Tuesday night features a four-pack of NBA games, and I’ve got picks from three of them in this +269 parlay.
The pregame narrative: The New York Knicks try to close out their series at home against the Detroit Pistons, and I say they do it. I’m also backing a pair of alt totals, including the over in the Orlando Magic vs. Boston Celtics matchup.
Check out my NBA parlay picks for first-round playoff action on April 29.
NBA parlay picks
Parlay: Knicks ML | Clippers/Nuggets u212.5 points | Magic/Celtics o196.5 points (+265)
Knicks moneyline (-225): The Knicks were lucky to get out of Detroit with a pair of wins. Those games were decided by a combined three points, and one ended on a blown foul called (as admitted by the Game 3 crew chief).
Nonetheless, I think it’s closing time for this series.
Detroit really needed to win one at home, and now New York is back inside Madison Square Garden, where the home team is 28-11 as a favourite this season.
Jalen Brunson is clearly not at full strength, but he’s the best player in this series and it shows. He has 12-plus points in the fourth quarter of all four games.
Another tight game wouldn’t be surprising at all, which is why I’m simply making a moneyline pick for this matchup.
More NBA parlay legs
Clippers/Nuggets under 212.5 points (-175): Unders are 4-0 in this series, and I like for that trend to continue.
The highest-scoring game was the series opener, but only because of overtime. In regulation, none of the four games have surpassed 207 points.
A key reason for the limited offence has been the teams’ willingness to play a slow, methodical brand of basketball. They’re averaging just 91.13 possessions per game, which is the second-lowest of the eight series.
And that’s more than five possessions/game lower than the slowest team during the regular season (Magic, 96.51).
Unders are 4-1 when the Nuggets and Clippers face off in Denver, too.
Magic/Celtics over 196.5 points (-163): Betting the over when these two teams meet is scary, but it’s reasonable at this number.
- The average total in seven head-to-head matchups between the Magic and Celtics this year is 198.6 points.
- At this alt total, overs are 4-3.
The venue could make a difference as well, given that games tend to be more high-scoring in Boston than in Orlando.
Dating back to December 2023, these teams have averaged 212.6 total points in five matchups at TD Garden, cashing this bet four times.
Also, overs are 14-9 this year when Orlando is a road underdog, per Team Rankings.
NBA parlay picks made at 3:55 p.m. ET 04/28/2025.
Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.