May 10, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) grabs a rebound in the third quarter against the Boston Celtics during game three of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

prediction

NBA Best Bets Today | Top Picks & Predictions for 05/14/2025

The NBA Playoffs are reaching their climax at a fast pace. We are close to the Conference Finals, and the stakes are ever so high. What about you? Where will you place your bets in the high-octane action scenario? In this piece, you can get an idea bout the best bets for the May 14, 2025, action.

NBA Best Bets Today – 05/14/2025

The days of NBA double headers will be over soon for this season, but we have another for now. In the first game of the night, the Boston Celtics will host the New York Knicks in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Celtics are down 1-3 and without their superstar Jayson Tatum. Do they stand a chance?

On the other hand, the Golden State Warriors will visit the Minnesota Timberwolves for Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals. The Timberwolves are up 3-1, and the Stephen Curry-less Dubs have no answer for them. Can they at least force a Game 6?

Find your NBA best picks for 05/14/2025 on B etMGM and FanDuel.

Best NBA Bets for 05/14/2025

Bet #1: Player Points: Julius Randle O 22.5 points (-105 at BetMGM)

Randle had been under pressure to perform before the playoffs. And oh boy, how he has answered the clarion call! The incredible lefty power forward is averaging 23.3 points per game for the postseason.

The offensive dynamo has gone “over” the mark in three straight games and seven of the nine playoff affairs. Thus, the bookmakers have raised the point projections from 18.5 to 22.5.

But he has managed to clear the elevated mark too. He is one of the safest picks for hitting “over,” and I see him coming up with yet another humungous scoring outing.

Bet #2: New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics: MoneyLine: (+158 at FanDuel)

The Knicks have been given unfavorable odds in each of the five games so far. They managed to make the mockery of the odds on three of the four occasions. They have a 3-1 lead, and the opposition is without their best offensive player.

However, the bookmakers still favor Boston because they believe in Jaylen Brown and Derrick White to take over the game. But the New York has more sophisticated tools in their arsenal. Jalen Brunson is clicking, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Karl-Anthony Towns are in the groove.

Then, why not place a Money Line on the Knicks to close out the series?

Bet #3: Player Rebounds: Karl-Anthony Towns O 12.5 (+110 at BetMGM)

Karl-Anthony Towns has been a rebounding force for the Knicks throughout the season. His tenacity is something to behold. He is labeled as soft on social media, but few players battle as hard as him on the rebounding end.

KAT is averaging 14 RPG in the series against the Celtics, which is around a 4 RPG uptick from the series against the Pistons. He has gone “over” the mark in three of the four games.

I believe the Celtics, without Tatum, will miss even more shots, providing KAT an opportunity to rack up around 15 rebounds.

NBA Betting Trends to Know:

Five out of nine games featuring the Minnesota Timberwolves have gone “under” the mark.
The Knicks have covered the spread in five of the last seven games.
Jimmy Butler has gone “Under” in player props during three of the last four games.

Final Picks Recap

Points: Julius Randle O 22.5 (-105)
Knicks vs Celtics: ML: Knicks (+158)
Karl-Anthony Towns: Rebounds O 12.5 (+110)

Betting Tips of the Day

Bookmakers are usually spot on about their projections. Some values can be here and there, but going against projections can often cost a lot. However, you have to take risks sometimes.

The home court advantage can be overestimated in many cases, and in such cases, look for patterns from the away team. Apart from that, the player props bets can have some obvious wagers as bookmakers tend to be a bit conservative in that regard towards the “over” mark.

Photo Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Boston Celtics

Golden State Warriors

Julius Randle

Karl-Anthony Towns

Minnesota Timberwovles

NBA Best Bets

NBA Best picks

New York Knicks

Shubham Singh

nba

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!