There’s another three-game slate of NBA Playoffs action on Thursday for fans to look forward to. We’ve been in great form with our betting tips to start the playoffs going 5-2 for +3.54 units, and we’ll be looking to build more profits on Thursday! Check out our best bets for the day below and good luck to everyone following.
Check out our NBA betting tips for Wednesday’s slate below, and good luck to everyone following us this post-season!
NBA Playoffs Betting Tips: Thursday, April 20th 2023
Los Angeles Lakers at Memphis Grizzlies
FedExForum, 9:30am AEST
Game 1 of this series didn’t go to plan for the #2 seeded Memphis Grizzlies who failed to protect home court and immediately gave up their advantage against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers, who have more experienced players in these situations, were far too good for the Grizzlies in the clutch and finished the game on a 15-0 run.
Rui Hachimura was the surprised packet in Game 1 with 29 points, and Austin Reeves was the Lakers next highest scorer with 23. LeBron James and Anthony Davis both had solid games but neither had to exert too much energy in the win.
If the Game 1 loss wasn’t bad enough for the Grizzlies, the fact that superstar Ja Morant got hurt made matters even worse. Morant’s availability ahead of Game 2 remains unclear.
Even if Morant suits up and plays to the best of his ability, I still don’t have much faith in the Grizzlies with how they’ve been playing in recent weeks.
Simply put, The Lakers have been the best performing team in the league for the best part of a month and should have the slight edge again in Game 2 with all things being equal.
Los Angeles Lakers to Win
$1.92 (1.5 Units)
Miami Heat at Milwaukee Bucks
Fiserv Forum, 11am AEST
The Miami Heat were able to cause a major boil over in Game 1 of their first round playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks, defeating them 130-117 despite being the travelling team.
Despite the Heat pulling off a big upset, the main talking point from Game 1 was the injury to superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo who was forced out of the game after hurting his lower back on a first half drive to the basket. Thankfully, his MRI scan came back clean and he’s expected to suit up in Game 2 on Thursday.
While Giannis’ absence was a big reason why the Bucks were unable to defend home court, you still have to give the Heat their flowers for their fantastic performance. Jimmy Butler reminded us all how great he can be in the playoffs, and Bam Adebayo also lifted to the occasion.
However, as good as the Heat were, I can’t see them repeating the dose in Game 2, particularly with how inconsistent they’ve been on the road all season. The Bucks are far too good a team to go down 2-0 on their home floor and I expect them to be giving the Heat the business in this one.
Milwaukee Bucks -5.5
$1.81 (2.5 Units)
Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets
Ball Arena, 12pm AEST
The #1 seed in the Western Conference played like the #1 seed in Game 1, with the Denver Nuggets destroying the Minnesota Timberwolves by 29 points (109-80).
Absolutely nothing went right for the Timberwolves who finished with their lowest total points of the entire season.
The Nuggets have now beaten the Timberwolves by 34 and 29 points in their last two meetings and must be feeling extremely confident about their chances of going up 2-0 in the series.
What’s more? 2x MVP Nikola Jokic only played 28 minutes and scored 13 points due to foul trouble, yet the Nuggets still managed to put up 109 points and dominant the ball game.
And while you can expect the Timberwolves to put forward a better account of themselves in Game 2, I just can’t see how they improve enough in such a short amount of time to cover the spread.
Denver Nuggets -8
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
