Our free NBA picks are out for Saturday, April 16th, 2022! Make sure you check our expert NBA picks before the action kicks off.
Look below to find our free NBA picks for the four Round 1 games on today’s schedule!
Utah Jazz @ Dallas Mavericks – 1pm ET
We kick off the playoffs in the NBA for 2022 with a game between the Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks. Coming into this clash the Jazz had split their last eight games, but they did beat the Trail Blazers in their last game of the season, 111-80. The Mavericks will be hoping their winning streak from the regular season extends to the playoffs, they have won their last four games.
Noah Dunlap
This is a series that I was really excited to see, as it should be extremely close, but that may have changed with the news that just came out today. The Dallas Mavericks have announced that Luka Doncic is out for Game 1 for sure, and is also probably out for Game 2 as well, with a calf strain. Seeing as we’re talking about a Dallas team that has been hugely reliant on Luka as their main piece all year long, if he were to end up missing multiple games in this series, I think the whole feeling of this series changes.
Utah comes in with the talent to make a deep run in this year’s postseason, but they haven’t played up to that potential for much of the year. With Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, and Mike Conley leading the way, they’re almost certainly going to be in every game, but the question is whether they can get things going together to actually get over the hump. Luka is the biggest question in this series, but since we know for sure that he’s out for this one, give me Utah in Game 1 on the road.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Utah Jazz (-215)
Tony Battalio
The Utah Jazz come into this game after finishing the regular season with a record of 49-33, which left them in fifth place in the Western Conference. They also won the Northwest Division over the Denver Nuggets by a single game. Now they will be looking to take advantage of a Dallas Mavericks team that won’t have Luka Doncic in Game 1 of this series to kick off the playoffs. Utah is a serious dark horse contender to bring home a ring as long as Mitchell, Gobert, and Conley can remain healthy throughout the playoffs.
The Dallas Mavericks finished the regular season in fourth place in the Western Conference. Their final record through 82 games was 52-30. They are a serious contender to win an NBA title this season in my opinion but they have to make sure Luka Doncic can stay healthy. They will already be facing an uphill climb as they will be without him for at least the first game of this opening series against the Utah Jazz. That is why I am taking the Utah Jazz to pick up the victory over Dallas to take a 1-0 lead.
Tony’s NBA Pick: Utah Jazz (-215)
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Memphis Grizzlies – 3.30pm ET
The Minnesota Timberwolves will hit the road for the first two games of their Round 1 series with the Memphis Grizzlies. The Timberwolves had to go through the play-in, where they beat the Clippers, 109-104 to make it here. The Grizzlies didn’t have to play the extra game, but in their last four games of the regular season, they only won one.
Noah Dunlap
This has the potential to be one of the more intriguing series that we run across in the first round, as the Memphis Grizzlies should win, but Minnesota has the core talent, and the energy and emotion to make things close. With the Grizz, if they score at least 120, they don’t lose, as they’re undefeated this season when they get to that mark. With Ja Morant back in the lineup, I think reaching that number is easier, but Minnesota does have guys like Patrick Beverly that can disrupt a lot of things on the defensive side of the ball.
The other side of this Minnesota team that I like is having a guy like Anthony Edwards, who seems to embrace the spotlight and big time situations, who can have a monstrous series. The down side of that is the fact that this is a series that is going to end up featuring a fast tempo, with a lot of points, and in the end I think Memphis has the edge with the youth and athletes that they can put on the floor. The T’Wolves are going to be aggressive and vocal, but Memphis loves that side of the game as well, so that’s not something they’re going to back down from. With Game 1 being in Memphis, give me the Grizz in a tight one at home.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Memphis Grizzlies (-280)
Tony Battalio
The Minnesota Timberwolves got an emotional win the other night against the Los Angeles Clippers to get into this first round series with Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies. Now they will be looking to use that momentum from the playoff play-in game to get themselves a big win in Game 1 of this series. Led by Anthony Edwards and Karl Anthony Towns, the Minnesota Timberwolves are very capable of making a deep run in this season’s NBA playoffs. But they will have their hands full with Ja Morant as well.
The Memphis Grizzlies may be the only team in the history of sports to somehow play as well as they did without their superstar on the floor. As they managed to go 20-1 in 21 games without Ja Morant in action. That is an incredible feat and it shows just how well constructed this Memphis Grizzlies roster is and why they are such a threat to win an NBA championship. They come into this game one having finished second in the Western Conference and I think they will get themselves the victory in Game 1 of this series as well.
