2026 NBA playoff picks take an early peek at the upcoming 2025-26 NBA season. We are not surprised by how quick Bovada Las Vegas online sportsbook review was regarding these numbers. The regular season is now less than three weeks away. NBA training camps will be underway soon. Now, fans want to know the latest. Is it too early to steer clear of the playoffs? No. We offer a few choices to look at just to get into the postseason and more.
| NBA 2026 Playoff Numbers |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio Spurs | -160 | -170 | -150 |
| Boston Celtics | -165 | -160 | -175 |
| Dallas Mavericks | +115 | +110 | +110 |
| Indiana Pacers | +120 | +130 | +135 |
| Miami Heat | +150 | +175 | +150 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | +160 | +150 | +175 |
2026 NBA Playoff Betting Picks and those middle teams loom large. Last year, Indiana and Oklahoma City had a heck of an NBA Final going the distance. However, things have changed drastically for the Pacers. Tyrese Haliburton is sidelined for the year with a torn Achilles. The best case scenario for the All-Star Guard would normally be a return sometime in the playoffs.
Unfortunately compared to other sports, a blown out Achilles takes longer for an elite NBA player to recover from. Typically, an athlete is looking at 8-12 months but an NBA player is more in the range of around 15 months. Worse, it may take a good bit of playing time to get that foot/ankle and leg up to full playing speed. Haliburton may not get back to his original form until early 2027.
The betting public’s notion that Indiana should be plus money here is accurate. It will be interesting to see how the Pacers bounce back from such a devastating injury. Andrew Nembhard is an excellent Guard. Pundits might forget how good he was in the Milwaukee and Cleveland series last season. Can he play 40 minutes a night? In the playoffs, he was up to around 34 a contest and looked just fine.
Nonetheless, NBA 2026 Playoff Picks focuses on the more obvious. Is Indiana a good pick here? The Pacers won 50 games last season and a drop-off feels inevitable. How much may not be that drastic at all? Books are going around 39-40 wins. Indiana could surprise and exceed that total and make the playoffs. Orlando was a 7 seed with 41 wins last year.
Do we go for the Boston playoff spot in the 2026 NBA Playoff Betting Picks? Think about how injuries are so widespread in the NBA. It is funny to talk about nerve irritations and glute issues but training camps are here and this is already happening. Anyway, Boston is facing something a bit more serious. Jayson Tatum had surgery four months ago on his torn Achilles. He took a slightly more risky approach.
Boston and Joe Mazzula know that Tatum is already doing some basketball activities, working out, and more. However, no one seems to know when or if the All-Star can return to the Celtics lineup. The Celtics have competition in the Atlantic Division. However, Boston is better than experts think. Most books have them pegged to go around .500. Their win total stands at 40.5 wins.
Now, the reality is that Boston could be a little better than expected. Tatum potentially could return around or after the All-Star Break. Do the Celtics play this safe and save him for the playoffs? Again, there are a lot of questions. However, given the state of the Eastern Conference, counting Boston out is Fools’ Gold.
Fortunately, there is still some time between now and the start of the NBA season. The best number we saw was -160 on MyBookie. It would not surprise us to see a bit of lengthening between now and the end of October. Again, the NBA 2026 Playoff Bets like Boston.
2026 NBA playoff picks consider teams of much more concern. Unfortunately, the Dallas Mavericks come to the forefront here. Saying that they can get back to the playoffs in 2026 might be even more difficult. Whatever is added to the Kylie Irving-Cooper Flagg duo may face a much more daunting road through the Western Conference. Arguably, the San Antonio Spurs have an easier road.
Some books lowered the Mavericks down to +115 as of press time. This was a team firmly around -110 to -125 even a mere week or so ago. One never quite knows what will happen. Are some pundits sleeping on the Mavericks? Now, that is very possible. Again, the Mavericks are in a tough division with up and coming talent. Did we mentioned Oklahoma City?
Yes, the question marks also lie for teams like the Miami Heat and Memphis Grizzlies. Are they entertaining? Yes. Can they make the playoffs? Those chances feel less likely than some expect. However, they have a chance and will have to be monitored numbers wise to see if there is more plus money involved. The reason why we like Dallas is the potential. The health of Cooper Flagg is the chief worry here.
For the NBA 2026 Playoffs Picks, consider that +115 number for Dallas, but if this should lengthen then maybe wait to see how Dallas starts out the NBA campaign first.
NBA Vegas online odds are always available with just a dash of more NBA prop bets. More win totals will be examined as October rolls along.
