2-1 in the association Sunday; 19-8 over the last 8 days. Hard to beat that! I’m an Air Force veteran who’s lucky to have the time and freedom to bet pro sports and write these articles because of the ultimate sacrifice so many have made to protect this great country. Let’s not forget how good we have it. Happy Memorial Day all!
76ers -8.5 (-115), 1.5 units and Lean under 230 (-110): Of course there are plenty of stats and trends to support the 76ers side today, but I’m on Philly for a different reason. Like the Bucks, the 76ers are angry entering the postseason. Joel Embiid was out for such a long stretch of the season and other key players struggled to stay on the floor. Still, the Sixers maintained their #1 seed atop the Eastern Conference. Entering the playoffs, they’re not the oddsmakers’ choice to make it to the NBA Finals. Despite being a top 5 team in both offense and defense and having three of the best players in the NBA in their starting lineup, it’s the Nets who have the “favorite” designation.
In my opinion, the only thing that’s limited the Sixers in getting to the championship has bene their own chemistry. Some of that is a question of motivation, too. Joel Embiid can be emotional and volatile but this year something’s different. At one point Embiid was favored to win the MVP award and appropriately so. The big man has had a sensational year and if it wasn’t for his injury setbacks, might still be considered the NBA’s best player in 2021. Regardless, Philadelphia seems to be playing their best team basketball in awhile. Harris and Simmons know how talented they are but they also know they’re not the best player on the team. That’s Embiid. Other supporting cast members fit in perfectly, with Curry nailing shots from the outside and other players like Danny Green and Dwight Howard coming off the bench and being nightly difference makers. This is a complete team.
The 76ers, like the Bucks, would love nothing more than to get some extended time off and watch the Eastern Conference playoffs unfold. The Wizards are full of potential, particularly on offense, but they’re no match for the Sixers on both sides of the court. Simmons is too good at limiting Washington’s guard play and Embiid has no issue controlling the front court against a smaller and less talented foe. I expect an early Philly lead to result in another big win and the second series sweep of the NBA postseason. The early domination should lead to a deflating submission from Washington, who never really had a chance to go anywhere after the regular season. I’ll lean to the under because of that game narrative.
Jazz -5 (-115), 2 units: I was able to get this when it was at -5 and now it’s up to -6 at many books. I respect what Memphis has done to get to this spot and especially the way they won game one. That being said, it’s abundantly clear that the Utah Jazz are a significantly better team than the Grizzlies. That’s especially true with Donovan Mitchell back. The 1-2 punch of Mitchell and Gobert with the deep, elite roster that Utah can use on a night to night basis is too much for most NBA teams and it’s why they coasted to the best record of any team this year. I’m sure Ja Morant will have a big game in an effort to keep his team alive, that man’s a gamer, but that’s the only Grizzlies’ bet I would look at tonight. This number is off– the Jazz should be favored by 7-9 points. This number is too good not to take. I’m on Utah to make it 3-1.
