May 1, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) talks to center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) in the second half against the Detroit Pistons during game six of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

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NBA Best Bets Today | Top Picks & Predictions for 05/16/2025

The NBA Finals are inching closer with each day, thus, each team is trying their best to remain in contention. The Semi-Finals round is still alive, and we are in for another thrilling ride. It is a win-win for the bettors who enjoy the adrenaline rush. Where will you take the next risk? In this piece, you can get an idea bout the best bets for the May 16, 2025, action.

NBA Best Bets Today – 05/16/2025

As the playoffs are going deeper, the game slate is becoming lonesome. Tonight, it will just one game. The New York Knicks will host the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Knicks are up 3-2 but suffered an embarrassing 25-point loss in Game 5. Can they bounce back to close the book on the defending champs?

Choose your NBA best picks for 05/14/2025 on BetMGM and FanDuel.

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Best NBA Bets for 05/16/2025

Bet #1: Player Points: Jalen Brunson O 30.5 points (-102 at FanDuel)

Brunson has had some quiet nights in the series. It is gonna happen when you are guarded by the likes of Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum. As a result, his average has gone down from 31.5 PPG against the Detroit Pistons to 26.8 PPG against the Celtics.

The dip doesn’t mean that Brunson hasn’t had his moments. The iso specialist had 39 points in Game 4 and had a 29-point night to open the series. He has gone “Under” in three of the five games. However, I see him going “Over” to balance the scales and help his team close out the series.

Bet #2: New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics: Spread: Knicks -3.5 (+100 at FanDuel)

It is the first time the Knicks have drawn a favorable spread for them in the series. The Celtics are missing Jayson Tatum and are yet to win two games in a row this series. However, the bookmakers have given a conservative estimate on the spread, still believing in the depth of the defensive champs.

The Celtics did win Game 5 by 20+ points after all. They have also held bigger leads than the Knicks by a big margin throughout the series. But I don’t think the Knicks will choke their advantage and do have a special performance in them to close out the series.

Thus, I am opting for a spread of -3.5 in their favor, believing it will be a close game.

Bet #3: Player Rebounds: Karl-Anthony Towns O 11.5 (-114 at BetMGM)

KAT has been racking up big rebounding numbers throughout the series. He has been the best rebounder during the series. Towns stacked 10.3 RPG against the Pistons but has taken his average to nearly 13 RPG this series.

Towns has gone “over” the mark in three of the five games. Thus, he has saved his best for the series against the Celtics. I see him coming up with another 12+ rebounds performance here.

NBA Betting Trends to Know:

Jaylen Brown has gone “Under” the scoring projections in five of the last eight games.
The Celtics have failed to cover the spread in three of the five games.
Josh Hart has failed to cover the assists “Over” in most cases.

Final Picks Recap

Points: Jalen Brunson O 30.5 (-102)
Knicks vs Celtics: Spread: Knicks -3.5 (+105)
Karl-Anthony Towns: Rebounds O 11.5 (-114)

Betting Tips of the Day

Bookmakers have struggled to nail their predictions in the postseason as higher seeds have lost often. But the total/score predictions have been rather spot-on. Thus, exercise caution when going by their projections when it comes to spread but be more assured when opting for the total.

On the other hand, player props have seen numerous conservative estimates. Thus, going “Over” has yielded some substantial gains.

Photo Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

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Shubham Singh

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Hi, I am Shubham. I am currently an NBA Predictions Writer on The Playoffs. I enjoy this job because it helps keep me in the loop about the game I love while fulfilling the pleasure I derive from stats. I got into NBA writing through social media interactions in the mid-2010s as I shared my takes on young talents such as D’Angelo Russell. I hope you enjoy reading my pieces as much as Dennis Rodman loved rebounding the basketball!