NBA Playoff Upset Predicted in Latest Basketball Picks.

The NBA playoffs have arrived and history reveals that chances of a major upset in the postseason is a long shot. Yet, there is still a chance some upsets could happen in the 2025 NBA playoffs. The biggest area of opportunity is the two No. 4 versus No. 5 series with the teams evenly matched. Despite the close seeding, the No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks opened as a sizable underdog versus the No. 4 Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference matchup. News of Damian Lillard’s potential return sooner rather than later has shifted the odds slightly. The Pacers are favored to win win the series at -164, while the Bucks are at +138, per FanDuel. Indiana is also a 5.5-point favorite against Milwaukee in Game 1. Yahoo Sports’ Ben Rohrbach predicts the Bucks will pull off the upset over the Pacers in seven games. ”

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(Giannis) Antetokounmpo is building a résumé that has him on pace to finish as one of the 20 greatest players to ever live,” Rohrbach wrote on Thursday. “His team has lost in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. And they could fail to reach the second round for a third straight year. But do not bet on it.” These are familiar foes with the Bucks and Pacers developing a recent rivalry. Despite the latest NBA odds, Milwaukee has proven capable of defeating Indiana. The Bucks won three of the four matchups against the Pacers during the regular season. Most recently, the Bucks topped the Pacers 126-119 on March 15 as Giannis Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 34 points. Related: NBA Makes Major Announcement on Bucks-Pacers Ahead of Playoffs.

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Rockets Star Makes Major Sacrifice Ahead Of 2025 NBA Playoffs..

The Houston Rockets will head into the 2025 NBA playoffs with an extremely tricky matchup against the Golden State Warriors awaiting them in the first round. This is a rivalry with a lot of demons for the Rockets, who lost four playoff matchups to the Warriors from 2015 to 2019, watching multiple title bids fall by the wayside. Ahead of a matchup where the Rockets are the No. 2 seed while the Warriors needed the Play-in to secure the No. 7 seed, it seems like Rockets star Jalen Green is fully committing himself to winning playoff matchups. He announced on Instagram that he will not be using social media for the entirety of the playoffs, minimizing distractions as the Rockets play their first playoff series since 2020. It seems many of his Instagram fans assumed he had relationship troubles when he tried hopping off social media, prompting him to pop back in to announce why he’s absent.

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This is a solid move by the Rockets guard, as he’s a very active social media presence. It shows he has the right mindset for playoff basketball ahead of his postseason debut. Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) passes the ball while Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) defends © Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images © Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Green averaged 21.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists this season. After showing flashes of star potential over the last few seasons, this year was undoubtedly Green’s best. He’s hit a new level defensively and is the Rockets’ go-to perimeter offensive option. If he sinks in the playoffs, the Rockets stand no chance of overcoming opponents like the Warriors. Hopefully, he thrives and helps the Rockets exorcise their playoff demons against a Stephen Curry-led Warriors squad.

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LeBron James drops stern Luka Doncic warning ahead of NBA Playoffs..

The Lakers have homecourt in their first round series against the Wolves.

LOS ANGELES – When the Los Angeles Lakers first made the trade for Luka Doncic, one of the biggest questions was how Doncic would fit chemistry-wise on the court with LeBron James. With the Lakers securing the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and making the NBA Playoffs outright, the initial sample size has been a success as they prepare for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The NBA Playoffs is a different story though. But following a post-practice media availability session, LeBron James quickly summed up his chemistry with Luka Doncic, as well as their mentality heading into the Lakers’ opening round series against the Timberwolves.

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“Offensively, give Luka the ball,” James said. “And if we stay ready, we never got to get ready.”

With the Lakers finishing 50-32 and securing the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, it was the first time since the inception of the play-in that they’ve made the playoffs outright.

The Lakers closed the regular season going 7-4 in their final 11 games but excluding the final game of the season when the Lakers rested the majority of their lineup, it was 7-3. The Lakers also have a clean slate of health with both James and Rui Hachimura returning to the lineup during that stretch.