With three NBA Playoffs first round series already in the books, there are another two potential elimination games to be played this Friday, the 28th of April. San Antonio will travel to Memphis with a 3-2 lead while Milwaukee will host the Raptors trailing the series 3-2. We take a look at both games and give our preview and tips below.
Toronto Raptors at Milwaukee Bucks (9am AEST)
The Raptors will attempt to re-write their own history books and advance to the 2nd Round of playoffs for just the third time as a franchise when they play Milwaukee on Friday. Toronto has never won three playoff games in a row in their short history while the Bucks have lost their last seven playoff series, the last two of which have been lost in game six.
The change to bring Norman Powell into the starting line-up for Raptors big man Jonas Valanciunas by Raptors head coach Dwane Casey was a masterstroke and went a long way to combatting the length and speed of the Milwaukee starting five. Odds are Milwaukee will make a change here and go back to playing a conventional big man in their starting line-up at an attempt to force Valanciunas back into the line-up.
The Raptors seemed to have figured the Bucks out but I wouldn’t rule out a Giannis Antetokounmpo coming out party here, as he has regularly played well in big games throughout the year and a win here with a good performance will stamp him as a bona fide star. We like the series to play to form here and the home team to take another game.
TIP: Milwaukee Bucks to win - $1.83 at Sportsbet
San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies (11.30am AEST)
The home team is undefeated in all nine games between these two teams throughout the regular season and playoffs so far, so odds are we could see a game seven here as the Grizzlies host San Antonio in an attempt to level the series at three games apiece.
The one key to the Grizzlies chances will be finding a way to shut down Kawhi Leonard and limit his impact on the defensive end. Kawhi is averaging over 30 points in the series and has been causing havoc on the defensive end, if he can get any help from his surrounding core the Spurs will be tough to beat.
On the other side of the ball, it’s been point guard Mike Conley who has been a standout for the Grizzlies, averaging 27 points and almost 8 assists in the series so far. It’s a really tough game to pick here but the value is definitely with the Grizzlies and we think they should at least keep it close at home.
TIP: Memphis Grizzlies +5.5 - $1.95 at William Hill
