NBA Playoff Predictions: Futures Betting & Exotic Odds for 2025

Another dramatic NBA playoff season has arrived. In just a few short days, basketball fans will be treated to dozens of games and hundreds of daily NBA betting opportunities.

As I do every year, I’ve got a few predictions for how the 2025 NBA playoffs will unfold. If you’re looking for online sports betting angles, I’ve got more than a few this year. 

But even if you’re not looking for discreet betting opportunities, I do think this is a useful set of predictions for how the postseason could unfold this year.

My blog post on NBA playoff series odds might be a helpful companion to post, where I will often be writing about more specific exotic markets. So it might be worth pulling that up as a reference point. 

Either way, let’s dive into the 2025 playoff field. 

Pacers vs. Bucks Playoff Predictions

The old rule in picking NBA playoff winners is that you bet on the team with the best player. In this No. 4 vs. No. 5 series, that’s clearly Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is hoping to play his first healthy postseason since 2022. 

Therein lies the main problem in betting Pacers vs. Bucks. Giannis is clearly the best player, but with the injuries and other departures that have degraded Milwaukee since their title run, Indiana is now the clearly better team. 

So … what to do?

One approach would be to follow the rule and find ways to bet Giannis and the Bucks at a plus number. I took a shot at an exact outcome bet at +3500 on a hunch that a massive Giannis game could allow Milwaukee to steal Game 1. 

The combo: Bucks, Pacers, Bucks, Bucks, Pacers, Bucks. For more conservative bettors, a straight Bucks moneyline bet, or even a Bucks -1.5 (+300) series price, would obviously suffice. 

Another strategy would be isolating Giannis’ stats and betting him to lead the series in points (-400) or rebounds (-300). I found these to be reasonable prices, given that Giannis is averaging a 28/12/7 stat line since the All-Star Break. 

During the Bucks’ title defense in 2022, he was at 32/14/7, and I think we could see similar (or even better) numbers this year, since the Bucks now have less help around him.

Ultimately, I decided I was uncomfortable with the risk profile of juicy prices like that because of the injury risk that Giannis has become in recent years. But while I was researching the stat futures for this series, I found one I actually did like: Tyrese Haliburton to lead the series in assists (-200). 

Haliburton averages nine assists per game, which ranks well north of any other player expected to play meaningful minutes in this series. During the regular season, he actually averaged 10 assists per game against the Bucks specifically. 

The -200 price might still be too steep for some, but relative to the fundamentals of the market, I think it’s actually a great deal. 

Knicks vs. Pistons Playoff Predictions

This will almost certainly be the most interesting first-round series from the Eastern Conference, and I’m one of the cappers who’s very interested in what Detroit can do to this Knicks team. 

I think this will be a knock-down, drag-out brawl – perhaps sometimes literally – that will go six or seven games. So to start with, I’ve laddered a few Pistons bets in the series spread market. At BetMGM, that’s Pistons +2.5 (-150) and Pistons +1.5 (+140) on top of just a straight Pistons +325 moneyline.

The outright series win seems to be slanted quite far toward New York, and I’m not sure I agree with the market that this price should be so dramatic. Bettors seem to be paying a steep tax on New York’s previous playoff experience, and historically, there is something to the idea that the teams that have been there before outlast the one who haven’t. 

But that’s often more of a rule for the finals, not necessarily first-round matchups. If anything, I think Detroit’s hunger to prove they belong is an asset for underdog bettors, not a liability.

In the stats market, I think it’s awfully telling that the scoring favorite for the series is the surging Cade Cunningham (+200), rather than Knicks star Jalen Brunson. I bought a ticket on Cunningham and will risk the potential for some massive Brunson games to swamp me. (Are we sure we know how healthy he is?)

In the rebounds market, Karl-Anthony Towns is the odds-on favorite to pull down the most boards at -135. But I found this price too rich, considering Towns has a long history of picking up stupid fouls that sideline him for long stretches in the postseason. We also don’t know how much Mitchell Robinson will play.

Given all that, I like the idea of taking a shot with Detroit’s Jalen Duren in this market at +275. 

Lakers vs. Timberwolves Playoff Predictions

Can the Lakers’ small-ball run down Minnesota’s more traditional play? Or will the lack of a center in Los Angeles end up hurting the Lakers early?

