BIG3 Basketball Betting: Best Bets for Playoff Round
BIG3 Basketball returns for its eighth season with plenty of new notable names and a few twists to the traditional format that could make it the league's best season yet.
For the first time in BIG3 history, teams are now tied into specific cities. Plenty of last year's notable names return, while new incoming stars like Dwight Howard, Montrezl Harrell and Will Barton enhance an already impressive talent pool that also includes former NBA luminaries such as Michael Beasley, Joe Johnson, Greg Monroe and Paul Millsap, among others.
This season, RotoWire will once again have quick-hit betting picks for all four clashes each week using DraftKings and FanDuel Sportsbook odds, continuing with Saturday's two-game playoff slate at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
2025 BIG3 Betting Record: 20-12
Chicago Triplets vs. LA Riot Best Bets (Sunday, August 17, 4:00 p.m. ET)
The Triplets put an exclamation point on their impressive regular season in Week 9, thumping the Amps by a 50-42 score to lock in a co-league-best 6-2 regular-season record. Montrezl Harrell, who was arguably Chicago's team MVP, actually took a back seat in the victory since Nasir Core (17 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal) and Brandon Moss (12 points, six boards, two steals, one block) stepped up. The trio and Amir Johnson form a deep roster that helped the Triplets to the third-most points (381) in the regular season.
The Riot squeaked into the playoffs by the thinnest of margins, just getting past the Ball Hogs by a 52-48 score with a late comeback. Los Angeles was led by co-team-high 18-point tallies on the part of Dwight Howard and Jordan Crawford, with Howard adding 15 rebounds. Elijah Stewart also furnished 10 points and five boards as his primary contributions, a welcome sight considering his inconsistency throughout the season. Part of the reason for the Riot's underwhelming 4-4 mark was the overreliance on Howard and Crawford, and that could bite Nick Young's squad yet again Sunday if the team's complementary players can't boost their contributions.
The regular-season meeting between these teams produced what may have been the most intriguing result of the entire 2025 campaign. Los Angeles unexpectedly trampled Chicago by a 50-30 score at Little Caesars Arena in Week 6, but that was largely the result of a first half that got completely out of control and saw the Riot post a 26-7 advantage. The Triplets were appreciably better in the second half with 23 points, and Harrell is much more in the flow at this point.
Consequently, I see this as a revenge game of sorts, one where Harrell will often match the rebounding intensity of Howard despite the size disadvantage and Chicago will manage to escape with a win and title-game berth.
BIG3 Picks for Triplets vs Riot
- Triplets moneyline (-128 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
Miami 305 at Dallas Power (Sunday, August 17, 5:00 p.m. ET)
This could certainly turn out to be the more entertaining game of the two playoff matchups, considering the offensive firepower on either side and the rollercoaster 50-47 Power victory over 305 back in Week 6 at Little Caesars Arena.
That game saw Miami finish the first half ahead by a 25-21 margin before Dallas roared back in the second half, as it often did this season, to outscore 305 by a 29-22 spread. The contest featured another one of Michael Beasley's standout offensive efforts, a 25-point tally that was one of several big games that led to him scoring a league-high 162 points.
Dallas' Glen Rice Jr. was right behind him at No. 2 with 152 points this season, but in that win against Miami, the Power put together a balanced effort that included an 18-point, 14-rebound double-double from Greg Monroe and 17- and 12-point contributions from Rice and T.J. Cline, respectively.
Paul Millsap didn't play in that Week 6 victory but was back for Dallas' 51-49 victory over Trilogy in Week 9, delivering 11 points, seven rebounds, one steal and one block. A foursome of Rice, Monroe, Millsap and Cline will give Nancy Lieberman's squad plenty of firepower against a 305 team that allowed a league-low 349 points, a somewhat deceptive metric largely the result of two games where they held the Ball Hogs and the Rig Hands, a pair of non-playoff squads, to sub-35-point totals.
With the way these two teams can put up points and Dallas' never-say-die approach, I like the Over as the best play in this clash that unfolds on the Power's home floor.
BIG3 Picks for 305 at Power
- Over 96.5 points (-112 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
BIG3 Playoff Round Best Bets Recap
- Triplets moneyline (-128 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Power-305 Over 96.5 points (-112 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
