NBA betting: Four bets for Wednesday's playoff games - ESPN

The 2025 NBA playoffs continue Wednesday with a pair of Western Conference Game 5s.

First, the Houston Rockets (-4.5, 204.5) return home and aim to stave off elimination from the Golden State Warriors. Then, the Los Angeles Lakers (-6.5, 209.5) try and keep their season alive against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Here are some of the bets that stand out for Wednesday's games.

Odds are as of publication time. For the most up-to-date odds, visit ESPN BET

Warriors-Rockets under 204.5 points (-112)

This series has been a defensive rock fight throughout, with an average combined score of 199.3 PPG. Game 4 was the highest-scoring thus far at 215 combined points, but a) that was a bit of an anomaly, and b) Game 5 is an elimination game. The Rockets are a young team that is much better on defense than on offense, and elimination games often lead to young teams tightening up even more on offense and putting even more effort into the defense. I wouldn't be surprised at all if this were a game more like Game 1 where neither team tops the century mark. — Andre' Snellings

Luka Doncic over 32.5 points (-105)

With the Lakers in an elimination game, I fully expect both Luka and LeBron James to have great games tonight. With the added sauce of the lingering questions about Luka's physical fitness and will to win based on the aftermath of his trade from Dallas, in addition to the images of him missing layups late in Game 4, I particularly see Luka coming into this game with something to prove. And Luka has a history of putting up big scoring numbers against the Timberwolves. Last season, with the Mavericks, Luka averaged 33.6 PPG in seven games against the Timberwolves (including the playoffs). In this season's playoffs, outside of when