The Sixers aren’t in the postseason for the first time in eight years. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the NBA Playoffs.
The spring is a busy time of year on the sports calendar. For the next two months we’ll have lots of sports to bet on with the NBA and NHL in their postseasons, MLB season in full force, major championships in golf and tennis taking place and a horse racing triple crown.
We wanted to give out a few Same Game Parlays we’re liking courtesy of our friends at FanDuel Sportsbook for the opening weekend of the NBA Playoffs. Without further ado, here is our first play which takes place on Saturday in New York.
Detroit Pistons @ New York Knicks, Game 1
6 p.m. ET, Saturday tip-off at Madison Square Garden
Tobias Harris to score 15+ points (+112)
Karl-Anthony Towns to record 12+ rebounds (-128)
Dennis Schroder to record 4+ assists (-136)
Payout: +477
Analysis: We’re going to start with the two Pistons angles here because they’re kind of one in the same. The Pistons are in the NBA Playoffs for just the third time in the last 16 seasons. It’s their first appearance in the last six seasons. JB Bickerstaff is widely considered a strong candidate for the NBA Coach of the Year award. He got a very inexperienced roster that only won 14 games into the playoffs and didn’t even need to make it through the play-in tournament.
We’re going to take some Pistons that have playoff experience elsewhere to perform and perhaps keep Detroit in the game. Just last season Harris played in postseason games in Madison Square Garden with Philadelphia so he should be pretty comfortable. Schroder feels like a good calming presence in the backcourt that I would think gets the younger players involved and allows them to ease themselves into the game. So we’re looking for the German veteran guard to facilitate early and often and build confidence for his teammates.
When it comes to Karl-Anthony Towns, the middle leg in our parlay is more physical than mental. Towns has a two-inch height advantage on Detroit center Jalen Duren. In three games against the Pistons in the regular season, Towns averaged 11 rebounds per game. However, in those three games he only averaged 33 minutes per game. Expect Towns to be closer to 40 minutes on Saturday night, if not over that, which should be enough for him to grab a 12th rebound against a smaller Detroit team.
Golden State Warriors @ Houston Rockets, Game 1
9:30 p.m. ET, Sunday tip-off at Toyota Center
Jimmy Butler to score 25+ points (+150)
Brandin Podziemski to make at least 3 three-pointers (+168)
Alperen Sengun to record at least 10 rebounds (-172)
Payout: +909
Analysis: This seems to be pretty clearly the most intriguing first-round matchup in the NBA Playoffs. These two teams ran into each other quite a bit in the 2010s and while both teams look vastly different in 2025, I think both would tell you they have expectations of making a deep playoff run.
We’ll start with Butler who has certainly looked rejuvenated since being traded across the country from Miami to Golden State. Playoff Jimmy appears to be in full swing after a 38-point performance in the Warriors’ play-in tournament victory against Memphis. Butler also grew up in Tomball, Texas which is a Houston suburb so we’re expecting him to have a big night to open this series in Southeast Texas.
Podziemski just feels like someone destined to get a lot of open looks in this series. I imagine Golden State drafted him with these moments in mind. Given the amount of defensive attention Houston will pay to both Steph Curry and Butler, Podziemski doesn’t need to shake loose too much to splash home at least three triples. He’s a career 38% three-point shooter so there’s a lot to like about his chances to get this leg home at a plus price if he can shake loose enough.
Golden State has never been a team with a ton of size up front which has always made me wonder how Draymond Green and company would hold up against an All-Star center. Sengun is just that for Houston and we expect him to have his way on the glass en route to double-digit rebounds.