This is another series where fundamental questions about the series dictate which side you might like for the series. I think Los Angeles probably has too much high-end talent for the Timberwolves, but I’m laying out on a straight series bet for now.

What I am confident about is that Rudy Gobert will struggle to stay on the floor in this series. We already know Luka Dončić torched him last year. As a result, Gobert only collected 7.6 rebounds per game in the Western Conference finals. During the previous two series, he had averaged about 11. 

None of that seems to have changed the rebounds market here, as Gobert is a massive -500 favorite to pull down the most boards. With such a huge market tilt, I diversified with a couple of different bets here, buying both Dončić at +650 and Minnesota’s No. 2 board man, Julius Randle, at 14-to-1. 

The last bet I made here is Anthony Edwards to lead the series in assists at +3500. Los Angeles has three main guys who will all do a good job dishing the ball around and tallying dimes, but they should all eat into each other’s statistical share. Edwards stands to gain from his more clear No. 1 team position, which makes him a value buy in this market at +800. 

Nuggets vs. Clippers Playoff Predictions

Is it possible to have two adjacent playoff seeds in more different positions? Denver, the No. 4 seed, fired its coach and GM just a few days ago. Beyond the alleged in-fighting that’s been well reported in recent days, the 2023 champs are a .500 team since March 1. That’s what squandering talent looks like.

Compare that to the Clippers, who are 18-5 over that same six-week stretch. 

The Clippers are hitting on all cylinders with the playoffs now here, which explains why they were bet from a clear underdog price all the way to their current -125 price.

I personally grabbed the Clippers at +125, and I’d probably still buy them at -125 if I hadn’t already gotten anything down. This is another team I’ve chosen to ladder, with additional series bets on Clippers -1.5 (+170) and Clippers -2.5 (+425). I think there’s a real chance Denver just gets worked here by a superior team.

I also took a shot at a +3000 exact result bet with a Nuggets/Clippers/Clippers/Clippers/Nuggets/Clippers ticket. 

The Clippers look like a real contender to me and are someone I’d take seriously in the broader NBA futures market. I’ve been skeptical of the Clippers for health reasons in the past, but this looks very much like the kind of veteran team that could dispose of still-young OKC in the second round – just as Dallas did last year as the No. 5 seed. 

I’m already pretty leveraged, but if I wasn’t, I’d certainly be considering a bet on the Clippers to win the West at +1000. 

Rockets vs. Warriors Playoff Predictions

I, too, thought the veteran Warriors would stand an excellent chance to advance against young, up-and-coming Houston. Before the market was set, I wondered what kind of price I could get on Golden State. Somewhere between +135 and -125 was my guess.

Then, the market posted. Golden State -200. 

Whoa.

That price has since come in slightly to -190, but the idea remains that No. 2 Houston is a real dog in this series to No. 7 Golden State. And I just don’t buy that, especially at this price point.

Houston is talented, well-coached, and hungry. They have waves of guys to throw at Steph Curry, offering a potential preview of their playoff strategy on April 6 when the prolific shooter finished 1-for-10 with three points. 

Houston’s youth and depth compare favorably to Golden State, which has a short bench and several old players taking the court at less than 100%. 

At +160, this is a bit of a no-brainer. The Rockets merit a closer look in the Western Conference futures as well, where their +2500 price is not in line with the favorable path of a No. 2 seed.

NBA Playoff Predictions & Best Bets

• Tyrese Haliburton Most Assists in Pacers/Bucks series (-200)
• Pistons +2.5 (-150)
• Pistons +1.5 (+140)
• Pistons +325
• Cade Cunningham Most Points in Knicks/Pistons Series (+200)
• Jalen Duren Most Rebounds in Knicks/Pistons Series (+275)
• Luka Doncic Most Rebounds in Lakers/Timberwolves Series (+650)
• Julius Randle Most Rebounds in Lakers/Timberwolves Series (+1400)
• Anthony Edwards Most Assists in Lakers/Timberwolves Series (+800)
• Julius Randle Most Assists in Lakers/Timberwolves Series (+800)
• Clippers -125
• Clippers -1.5 (+170)
• Clippers -2.5 (+425)
• Rockets +160