Best Bets: BasketballNews' picks and fantasy advice for 4/15/22

Every day, BasketballNews.com gives you NBA betting analysis before tip-off. Make sure you subscribe to our daily podcast, “Nothing But Bets” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Without further ado, let’s dive into our favorite NBA spread bets for Friday's Play-In Tournament slate.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Atlanta Hawks (-1.5)

I can’t wait for this one, folks. Will Trae Young carry the Hawks to the postseason once again? Can the resurgent Cavaliers cap off a magical regular season in a positive manner? There are so much juicy angles from a betting perspective for this matchup.

 

— Friday, April 15th Atlanta Hawks @ Cleveland Cavaliers

Ultimately, it’s so hard to bet against Young and Atlanta right now. Expect a fun scoring duel between Young and Garland, while the frontcourt battle is an underrated angle as well. If Young gets going early, Cleveland is in big trouble. Forecasting a monster performance from Young, we’re hammering the road favorite here.

Pick: Hawks -1.5

Player Props: Trae Young over 30.5 points, Evan Mobley over 15.5 points, Clint Capela over 13.5 rebounds, Darius Garland over 8.5 assists

Los Angeles Clippers vs. New Orleans Pelicans (-1)

It simply sucks that Paul George has been officially ruled out due to NBA COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Without George, who showed early how much he can swing things in the Clippers' favor, can Los Angeles pull off some magic once again? All season long, the Clippers have stayed afloat without George and Kawhi Leonard.

We’re not going to bet against the surging Pelicans, though. Head coach Willie Green has this group all the way locked in, so if CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram control the pace, we love the Pelicans. New Orleans clinches it on the road to set up a first round series against the juggernaut Phoenix Suns.

Pick: Pelicans -1

Player Props: CJ McCollum over 25.5 points, Brandon Ingram over 24.5 points, Reggie Jackson over 20.5 points, Ivica Zubac over 8.5 rebounds

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