NBA Best Bets Today (Predictions for Kevin Durant, Hawks-Heat and Bulls-Bucks on Easter Sunday)

Day One of the NBA Playoffs is in the books and the rest of the Game 1s will conclude today. There's a few double-digit spreads and a lot of star power on stage. BetSided has you covered with game previews for all the games, but let's give you our favorite picks for today.

All odds are via WynnBET.

NBA Best Bets Today

• Kevin Durant 3+ 3-Pointers Made (+115)
• Heat -7 vs. Hawks (-108)
• Bucks -10.5 vs. Bulls (-108)

Kevin Durant 3+ 3-Pointers Made (+115)

Whenever there's a lot on the line, Durant seems to step up, and Game 1 of this series certainly feels like a big deal. Durant took only two shots from deep in the Nets' play-in game win over the Cavs, but averaged 7 attempts in April during the regular season, making 3 of them. The Celtics defense is going to try and force Brooklyn to shoot from deep in this game and I think Durant will be amicable to that arrangement. He averaged 6.5 3-point attempts against Boston in the regular season and made 4 in his last game against them. At plus odds, I'm willing to sprinkle a few dollars on this one. -- Brian Giuffra

Heat -7 vs. Hawks (-108)

The Hawks won every Game 1 in their postseason run last year, but that won't be the case on Sunday. Without Clint Capela, the Hawks will eventually have to go extremely small. Miami will take advantage of that with its size and defensive versatility. On top of that, it takes away a weapon from Trae Young's passing arsenal.

Miami had a top 5 defense and a top 6 overall net rating in the regular season. They are deeper, more talented and play much better defense than the Hawks.

Unless Trae Young explodes the way he did against the Cavaliers, Atlanta won't have a real chance at stealing this game -- much less the series. It's been a busy week for the Hawks, so I'll back the rested Heat. -- Donnavan Smoot

Bucks -10.5 vs. Bulls (-108)

The Bucks may have the second worst against the spread record in the NBA as a home favorite, but they are facing a Bulls team that is bottom four in the league ATS as a road underdog, going just 7-15 this season.
So yeah, we’re betting between two teams that hate to cover in this spot. Fantastic.
Despite that, it’s important to look at the current form of these teams entering the playoffs, as the Bulls were horrible after the All-Star break when they had one of the harder schedules in the NBA.

The problem for Chicago is that things will literally only get harder from here on out, and I can’t see the Bulls upsetting the Bucks in this series, never mind Game 1 in Fiserv Forum.

Over their last 10 games, the Bucks are just 14th in offensive rating and 20th in defensive rating, but the Bulls are much, much worse, ranking 26th and 28th in those categories.

I’ll fade the Bulls until they start showing us the team from the beginning of the season, which seems like another lifetime ago. -- Peter Dewey