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The NBA Playoffs rolls along with three massive Game 3 matchups on Friday, with the Los Angeles Lakers aiming to take a 3-0 lead over the Rockets and the Boston Celtics visiting the Philadelphia 76ers and the Portland Trail Blazers hosting the San Antonio Spurs. Those two series are both tied at 1-1 with the series moving locations after the first two games.

The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, has shared its top picks for each of these matchups, including NBA player props. The SportsLine model entered the first full week of the 2026 NBA playoffs on a sizzling 24-9 roll (73%) on top-rated NBA spread picks this season and has returned well over $10,000 in NBA betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past eight-plus seasons. 

If you're interested in betting on the NBA Playoffs and placing money line bets, spread bets, Over/Under bets or player prop bets, check out what the model has to say for Friday's three-game slate. And those interested in parlay betting could even combine two or more of these picks into a potentially more profitable play at FanDuel.

Check out the FanDuel promo code for a new-user offer before placing any NBA Playoffs bets on Friday.

NBA Playoffs picks, best bets for Friday, April 24

  • Celtics -7.5
  • Jayson Tatum Over 23.5 points
  • Lakers-Rockets Over 205.5
  • Trail Blazers money line vs. Spurs

Celtics -7.5

The 76ers bounced back from a tough Game 1 loss with a 14-point win in Game 2, and they now get to host Game 3, where they were 23-18 this season. Boston is a big favorite, and the model has the Celtics covering in 53% of simulations, and that's for the consensus line of -8.5. The Celtics are 7.5-point favorites at FanDuel.

Jayson Tatum Over 23.5 points

Tatum returned to the Celtics late in the regular season after suffering a torn Achilles last postseason, giving the team even more of a boost in what was already a stellar campaign. Tatum scored 25 points in Boston's Game 1 win but was held to 19 points in Game 2. The model thinks Tatum will be more of a factor in the scoring department on Friday with a projection of 26.0 points. 

Lakers-Rockets Over 206.5

Despite being fairly large underdogs at home in Games 1 and 2, the Lakers are up 2-0 and the Rockets will have to scramble to get back into this series. Both teams had very good scoring defenses this year, and both Games 1 and 2 were pretty low-scoring, at 205 and 195 total points scored, respectively. The model thinks there will be more scoring in Game 3, however, as Over 206.5 hits in 68.4% of simulations for an 'A' grade. It should be noted that Kevin Durant is out for the Tockets, though.

Trail Blazers money line vs. Spurs

The Blazers were able to bounce back from a Game 1 loss in San Antonio with a narrow 106-103 victory. Portland will host Friday's Game 3 in this swing matchup. The SportsLine model is seeing more value in backing the Blazers to take a 2-1 lead as the Blazers win in 48% of simulations at plus money. 

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