Tony’s NBA Pick: Memphis Grizzlies (-280)
Toronto Raptors @ Philadelphia 76ers – 6pm ET
The Toronto Raptors are on the road for Game 1 of this playoff series when they go toe-to-toe with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Raptors finished off the regular season quite well, winning eight of their last 10 games. It was a similar situation for the 76ers, who won five of their last six games of the regular season.
Noah Dunlap
Has James Harden eliminated his playoff woes yet? To me, that’s going to be the biggest question surrounding this series, as the Philadelphia 76ers have more talent, with Joel Embiid and James Harden, but if Harden is struggling, this is a series that could create some major problems for Philly. It can be assumed that Embiid is going to have a great series, as he’s an MVP candidate, and doesn’t seem to have many off days in terms of his performance. I do have a few reservations about the rest of the roster, but if they can get solid production from the two superstars, I think they would be able to overcome the issues with the rest of the roster.
Toronto, on the other hand, isn’t a team to sleep on however, as they’ve been one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference, when they’re healthy. Led by Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam, they can easily create issues within this series, and this is actually a series that I’m taking the upset in, as I like Toronto to get the win. For this game though, I’m going to take the Sixers in a close one, as I think they start out hot at home, before the Raptors start to take control of the series.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers (-198)
Tony Battalio
This is the one series that the Philadelphia 76ers fans were going to have nightmares about. As many if not all of them remember how Kawhi Leonard broke their hearts in 2019. When his three point shot went off the rim three times and in to knock the Philadelphia 76ers out of the playoffs in Game 7 of the playoffs. Now they will be looking to vanquish those demons in this one with James Harden and Joel Embiid playing some of the best basketball of their careers up until this point. As Embiid is the potentially Most Valuable Player award winner this season.
The Toronto Raptors are looking to break Philadelphia hearts once again this season. Both teams come into this game with near identical records of 51-31 for the 76ers and 48-34 for the Raptors, as only three games separated them. Now seven games could potentially show which team is the better one this season. As both of these teams have stars of their own, in Toronto’s case it’s Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet. However, I am giving the edge to the duo of Harden and Embiid in this series opening game.
Tony’s NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers (-198)
Denver Nuggets @ Golden State Warriors – 8.30pm ET
The final Round 1 playoff game for Saturday will see the Denver Nuggets take on the Golden State Warriors. The Nuggets had been a bit inconsistent to end the regular season, trading wins and losses for the last six games. The Warriors on the other hand, finished off the regular season on a five game winning streak that they will certainly be looking to carry over into this game.
Noah Dunlap
What a series this is going to be. The Golden State Warriors have been one of the best teams in the league for much of the year, although they have seen stretches where they’ve struggled, though those have been mainly when they’re missing a key player or two due to injury. They’ve been without Steph Curry for multiple weeks now, but it looks as if he should be back for Game 1 of this first round series. Adding Steph to a roster that includes Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andrew Wiggins could be a huge step for a team that clearly has the talent to make a title run, assuming they stay healthy and can get hot.
The flip side of that is the fact that they’re taking on one of the scarier teams in this year’s postseason, the Denver Nuggets. Denver has the likely MVP, Nikola Jokic, which would be his second consecutive MVP award, and he has shown the ability to be a one-man wrecking crew this year. There’s some optimism that Jamaal Murray could also make a return in this series, though I’m leaning towards thinking that won’t actually happen. I think Jokic alone has the ability to keep this series close, but with Murray, and Michael Porter Jr., expected to be out, I think Golden State sneaks by with the series, and this game, as I think they get the win in Game 1 at home. Give me the Dubs by 8+ in this one.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors -6 (-112)
Tony Battalio
This is going to be the best series of the first round of the NBA playoffs in my opinion. As two of the best basketball players in the world will lead their teams into battle when the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors step onto the court. As it will be Steph Curry vs Nikola Jokic in this potentially seven game series. The Warriors are looking to add another ring to their already impressive dynasty while the Nuggets will be looking to make an NBA finals run this season. Denver comes into this game at 48-34 and Golden State is 53-29 on the season.
This series easily has the potential to go the full seven games and every single one of them is going to be an instant classic in my mind. As both of these teams will look to get a leg up and take a 1-0 advantage heading into Game 2. Steph Curry is going to be fresh off an injury which means he will be rested but that always opens up the opportunity for a little bit of rust. While Jokic is likely closing in on his second straight Most Valuable Player award winning season. As for the result of this one, I am taking the Golden State Warriors at home in the Bay Area in Game 1.
Tony’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors (-260)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
