The NBA playoffs roar along as we have a pair of games Sunday, one being a first-round Game 7, and the other a second-round Game 1.   

Below are two bets that I am targeting for Sunday. 

Atlanta Hawks at Philadelphia 76ers 

The pick: Hawks ML (+126, FanDuel Sportsbook) 

The pick here is taking a leap that Joel Embiid will not play and frankly, it feels like a safe leap to take. Not only is a partial meniscus tear typically more serious than a “day-to-day” injury that the Sixers are alluding to, reports from Doc Rivers on Saturday stated that Embiid “did what he could at practice” and sat out of live-action drills. This obviously does not bode well for the prospects of him suiting up, creating a massive hole in the Sixers’ starting lineup. 

While they have the firepower to win without Embiid, we saw the Wizards give them fits, and it’s easy to say that the Hawks are a far superior team to the Wizards. With Trae Young playing at an elite level as well as an interior that would suddenly open up for Clint Capela and John Collins, the Hawks could steal Game 1 on the road and come in as a nice value. 

Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Clippers 

The pick: Mavericks +6.5 (-110, FanDuel SportsBook) 

This series, for the most part, has been the opposite of what many would’ve expected, as both teams have won all three of their road games while failing to capitalize at home. While that’s not the sole reason that I am choosing the Mavericks here, it certainly plays a factor. 

Luka Doncic, however, is the reason that I am choosing the Mavs to cover. He wants to bury the Clippers, as evident by his 37 shots in Game 5 and his 24 shots in Game 6, and it still took almost 50 points out of Kawhi Leonard for the Clippers to win … by seven. While I don’t feel confident enough to take the Mavericks straight up here, they’ve proven the ability to capitalize on any mistake and with a killer like Doncic leading their team, covering here should be a safe bet.