NBA Picks & Parlay of the Weekend | May 4

The second round of the NBA playoffs is set to begin. Things kick off on Saturday night when the Denver Nuggets host the Minnesota Timberwolves. Since it’s the only game of the day, the USA Legal Betting team wanted to do something special, especially for the Denver fans taking advantage of legal Colorado sports betting. We’ve put together a same-game parlay for Game 1 between the Nuggets and Timberwolves. While there are plenty of great betting apps to explore, we decided to get our odds for this same-game parlay from BetRivers.

Nuggets ML | -190 at BetRivers

These two teams split their four regular-season games and ended the regular season separated by just one game in the standings. That should translate to a close series, as well as a tight Game 1. That’s why we’re going to forget about the spread and just take Denver’s moneyline. That’s a little easier to do in a three-leg parlay, so the drop in value of one leg isn’t a big deal.

While Minnesota was undoubtedly impressive in the first round, this comes down to experience. The Nuggets know how to handle these types of games and these situations, most notably a long layoff between series. Denver also had the second-best home record in the NBA this season, going 36-8. There’s no reason to think that kind of dominance won’t continue in the Western Conference Semifinals. That makes us secure the Nuggets will win regardless of the spread.

Under 207.5 | -109 at BetRivers

After a long layoff, it wouldn’t be surprising to see both of these teams struggle to shoot the ball and get in a groove offensively. Even two elite teams are going to have some rust to shake off after several days off. Plus, both teams will want to pace themselves a little more than usual, knowing this could be a long series. That will lead to a slow pace and a low-scoring game, making it hard for both teams to top 100 points.

It’s also worth noting that the Nuggets remained under the over/under in four of their five games during the first round of the playoffs. Keep in mind that in two of the four regular-season meetings between these teams, the losing team failed to score 100 points twice. Considering the spread is just 4.5 points, a close and competitive game will likely mean a low-scoring affair.

Nikola Jokic Over 27.5 Points | -125 at BetRivers

In four games against the Timberwolves this season, Jokic averaged 33.3 points per game. The last time he saw the T’Wolves, he scored 41 points, which was less than a month ago. Despite Minnesota’s frontcourt size, the T’Wolves have struggled to slow down Jokic because of how many different ways he can score.

For what it's worth, Jokic only went over 27.5 points twice in five games during the first round. But he knows that Minnesota is a formidable opponent, which will inspire Jokic to put his best foot forward in Game1. He'll want to make a statement, which is why a 30-point game from him isn't that far-fetched.