Top NBA Picks and Predictions for April 1 (Back Pacers, Points and Surging Bucks)

Plenty of playoff teams are in action on Friday night in the NBA, and BetSided's Reed Wallach and Donnavan Smoot and Joe Summers have you covered with a few of their favorite plays tonight.

Let's get into today's picks, with all odds via WynnBET Sportsbook:

Pacers vs. Celtics Prediction and Pick

Although the Celtics are going to win, there's no way I trust them to cover this giant spread. Boston is 3-6 ATS this season as double-digit favorites. This is the biggest favorites Boston has been all year long. The Celtics were 14-point favorites against the Pistons two weeks ago and weren't able to cover.

Indiana has been a 14-point underdog twice this season and has covered both times. The Pacers are in the upper half in the league in offensive rating over the last 10 games. If their offense is decent tonight, 14 points should be easy to cover against.

The Celtics are 1-4 in their last five games as a double-digit favorite, and I expect them to stumble again tonight.

Lean: Pacers +14.5 (-110)

You can find Donnavan Smoot’s full betting record here.

Pelicans vs. Lakers Prediction and Pick

The Lakers, despite James likely return, are catching points at home against the Pelicans, who have been much better with C.J. McCollum on the floor. Since the All-Star break, the Pellies are top five in net rating and are primed to be in the Play-In game.

Will James lead a heroic run to the postseason, or are the Lakers simply finished? The team is playing a back-to-back after a game in Utah on Thursday night and now get a well rested New Orleans club that has a ton of offensive firepower with McCollum and Brandon Ingram on the perimeter.

I'm going to side with the over in this one as I expect James' return also coincides with his scoring title candidacy. He needs to play in three games to qualify for the scoring title and is neck-and-neck with Giannis Antetokounmpo heading into the final handful of games.

James is an offensive powerhouse, but his defense can't save the Lakers, who will struggle against an emerging Pelicans offense. I can't trust LA even in a must-win, so I'll side with the over, that is 3 points lower than the meeting these two had in mid-March.

LEAN: OVER 230.5 (-110)

You can find all of Reed's bets HERE!

Clippers vs Bucks Prediction and Pick

After dropping 44 points and 14 rebounds last night, Giannis is officially ready for the playoffs. He's averaging 33.7 points and 12.1 rebounds over his last 10 and is creeping back into the MVP conversation.

As a whole, the Bucks are 12-3 in their last 15 and covered the spread in 11 of those wins. They're rounding into form at the perfect time and look poised to defend their NBA Championship.

The Clippers, on the other hand, are struggling. Over their last seven games, Los Angeles is 1-6 outright and against the spread (ATS) with the second-worst net rating in the entire league. Paul George is back and looks sharp, but the roster should be no match for a peaking Milwaukee squad.

The Bucks have covered the spread in four straight as a home favorite while the Clippers have failed to cover in four straight as a road underdog. With both teams having played overtime games last night, we should see the more imposing team prevail. That would be the squad with Giannis, who is completely unguardable right now.

Give me the Bucks to roll as they stake their claim to the Eastern Conference's top seed.

Pick: Bucks -7.5 (-110)

Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.