NBA picks, best bets for playoffs: Why Donovan Mitchell will be slowed by Boston in Game 1, plus a Mavs prop

The 2024 NBA postseason is well underway, and the basketball betting market is hotter than ever. CBS Sports will provide daily picks for the duration of the postseason. Sam Quinn will make at least one pick for every game between now and the NBA Finals.

Donovan Mitchell scored 89 points in the last two games of Cleveland's first-round win over Orlando, but the Celtics are a different beast. Orlando had one high-end guard defender to throw at him in Jalen Suggs, but the Celtics have two in Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, and every Celtic is so good defensively that there won't be an easy spot to hunt through screens. Toss in the whiplash and exhaustion of turning around from the end of one series against a weaker opponent to the beginning of another against a better one on just one day of rest, and I'm expecting a slow start for Mitchell against Boston. The Pick: Mitchell Under 27.5 Points

I took the Game 1 rebounding prop for New Orleans' starting center, Jonas Valanciunas, and he responded with 20 rebounds against the Thunder. Now, I'm doing the same in Game 1 of this series for Daniel Gafford. He struggled in the Clippers matchup due to the sheer strength of Ivica Zubac, but Chet Holmgren obviously presents a more favorable opponent on the glass. With Maxi Kleber injured, the Mavericks are down to two centers, so either of them is viable at the same low number (6.5). The Pick: Gafford Over 6.5 Rebounds