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Six teams are on the brink in the 2026 NBA Playoffs, with three looking to avoid going home and the other three looking for Game 6 victories to advance to the second round. Two huge Eastern Conference matchups are on tap, with the New York Knicks taking a 3-2 series lead into Atlanta as they face the Hawks, and the Boston Celtics also can clinch on the road against 76ers. In the West, the Timberwolves have a surprise lead over the Nuggets and will be at home to try to put away Denver. 

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times before issuing its top picks and best bets for every NBA playoff game as well as player props. The model has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past eight-plus seasons. 

It entered the second full week of the 2026 NBA playoffs on a sizzling 25-9 roll (74%) on top-rated NBA spread picks this season. Anyone following its NBA betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.

If you're planning to place any wagers on the NBA Playoffs on Thursday, you can look at money line bets, spread bets, Over/Under bets or player prop bets, among many options. But before you place your wagers, you have to see what the SportsLine model's top NBA picks are for these three games. Those interested in parlay betting could even put two or more of these picks on one slip at FanDuel for the potential of a significant profit.

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

NBA Playoffs picks, best bets for Wednesday, April 29

  • Knicks money line vs. Hawks
  • Celtics -6.5 vs. 76ers
  • Jaylen Brown Over 6.5 Rebounds
  • Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Under 224.5

Knicks money line

New York came out with a purpose on Tuesday and dominated the Hawks in a 126-97 victory, with Jalen Brunson pouring in 39 point and Karl Anthony Towns adding 16 points and 14 rebounds. That followed a 114-98 victory in Game 4 after a pair of one-point losses that had the Knicks down 2-1 in the series. The Knicks are 2.5-point favorites on the road, and they are covering the spread in 58% of the SportsLine model's simulations and winning outright 57% of the time. 

Celtics -6.5 vs. 76ers

The shots just weren't falling for the Celtics in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's Game 5, as they made 40% of them from the field. Boston scored just 10 points in the fourth quarter, making three of 22 shots. The Celtics led by 13 early in the third, so they aren't panicking. After all, they have beaten Philly by more than 30 points twice in this series. The SportsLine Model has Boston winning ouright in 68% of simulations, but the best value is on the spread pick, which hits at a 57% rate.

Jaylen Brown Over 6.5 Rebounds

The guard isn't known primarily for his rebounding, but he is averaging six per game this season and has hit seven in three of the five games in the series. He had at least six in all four games against Philly in the regular season, and with this being a chance to clinch the series, he will be out to make game-changing plays wherever he can. The SportsLine props model has him projected for 6.9 rebounds in Game 6. 

Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Under 224.5

Before Nikola Jokic went off with a triple-double in Monday's 125-113 Nuggets victory, this had been a pretty low-scoring series. Three of the five games have gone Under this number, with Denver held below 100 points in two of its losses. The SportsLine model has this one coming in Under 215 points, making this great value. The model gives a 'B' grade to Under 224.5, with it hitting in just shy of 70% of simulations.    

NBA bettors can learn more about the FanDuel promo code for a great offer.