds, and assists (PRA) these playoffs, putting me on over 20.5 PRA at +100 odds.

Michael Porter Jr.'s shoulder injury is seemingly getting worse by the day. He was a -15 on the court in Game 1 and has had just one day of rest between games.

Past Russ, Denver has only felt confident bringing Peyton Watson off the bench. Depth-wise, Denver is running on empty. The Oklahoma City Thunder should rightfully look to feast on MPJ when he's in the game, leaving me to suspect Russ could log a playoff-high in minutes tonight.

Our NBA projections forecast Westbrook to tally 21.6 PRA in Game 2.

Christian Braun 2+ Made Threes (+180)

Past Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, we can't always predict how the minutes will shake out for Luguentz Dort, Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, especially since Nikola Jokic requires opponents to make so many adjustments.

We don't have that problem with Denver. So long as the game doesn't get completely out of hand, Christian Braun will hover around 40 minutes tonight if he avoids injury or foul trouble.

With that, let's look for him to drain a pair of threes.

This season, Braun nailed at least two threes in 44.1% of games where he played at least 30 minutes, but these +180 odds imply only a 35.7% probability.

He's a 39.7% three-point shooter, which on this thin Denver team means you have the green light to shoot them, especially since underdogs can't compete without contributions from everyone on the floor.

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

Get a 30% Profit Boost for a 3+ leg parlay or SGP on any NBA Playoff game taking place on May 7th! See here for full terms and conditions. Learn about today’s other offers at FanDuel Sportsbook Promos.

Looking for the latest NBA odds? Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook and check out all of the NBA betting options.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

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.