NBA live series odds, best bets

The NBA postseason is already underway, but it's not too late to find value on the series lines. Throughout the playoffs, we'll be revisiting the live series markets and highlighting bets worth making at theScore Bet and Barstool Sportsbook.

Check back each day to see which series we're looking to bet live. We'll add our favorite plays at the top as they develop in the market.

April 21

Suns -1.5 wins (-107) vs. Pelicans

Just a few days ago, this series looked like a foregone conclusion in favor of the Suns and was priced as such in the betting market. Then Game 2 happened: Devin Booker left in the third quarter with a hamstring injury and likely won't be back this series, which is concerning after the Pelicans knotted this matchup at one win apiece with Wednesday's victory.

But just how concerning is it? Phoenix still held serve with New Orleans for nearly the entire second half in the wake of losing its best player, but the team's shoddy transition defense - coach Monty Williams called it "the worst we have ever looked in transition since I have been here" - doomed its chances at taking a 2-0 lead.

I don't expect that to be a lingering issue for the Suns, who ranked sixth in fast-break points allowed (11.3) and fourth in opponent points off turnovers (14.8) in the regular season. Speaking of which: have we forgotten just how dominant this team looked all year? Phoenix led the NBA in wins (64) and net rating (plus-7.5) behind a top-five offense and defense, and it simply outclassed the competition despite dealing with injuries for key stretches of the season.

The Suns went 8-3 without Booker before mailing it in during the last week of the campaign, and they were 11-4 without Chris Paul before that final week, too. Paul is healthy and will be crucial to navigating Phoenix back into this series, but this is a deep, well-rounded roster with championship experience and a superior track record of success. Take advantage of the dip.

April 18

76ers -2.5 wins (+128) vs. Raptors

This is admittedly an ambitious play - albeit at an attractive price - after just one game of a series that oddsmakers priced as one of the closest of the first round. I simply didn't see it that way ahead of the postseason, and I certainly don't see it that way now.

Why should I after the way the 76ers played in Saturday's 20-point win over the Raptors in a game that felt over by halftime? Philadelphia looked like one of the best teams in the NBA despite superstars James Harden and Joel Embiid combining for just 39 points on 34.4% shooting, thanks largely to the epic Game 1 performance from Tyrese Maxey (38 points).

There are simply too many weapons on the Sixers to stop, especially for a Raptors side that will likely be without Scottie Barnes (ankle), Gary Trent (illness), and Thaddeus Young (thumb) for Game 2, if not longer. Toronto's balanced approach might net a game at home, especially with Matisse Thybulle ineligible to play across the border, but I don't expect Philly to leave their building in Game 5 without a series-clinching win - if it doesn't come sooner.

Timberwolves to win series (+115) vs. Grizzlies

If you're still shocked by the Timberwolves stealing the first game of the series, then you clearly didn't read our Western Conference preview. We warned you that Minnesota was a live 'dog against a Grizzlies team that looked sharp all year but lacked the secondary playmakers to run away with the series.

The most concerning part for Memphis isn't the loss itself, but how it lost. Ja Morant (32 points, eight assists) was up for the task after missing 10 of his prior 11 games, keying the Grizzlies to 60 points in the paint and a whopping 43 free-throw attempts - the most for the team in any game this season. But Memphis couldn't buy a bucket from deep (25.9%) and simply didn't have a reliable playmaker outside of Morant.

Conversely, the electric duo of Anthony Edwards (36 points) and Karl-Anthony Towns (29) both shot better than 50% from the floor and spearheaded an offense that has long been underrated by the market. The scariest part was that this unit - which usually relies on a heavy dose of 3-pointers and points off turnovers - scored just nine points in transition but dropped 50 points in the paint, anyway.

Teams that win Game 1 on the road have gone on to win 77 of 151 series (51%), while Game 1 winners overall advance 78.2% of the time. Both trends spell value on Minnesota to win this series at plus-money, even without considering how well this team played on Saturday and across the past two months.

C Jackson Cowart is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on Twitter (@CJacksonCowart) or email him at [email protected].