Cameron Johnson picked up his production down the stretch, averaging 15.2 points over his final 15 games of the regular season...

The Hawks only had one member of their bench log at least 20 minutes in Game 1. They gave their starters big minutes, including having Dyson Daniels play 36 minutes. Although he only scored four points, he had nine rebounds and 11 assists. In three regular season games against the Knicks, Daniels posted 17, 14 and 15 combined rebounds and assists. With the expectation that he plays around 35 minutes in Game 2, I like this over.

CJ McCollum was busy in Game 1, shooting 11-for-20 from the field. He finished with 26 points and made four of his nine attempts from behind the arc. For his career, he has shot 39.5% from three. He had a 26.9% usage rate with the Hawks during the regular season, which ranked second on the team behind Jalen Johnson (27.0%). With plenty of minutes and shot attempts likely coming his way again in Game 2, McCollum is in a favorable spot to score at least 18 points.

This will be the first taste of the playoffs for this young Spurs team. One of the few tested veterans that they have is Harrison Barnes, who previously won a title with the Warriors. Despite only averaging 22 minutes over the final 15 games of the regular season, he scored at least five points in 11 of those games. It’s also worth noting that this game will be played in San Antonio, where he shoots 47.5% from the field. I’ll take a chance on him hitting the over on this very low points total.

Jaylen Brown averages 28.7 points per game for the season. We’re well below that number here, likely because Jayson Tatum is now healthy. However, Brown averaged 29.7 points over 12 full games that he played with Tatum. He’s still going to be one of the focal points of the Celtics and he’s an efficient scorer, shooting 47.7% from the field for the season. I like his chances of scoring at least 26 points.

Amen Thompson is an excellent rebounder. He grabbed 7.8 boards per game during the regular season, which included him recording at least eight rebounds in 11 of his last 16 games. He averaged 37 minutes a game this season, which is a number that is likely to only go up in the playoffs. He played at least 41 minutes the last two times he faced the Lakers and came away with 12 and 11 rebounds. Look for him to be active on the glass again.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker had a breakout season for the Hawks, averaging 20.8 points per game. It was the most efficient season of his career with him shooting 45.9% from the field and 39.9% from three. In three regular season games against the Knicks, he scored 25, 23 and 36 points. Alexander-Walker shot 47.4% from the field on the road this season, so even with this game being played in New York, I like the over for his points.

With the Timberwolves dealing with injuries down the stretch, Ayo Dosunmu had a span of nine straight starts. He averaged 18.7 points and 33 minutes in that role. He came off the bench in his final game of the regular season, scoring 15 points across 26 minutes. He has become an important player for the Timberwolves, so expect him to play around 25 minutes Saturday. With him shooting 51.7% from the field and 43.9% from three for the season, that’s a large enough role to make this over appealing.

The Raptors are a long, versatile defensive team. During the regular season, they finished fifth in defensive rating and fourth in turnovers forced per game. They were also a respectable 22-19 on the road. Although all three matchups came in the first half of the season, the Raptors went 3-0 against the Cavaliers. I think they can at least keep Game 1 close enough to cover this big number.

The Warriors used only eight players in their win over the Clippers on Wednesday. Gui Santos remained in the starting lineup and scored 20 points over 32 minutes. He went 9-for-13 from the field, continuing an efficient season in which he had a field goal percentage of 50.0%. The Suns are a good defensive team, but they will be focusing their efforts on slowing down Stephen Curry, not Santos. With the expectation that he plays around 30 minutes again, Santos is in a favorable spot to hit this over.

Desmond Bane was the lone bright spot for the Magic in their loss to the 76ers on Wednesday. He shot 10-for-16 from the field on his way to scoring 34 points. After playing 40 minutes in that game, he should play a lot Friday as the Magic try to avoid elimination. This game being in Orlando is a boost for his scoring upside because he averaged 21.3 points per game at home, versus 18.8 points a night on the road. I like his chances of coming away from this matchup with at least 20 points.

Stephen Curry and Kristaps Porzingis are both expected to play Wednesday. Even with the team’s two best scoring options in and out of the lineup down the stretch, Draymond Green recorded at least six assists in seven of his last eight games. He should play a lot and is the main facilitator of the Warriors’ offense, so I’ll pay the juice and take this over.

We have seen Paolo Banchero come up big in the playoffs before. Against an excellent defensive team in the Celtics last postseason, Banchero averaged 29.4 points over five games. In the 2024 playoffs, he averaged 27.0 points in a seven-game series against the Cavaliers. He should play a ton and lead the Magic in shot attempts, so I like his chances of scoring at least 23 points.

Coby White only averaged 19 minutes over 21 games after the Hornets acquired him from the Bulls. However, he still averaged 15.6 points. His role is to come off the bench jacking up shots. Despite his limited playing time, he averaged 11.0 shot attempts, 5.2 of which came from behind the arc, and 4.1 free throws a game. In two meetings with the Heat as a member of the Hornets, White scored 13 and 24 points. I like his chances of scoring at least 13 points against them again.

Brandon Miller had an excellent regular season in which he averaged 20.2 points per game. At home, he averaged 21.2 points. He averaged at least 3.1 three-pointers for the second straight season, and he made 38.3% of his shots from behind the arc. Although teams tend to slow down some in the playoffs, the Heat played at the fastest pace in the league this season, so this is still a favorable matchup. I expect Miller to play a lot in this win or go home game, making the over appealing.