Celtics (-2.5) @ Pacers (204)
Pick: Celtics -2.5
Game 3 in Indianapolis was a telling measuring stick for the Celtics. After a less-than-impressive victory in Game 2, it would have been logical to assume Boston dropped a game in this series giving Sunday’s Game 4 a lot more importance than it has. Instead, the Celtics refocused and scored 41 points in the first quarter. They put the clamps down defensively and grabbed a commanding 3-0 series lead. It was the sign of a well-coached team with lots of depth as Jaylen Brown led Boston with 23 points and was one of five scorers in double figures for the green and white. The Celtics are playing like a team that’s thrown out a lot of the regular season drama they were caught up in, and most importantly, they’re confident. Boston got to the Eastern Conference Finals last year and lost a seventh game at home. It entered 2018-19 as the slight favorite to win the East with LeBron James moving west to Los Angeles. The fact that they’re playing like a team that’s thrown its regular season struggles out the window is a credit to Brad Stevens. They appear to be on a collision course with the Milwaukee Bucks to meet in the next round in what figures to be a highly-competitive series. After the Bucks rolled right through the Pistons on the road Saturday night, our guess is that the Celtics want to one up their future opponent and break the brooms out.
Raptors (-5) @ Magic (207)
Pick: Raptors -5
The Magic cover in Game 3 of this series was a little fraudulent. Toronto looked like the better team most of the way and Orlando was able to get inside the closing number ever so slightly at the end, covering by the hook. Toronto played a pretty good game Friday considering Kawhi Leonard was held in check for the most part offensively with 16 points. The favorites seem to be taking control of series all across the association and much like the Sixers, while the Raptors got a scare in Game 1, they’re better than their opponent and everyone knows it. Toronto has no interest in returning to Orlando for a Game 6 and will play like it on Sunday. Five seems a little short here so it’s a number we’re fine with laying.
Trail Blazers (+6) @ Thunder (223.5)
Pick: Thunder -6
Oklahoma City got on the board in this series on Friday and there’s been some bad blood in this one. Oklahoma City and Portland have two of the best home-court advantages in the NBA and it wouldn’t be shocking if the home team won every game of this series. Portland has not lived up to expectations on the road either sitting at 9-16 ATS as a road pup after Friday’s 12-point loss. While much of the focus is going to be on Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook in this series, role players for Oklahoma City stepped up in Game 3. Jerami Grant, Steven Adams and Dennis Schroeder all scored in double figures for the Thunder on Friday and in a series where the stars are likely going to cancel each other out, the role players might decide things. Role players play better at home and that’s been the case for both teams in this one. It feels weird being on three favorites Sunday, but favorites have been covering point spreads with lots of success one week into the NBA playoffs, so that makes it less weird.