NBA Playoffs Round 1: Free NBA Picks Today for Wednesday, April 26th, 2023

Our free NBA picks are out for Wednesday, April 26th, 2023! Make sure you check our NBA picks before the action kicks off.

Look below to find our free NBA picks for the five best games on today’s schedule!

New York Knicks @ Cleveland Cavaliers – 7PM ET

Tony Battalio

The New York Knicks have an opportunity to close out the Cleveland Cavaliers by picking up their second victory of this first round series in Cleveland. They looked great in game number one of the series when they got their first win in Cleveland and now they will be looking to replicate that performance and officially close the book on the Cavaliers  here in game five on Wednesday night. Jalen, Brunson and Julius Randle have been playing well throughout  the first four games of this series. If they can replicate that performance here in game number five then New York should find themselves in a great position to grab the victory.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will have to play a lot better than they did in game number four of the series if they want to keep their season alive with a victory here at home. Donovan Mitchell will have to step up and play like he did for the first three games of the series and hope to put that game four performance behind him. If he looks anything like you did in the previous game of the series then Cleveland doesn’t have much of a shot to win this one, despite being at home against New York. However, I look for the Cavaliers to rebound and grab the victory in this one with a solid performance from Donovan Mitchell.

Los Angeles Lakers @ Memphis Grizzlies – 7:30PM ET

Tony Battalio

The Los Angeles Lakers have an opportunity to close out the Memphis Grizzlies with another solid performance in game five of the series on Wednesday night in Memphis. The Lakers got off to a very fast starting game number for at home, and despite blowing a little bit of a massive lead, they still managed to pick up a double digit victory over the number two seed in the Western Conference. Now, LeBron James and company will be looking to replicate that performance and pull off the first upset of this year’s NBA playoffs and advance to the second round.

The Memphis Grizzlies will have to play a lot better than they did in game number four out of the gate otherwise they will find themselves in trouble if they get into a massive hole again like they did last time. Ja Morant will have to play his best basketball this season and the supporting cast will have to be productive as well if Memphis wants to grab the victory here in this game at home on Wednesday. That is exactly what I expect as I think Memphis will find a way to extend the series one more game and send it back to Los Angeles facing a 3 to 2 deficit against the Lakers.

Miami Heat @ Milwaukee Bucks – 9:30PM ET

Tony Battalio

The Miami Heat have looked incredible throughout the first four games of the series, and now they have the number one seed in the Eastern conference with their backs against the wall. Miami only needs to grab one more victory in this series to pull off the upset and advance to the second round to play the winner of the series between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Jimmy Butler has been incredible throughout the first four games of this playoff series as well and I look for him to have another solid performance here in game five on Wednesday night in Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee Bucks have had a rough go of it during this playoff series. They find themselves on the brink of illumination, and that is not where they expected to be as the number one seed in the Eastern conference, and the team with the best record in the NBA. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s injury has hampered the Milwaukee Bucks throughout the first round series and now they will have to win three straight if they want to advance to the second round against a very tough Miami team. I expect them to grab the victory here in game number five and extend the series the game six back in Miami.

Golden State Warriors @ Sacramento Kings – 10PM ET

Tony Battalio

The Golden State Warriors find themselves in a good position heading in the game number five of the series in Sacramento on Wednesday night. After losing the first two games in the series on the road, they bounced back with two consecutive victories at home. Now they will be looking to avoid the problem that has plagued them for the entirety of the season, and that is their inability to win away from home in the bay area. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson will have to deliver some solid performances once again, if they want to get the victory over Sacramento on the road here on Wednesday night.

The Sacramento Kings will be looking to bounce back from two consecutive losses as they head into game number five of the series at home looking to take a 3 to 2 edge before heading back to San Francisco for game number six later in the week. De’Aaron Fox is expected to play this game, despite picking up a broken finger at the end of game number for the series which could hamper his performance throughout game number five and the remainder of the series as well. Despite that I still look for the Sacramento Kings to get a close and competitive win in this game over Golden State here on Wednesday night.

If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our NBA hub page for all your baseball needs!

*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.