Underdog Fantasy NBA playoff picks, April 26

The NBA playoffs continue on Wednesday night with a loaded 4-game slate. The Cleveland Cavaliers, Memphis Grizzlies and Milwaukee Bucks are all facing elimination. Meanwhile, the incredibly fun series between the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings moves back to the California capital city with both teams having a pair of wins.

Here’s a look at the full slate of games, with tipoff times and TV info included:

• New York Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers — 7 p.m. ET on NBA TV (NY leads 3-1)
• Los Angeles Lakers at Memphis Grizzlies — 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT (LA leads 3-1)
• Miami Heat at Milwaukee Bucks — 9:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV (Miami leads 3-1)
• Golden State Warriors at Sacramento Kings — 10 p.m. ET on TNT (Series tied 2-2)

Over at Underdog, there are ways to get in on the action by making fantasy picks for player over/under stats in Wednesday’s NBA playoff games.

What is Underdog and why should fans care?

Underdog Fantasy is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) platform backed by investors such as Mark Cuban, Kevin Durant and Adam Schefter, among others. Find out more about the DFS platform here.

Through Underdog’s exciting player “pick’em” contests, you can bundle a few selections of player prop picks similar to what you find at online sportsbooks, and you can put real money against these picks.

Underdog Fantasy is available in 41 states across the US, so a lot of those states where sports betting is not yet legal? Yeah, you can do Underdog Fantasy picks for real money, as we’re outlining here.

Underdog Fantasy is not available in the following states: CT, DE, HI, ID, IA, LA, MI, MT, NV.

Underdog is available in these states, but pick’em contests as we outline here are not available: AZ, CO, MD, MO, NH, NJ, OH, PA, TN, WA, WV.

If you want to get started, Underdog will match your first deposit up to $100 by clicking here or using promo code SOUTH.

My picks for April 26

Julius Randle “higher” 32.5 points+rebounds+assists. Randle didn’t play down the stretch in Game 4, which clearly made him angry. I expect him to turn that perceived disrespect from the Knicks’ coaching staff into a strong showing in Game 5.

Donovan Mitchell “higher” 39.0 points+rebounds+assists. After scoring 38 points in Game 1, Mitchell has struggled in this series. Much like Randle, I expect a bounce-back game from Mitchell. Yes, the Knicks have plenty of talented wing defenders to throw at Mitchell, but I think the Cavaliers will try to get the elite scorer some easy buckets to build his confidence early.

Jimmy Butler “higher” 41.5 points+rebounds+assists. Playoff Jimmy Butler is unstoppable. He scored an incredible 56 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in Game 4. With a chance to pull off an incredible series win over the Milwaukee Bucks (the team with the NBA’s best record in 2022-23), look for Butler to continue playing like the superstar he is.

De’Aaron Fox “lower” 35.5 points+rebounds+assists. Fox is playing despite a broken finger on his shooting hand. He’s been dynamic in this series against the Warriors so far, but forgive me for thinking having a functional shooting hand is important for NBA players. I expect him to serve more as a facilitator and less of a shooter/scorer in Game 5. He’ll have an impact, just not as big of an impact as he’s had in recent games.

How many picks should you make?

The more picks you string together, the higher the “multiplier” or payout. Of course, the more you string together, the less likely you are to win because all of the picks have to hit in order for you to win.

A 4-way parlay of the picks I listed in the section above would pay out $100 on a $10 bet:

If you’re wanting to play it a bit safer, I’d recommend eliminating Fox’s portion of the contest above and going for a 6X multiplier instead. No matter how you play it, though, Wednesday night’s games should be a ton of fun! There’s a lot on the line this time of year. Who will survive and who will be eliminated?

Get started on Underdog by clicking here and make your picks for Wednesday’s NBA games or other CFB, CBB, NFL and NBA games. Using this link means Underdog will match your deposit up to $100. If you deposit $25, you’ll get an extra $25 to start playing right away.