Sharp NBA Playoff Picks for Wednesday: 3 Predictions for Today, Including Thunder vs. Pelicans

The NBA playoffs are here and with that comes plenty of opportunities to make some cash from the sportsbooks.

Wednesday’s slate of play-in games features two great matchups and we’ve got three bets to start off the playoff betting hot.

Thunder vs. Pelicans Pick: Thunder +5.5 | Shop for the Best Odds Below!

9:30 p.m. ET

Despite making the play-in, the Pelicans did not play inspiring basketball to close out the regular season. With Zion Williamson’s continued absence, there isn’t much optimism in the Bayou for this team to be a serious title contender, but they are favored in this one.

The Pelicans were off to a hot start early in the season with Williams, even reaching the West’s No. 1 seed. Since then, they’ve been treading water and almost lost their spot in the play-in multiple times.

The Thunder are nearly the opposite of the Pelicans, as their young core has erupted late and is poised for a bright future. While they weren’t phenomenal on the road this season, they were the superior team down the stretch.

Ultimately, the Pelicans don’t have a player to match the star power of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. I’m taking the Thunder to cover this spread on the road and possibly win outright.

Jaylin Williams Over 13.5 Points | +100 at BetMGM

BetMGM is feeling generous today by handing us mathematically profitable bets on a silver platter. This one comes by way of ascending star Jaylin Williams, who is a candidate for Rookie of the Year.

To put it bluntly, the Pelicans defense has been terrible to close the season, particularly in the paint where Williams thrives. Teams with above-average offensive capability through the middle are allowed to walk to the rim by this New Orleans team.

It doesn’t hurt that Williams is a player who drives to the rim often AND we are getting great value here. This also contributes to our Thunder prediction, so we can root for both to hit whenever Williams has the ball in his hands.

There is obvious value here. Caesars, the other big-name sportsbook on this list is offering this for -115. Why would you ever take this there when MGM is gifting us plus odds? You wouldn’t so let’s cash this even-odds play.

Bulls vs. Raptors Pick: Fred VanVleet Under 18.5 Points | -105 at BetMGM

7 p.m. ET

This play comes from our Positive EV page and there is clear value here on VanVleet. BetMGM is offering us this play at -105 when other books have significantly higher odds.

This is nearly 3% EV, so lock this in while you can before odds move. It doesn’t hurt our case here that VanVleet has struggled in his last three contests and this under would have cashed in each of those games.

While the Bulls are far from a world-beater, we cannot ignore the clear value that we are getting in this one.