With the 2022-23 NBA playoffs upon us, the basketball betting market is hotter than ever. CBS Sports will be providing daily picks for the duration of the postseason. Sam Quinn will make at least one pick for every game between now and the NBA Finals. All lines courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.
Brooklyn Nets at Philadelphia 76ers
The Nets tried to double-team Joel Embiid in Game 1. It went poorly. The 76ers made 21 of their 43 3-point attempts. The Nets are going to have to adjust if they don't want to get shot out of this series, but here's the scary part: Joel Embiid still managed to score 26 points. He took only 15 field goal attempts. If the Nets let up on him at all, those 26 points could become 46 very quickly. The Nets have no good answer for the 76ers, but it's hard to imagine them sticking with a scheme that allowed 21 3-pointers on Saturday. That should clear the way for more Embiid scoring on Monday. The pick: Embiid Over 32.5 points
Golden State Warriors at Sacramento Kings
Yes, I'm aware that this is an extremely high point total for any game, let alone a playoff game. But there are so many untapped sources of offense in this series. Domantas Sabonis was held to 12 points in Game 1. Kevin Huerter scored six and Keegan Murray scored two. The Warriors shot only 32% on 3-pointers, and the Kings weren't much better at 37.5%. Andrew Wiggins will get more minutes in Game 2, and Jordan Poole could as well if the Warriors continue struggling to stop the Kings even when Gary Payton II is on the floor. These two teams played three regular season games with stakes for both teams. All three saw at least 229 points, and they averaged 240.3 points apiece. This is going to be a shootout series. The jitters of Sacramento's first home playoff game in 17 years should be gone. Expect fireworks the rest of the way. The pick: Over 240
