NBA Playoffs odds, picks: Best bets for Monday’s 76ers vs. Knicks and Timberwolves vs. Spurs Game 1s
NBA Conference Semifinals Preview
The NBA conference semifinals tip off on Monday, May 4 with two games, as the New York Knicks host the Philadelphia 76ers and the Minnesota Timberwolves visit the San Antonio Spurs. Philadelphia stunned the second-seeded Celtics in seven games, while the Knicks knocked out the Hawks in six after an early series deficit provided a wake-up call. In the West, the No. 2 seed Spurs eased past the Portland Trail Blazers in five, and Minnesota overcame Anthony Edwards’ injury to beat the Denver Nuggets in six. ESPN has reported that Edwards will go through pregame warm-ups Monday and play if there are no setbacks.
Before you lock in your NBA bets for Monday’s Conference Semifinals Game 1s, you have to check out what the SportsLine Projection Model has to say. The model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times before issuing its best bets and top NBA picks, including NBA 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 enters the second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs on a sizzling 26-9 roll (74%) on top-rated NBA spread picks this season. Anyone following its advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
There are plenty of interesting options available to those who want to wager on Monday’s games, including money line bets, spread bets, Over/Under bets and player prop bets. And if you’re interested in parlay betting, you could even put two or more of these picks together 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 Monday.
76ers vs. Knicks Over 213.5; Joel Embiid Under 8.5 Rebounds; Spurs -9.5 vs. Timberwolves; Julius Randle Over 29.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists; 76ers vs. Knicks Over 213.5. New York has gone Over its team total in three of its past four games and is 36-35 to the Over when it is the favorite. The Sixers are 42-48 to the Over, including the playoffs. Both teams are in the top 12 in scoring, with the Knicks averaging 117.6 points and Philly averaging 116.2. The Knicks also are strong on defense, but the teams allow 227 points combined, so the SportsLine model has the Over hitting in 56.5% of its simulations, good for a ‘B’ grade.
Joel Embiid Under 8.5 Rebounds. The Sixers’ big man is dealing with a hip contusion and just recovered from an emergency appendectomy on April 9, but he is listed as probable and expected to play. Philadelphia is also coming off a physical Game 7, and Embiid was laboring toward the end of the game. Still, he had 34 points and 12 rebounds. The SportsLine model doesn’t see him having that sort of success in this series opener, projecting him for about 7.3 rebounds.
Spurs -9.5 vs. Timberwolves. San Antonio was favored by 13.5 before the Edwards news, but the spread has moved down to 9.5 points. Edwards is listed as questionable, and his status figures to influence the line for this matchup.
Julius Randle Over 29.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists. The Knicks’ forward continued to be a focal point for New York’s offense, contributing across scoring and playmaking categories in a way that could push him past the prop total.
76ers vs. Knicks Over 213.5. New York has gone Over its team total in three of its past four games and is 36-35 to the Over when it has been the favorite. The Sixers are 42-48 to the Over, including the playoffs. Both teams are among the league’s top-scoring units, and the model’s simulations indicate the Over has a solid chance to hit.
