Now that we're in the thick of the NBA playoffs, 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.
Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics
We've gotten two James Harden clunkers and two James Harden gems against Boston thus far. Game 5 will probably be somewhere in between, but what we can safely assume is that, with Joel Embiid far from 100%, Harden will at least plan for a high-volume shooting night. Now, he's barely gotten to the rim or the free-throw line this postseason, but he's made up for it by averaging nine 3-point attempts and comfortably pulling up in mid-range. If you assume even standard shooting luck, it's just hard to imagine him scoring fewer than 22 points on the 20.3 shot attempts per game he's averaged against the Celtics. The Pick: Harden Over 21.5 Points
Phoenix Suns at Denver Nuggets
This is a relatively safe pick. Phoenix won Game 4 because Monty Williams finally decided to start using his offensive reserves instead of his defensive role players. Devin Booker and Kevin Durant were so dangerous that Denver effectively stopped guarding everyone else, and the Phoenix bench responded with 40 points. Of course, playing those offense-first reserves also opened up the floor for Denver, who scored 124 points. The shotmaking in Game 5 won't be as insane as it was in Game 4, but the shot quality should remain relatively high. With that in mind, offense is the right bet. The Pick: Over 227.5
