Basketball Betting - Weekend NBA Odds Picks

Few NBA odds followers expected the first round of playoff basketball betting to be as special as it has been this year. Does that mean the sportsbook gods are smiling on us and will make the Pacquiao vs Hatton odds more exciting than expected tomorrow night? But I digress. Let's review the big weekend NBA betting matchups.

Heat vs Hawks odds—Game 6 tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET
NBA odds: Heat -5

Considering that Dwyane Wade is plagued by a bad back right now, some NBA betting fans are surprised the Heat vs Hawks odds even went to Game 6 .Miami is a tough team to beat at home and the Hawks have a very poor track record on the road, so they're in tough trying to close out the Heat odds tonight. However, if D-Wade is anything less than, say, 90 per cent for tonight's matchup, the door is wide open for the Hawks to stomp on the Heat. Their extremely balanced scoring continues to give Miami nightmares and will push the Hawks over the top again. The Heat are just too hobbled to last any longer.

Betting online pick: Hawks +5

Bulls vs Celtics odds—Game 7, May 2 at 8:00 p.m. ET
NBA odds: Celtics -6.5

Does it have to end? Can they just play a best-of-50 or something? Please? The Bulls vs Celtics odds have only treated basketball betting fans to arguably the greatest first-round series in the history of the NBA odds, with four of six games going to overtime and the Bulls forcing Game 7 with a one-point, triple-overtime victory Thursday night. Depth has been the key to the plucky Bulls odds in this series, with seven players averaging double figures and Ben Gordon's shooting really leading the way. Rajon Rondo has been a man possessed for the Celtics odds, elevating his game to never-before-reached heights by averaging a triple-double per game. Given that this has been the closest of all the NBA lines to unfold in playoff history—five games have been decided by three points or less and that's happened just one other time in NBA playoff betting history—there's almost no way the Bulls won't beat the spread of 6.5 points. That said, a victory would be too tall an order for the young Bulls, who are 0-5 in Game 7s on the road all-time. The Celtics will almost certainly crumble in round two, but they'll conquer the Bulls as Rondo, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce leave it all on the floor.

Betting online pick: Bulls to beat the spread, Celtics to win outright