With the 2021-22 NBA regular season now in the books, 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.
Memphis Grizzlies at Minnesota Timberwolves
This series thus far has been a outlier. Typically, the game slows down in the playoffs. The Grizzlies and Timberwolves have actually sped up. Minnesota led the NBA in pace during the regular season with roughly 101.5 possessions per game. The Grizzlies weren't far behind in fourth. Together, they've come to the unspoken understanding that this will not be a traditional, half-court playoff series. Neither side is trying to slow things down. In fact, their pace in this series has sped up to 104.25 possessions per game. They've also combined for 70 3-point attempts and 56 free throws per game. The scoring in this series is only going to rise as the teams move away from their big men. Take the over and enjoy the ride. The pick: Over 241
Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz
Through two games, this series is not only tied 1-1, but 203-203 in terms of cumulative points. Yes, the venue has shifted to Salt Lake City, but Dallas has proven that even without Luka Doncic, it can keep these games close. In Game 2, it presented the same problems to the Jazz that the Clippers, without Kawhi Leonard, did a year ago. Play five-out offense against them and their guards won't be able to contain dribble penetration, forcing Rudy Gobert to either give up open 3's or sacrifice his NBA-best rim-protection. This is an unsolvable problem for Utah's current roster. Doncic would make those small-ball Mavs lineups even more lethal, but even without him, the matchup does not warrant a seven-point spread. The pick: Mavs +7
Golden State Warriors at Denver Nuggets
I hate to oversimplify things to this degree but ... have the books been watching this series? Golden State has won the first two games in this series by 36 combined points ... and it has done so with Stephen Curry coming off the bench. Moving the series back to Denver isn't going to fix the fundamental flaws this injured Denver team is dealing with. The Nuggets cannot defend the properly spaced Warriors, and Draymond Green is having a ton of success defending Nikola Jokic. The pick: Warriors -2
