NBA Playoffs betting tips: Warriors finish Rockets, best series bets as Cavs face Pacers

The NBA Playoffs continue on Friday night as the Golden State Warriors look to right the wrongs of Game 5 and put the pesky Houston Rockets to bed once and for all.

At the time of writing, it remains to be seen if the Nuggets and Knicks can avoid going to a winner-takes-all match against the LA Clippers and Detroit Pistons, respectively.

Those games could take place over the weekend, depending on the outcome of Thursday night’s matchups, but we believe the Knicks and the Nuggets will advance even in the event of a Game 7.

However, we know of one other game taking place this week, as the Cleveland Cavaliers play host to the Indiana Pacers on the back of a five-day break.

In this article, Sports News Blitz’s NBA expert, George Dempsey gives his predictions and betting tips ahead of the games.

Houston Rockets vs Golden State Warriors - Friday, May 2

Back in 2016, Golden State famously threw away a 3-1 series lead in the NBA Finals. They also lead the Houston Rockets 3-1 in this series, but the series is still alive and kicking as we prepare to dissect Game 6.

After being blown out by 15 points in Game 5, the Dubs return to the Chase Center on Friday night for Game 6 against a feisty Rockets team that just won’t go away.

Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler III combined for just 21 points on 22 shots in Game 5, and the Warriors were buried under an avalanche of first-half buckets, down by 30 at one stage and outscored 76-49 before halftime.

The Rockets lit it up on their home floor, with Fred VanVleet putting up 26 points and Amen Thompson dropping a playoff-best 25.

All five starters hit double figures as they blew the doors off a Golden State defence that had looked solid over the previous two games.

Steve Kerr saw the writing on the wall early and emptied the bench midway through the third. It wasn’t waving the white flag, it was buying time and playing the long game.

The move almost paid unexpected dividends, as the Warriors’ bench stormed back with a 21-7 run and trimmed the lead to as little as 13 behind a career night from Moses Moody (25 points, 9 rebounds).

Back at home and backed by a 17-3 record at Chase Center across their last 20 playoff games, Golden State is still in the driver’s seat.

They’ve already beaten Houston twice on this floor during the series and haven’t shown signs of cracking under pressure.

And when Curry and Butler play together, this team is 25-7 since February.

This young Rockets group, while bursting with athleticism and confidence, now has to overcome a legacy franchise with two champions on the floor and a crowd that knows how to lift them when it counts.

There’s also a mental hurdle here for the Rockets. Yes, they’ve shown heart, but they haven’t shown consistency.

Outside of Games 2 and 5, they've been second-best in this series.

That Game 5 blowout might flatter them slightly, too, given the Warriors’ decision to rest starters with 18 minutes still on the clock.

Golden State had previously won four straight Game 5s before Wednesday and will now look to maintain another key trend, as they haven’t lost back-to-back games since March.

Houston, for all its energy, may have spent a little too much of it forcing a Game 6.

And while the pressure is technically still on Golden State to close things out, the context feels very different when they’re at home.

Suggested bet: Golden State Warriors -5 at 9/10

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Indiana Pacers vs Cleveland Cavaliers - Sunday, May 4

The Indiana Pacers are probably getting more respect than they should.

They’ve just wrapped up an impressive series win over Milwaukee, but context is key.

The Bucks were banged up without Giannis Antetokounmpoand looked completely out of sorts. The Pacers took advantage, but they won’t find Cleveland in the same kind of mood.

The Cavaliers arrive rested, rolling, and full of confidence. They dismantled Miami in the first round, winning by a combined 122 points across a 4-0 sweep.

And they did it with a blend of ruthless defence and shot-making that looks tailor-made for the playoffs.

Donovan Mitchell was dominant, averaging over 30 points in that series, but he’s no longer the only option.

Darius Garland is healthier, Evan Mobley has taken a step forward, and Jarrett Allen continues to provide a physical presence that clogs the paint and erases mistakes.

This team finished the season with 64 wins and the best net rating in the NBA.

Since the All-Star break, they’ve looked like the biggest threat to Boston in the East, and there’s real balance now on both ends of the court.

Indiana are great going forward, but they don’t defend. They’ve given up 120+ in three of their last five, and their transition game becomes less effective in a playoff setting, especially against a team that gets back and doesn’t turn the ball over.

Tyrese Haliburton is the engine, and Pascal Siakam brings some playoff experience, but outside of those two, the Pacers can be shaky.

They like to play fast and gun from deep, but it’s a lot harder to win that way when shots stop falling and you’ve got to grind out possessions.

Yes, Indiana won the season series 3-1, but the key game was the only one Cleveland played with their starters, and they won that by 10.

Two of the others were in April when the Cavs were resting bodies.

This is a bad matchup for the Pacers. Cleveland are bigger, stronger, more experienced, and better coached.

If the Cavs bring the same defensive energy they showed in round one, this could be wrapped up in five.

Suggest bet: Cleveland Cavaliers -8.5 at 9/10

Series tip: Cavaliers to win 4-1 at 3/1

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