Another perfect betting day on Tuesday took our NBA Playoffs tally to 13-6-1 and we’ll be looking for another three wins today as we preview every game on the slate this Wednesday, the 26th of April. Both Golden State and Cleveland have already wrapped up their respective series, both in four games. However, all of the other series are still well and truly in the balance.
Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets (10am AEST)
The Rockets claimed a four point game four win over the Thunder as Brazilian Nene Hilario exploded for 28 points and 10 rebounds in just 25 minutes. After averaging under 20 minutes per game in the first three contests, Nene proved that the Rockets do have an effective inside game to match their lights out 3pt shooting, giving the Thunder one more thing to worry about going into game five in Houston.
Russel Westbrook notched up the quickest triple-double in playoff history and finished with 35pts, 14reb and 14ast but ultimately it wasn’t enough for the Thunder to hold the home court. Westbrook and the Thunder will now need to win out to advance, something that has only been done ten times in NBA history. The Rockets won’t want this one to go back to OKC to give the Thunder a chance.
The most glaring stat in the series is OKC’s +/- with Westbrook on and off the court, at +3 with him on, it’s exactly where you’d expect it to be in this tight series, but with him off the court it sits at a ridiculous -40. It’s a damming stat for the Thunder, especially against a Rockets bench that includes so many prolific scorers. It’s been one of the higest scoring series in the first round with a team scoring under 100 just once so far. Not much meat on the bone for the Rockets so we like the over here.
TIP: Total Points OVER 222.5 - $1.91 at Sportsbet
Memphis Grizzlies at San Antonio Spurs (11am AEST)
The Memphis Grizzlies did what they do best and grinded out two hard fought wins at home to level their series against the Spurs at two games apiece. It’s been a defensive slugfest Throughout the series so far and it doesn’t look like changing as the teams head back to San Antonio for game five.
Kawhi Leonard almost singlehandedly dragged the Spurs over the line in game four, scoring San Anotio’s last 16 points of the 4th quarter and finishing the game with 43. He has been far and away the best player this series, and it’s always hard to bet against the team with the best player on the court in the playoffs.
The home team hasn’t lost yet this series and we don’t expect that too change here as the Spurs hold an impressive 33-10 record at home on the season so far. At measley odds of just $1.14 though, we’ll have to look elsewhere. The 10 point line is far too much in what has been the closest series of the first round so far. The total points line has been slowly creeping in with all of the low scores so far and we expect it to snap here at just 185.5.
TIP: Total Points OVER 185.5 - $1.91 at Ladbrokes
Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Clippers (12.30pm AEST)
What started out being a very interesting series may have turned into a bit of a lacklustre affair as Blake Griffin has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a toe injury. Rudy Gobert returned to the Utah lineup in game four as the Jazz captured a 7 point win at home.
The series will now head back to LA for game five but it’s hard to like the Clippers chances without their star power forward. Joe Johnson was once again the hero in game four, scoring 28 points to life the Jazz sans star guard Gordon Hayward, who left the game due to food poisoning.
Interestingly, a team has lost a crucial player in each game so far this series and every time that team has gone onto win. It would be a shame if we saw this trend continue and another key player get injured, however, both teams have shown heart throughout the series. Even though the game is in LA, with no Blake we like the Jazz as underdogs here.
TIP: Utah Jazz to win - $2.35 at Sportsbet
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