NBA playoff picks, betting odds: Short-handed Hawks in tough spot vs. 76ers; Nikola Jokic, Nuggets overwhelmed

A rhetorical question for casual bettors: Why does Vegas set lines in the first place? The answer is that they want to equalize action on both sides of a game. Books never want to be exposed. They want to collect their vig and move on. In a perfect world, favorites and underdogs would always be exactly .500 against the spread. But we don't live in a perfect world for sportsbooks. Right now, we live in a perfect world for the common bettor. Through 57 NBA playoff games, favorites are 36-21 against the spread, according to NBA Bet.