The Bucks are doing this again, huh? That was an embarrassing loss last night to Brooklyn and if Milwaukee has ANY chance at winning this series, someone (Giannis) needs to light a fire under their collective and fast. That was so, so bad. Moving onward and upward, it’s Tuesday and we have a few plays we like!
76ers -5.5 (-110), 1.5 units and Lean, Hawks/76ers under 224.5 (-110): Trae Young, huh? Trae Trae Trae. We might be witnessing the next big star in the NBA and I’m okay with it being him. I’ll be honest– I wasn’t entirely aware that Trae Young had the kind of moxie he’s shown in the playoffs but I’m ALL ABOUT IT. That kind of attitude and energy is what good leaders are unafraid to bring night in and night out and so far, that’s exactly what Trae has done. He’s also shown off his elite ability. Averaging 28.5 ppg in the postseason, Trae has given the production and the juice Atlanta has needed to continue shocking the basketball world. And would I be surprised if the Hawks win again tonight? No, I would not.
But I don’t think they will. What we saw at the end Sunday’s first game will bleed into tonight and that should bode well for Philadelphia. The Hawks got off to a fast start in game one, which clearly caught Philly by surprise, but Atlanta was out-played in the second half. Philly clamped down on defense and was significantly more productive on offense, outscoring the Hawks 70-54 in the final 2 quarters. I still can’t fathom how they caused that many turnovers late in the 4th quarter but that was an indication that the Sixers were, officially, finally taking the Hawks seriously. Make no mistake about it– the Sixers are as good (if not better) on defense than they are on offense and although it may not mean they can completely limit Trae Young, they can make life hell for other Hawks’ skill players. I think that’s the difference tonight.
I’ll lean under since I think it’s the Philly defense that makes the biggest impact. My play is on the Sixers to get a win by margin. They’ve worked too hard and have been too consistently dominant all year to let another unexpected let-down happen in game two, especially at home. All systems go for Philly.
Jazz -3 (-115), 2 units: and Clippers/Jazz under 220.5 (-110), 1 unit: Game one of this Western Conference series kicks off tonight and I can’t wait for it! Can the Clippers’ stars keep bringing the heat or will the team with the NBA’s best overall record stay the course and out-class their foe? It’ll be a good series to follow but for my money, I’m on Utah Tuesday night.
Yes it’s true– the Jazz are one of the best ATS teams in the association and they’re a freakish 31-5 at home this season, but I like them even more because of the spot. While the Jazz were kicking back and relaxing after a 4-1 series win over Memphis, the Clippers were battling with Luka and the Mavericks and barely making it to round two. Kawhi and Paul George (especially the former) had a fantastic 2-game finish in round one and will look to bring the same intensity tonight. The issue is: we haven’t seen consistency from the Clippers, have we? If we did see the same intensity and calibrated focus every night, the Clippers may never lose a game. They’re that good on paper. Their issue is leadership and chemistry, two things that are absolutely not an issue for Utah.
The Jazz have it all– a deep roster, skilled players on both offense and defense, an adaptive, sharp coach, and true leadership. Donovan Mitchell isn’t shy to yell at other players and Utah’s communication on the hardwood is constant. It’s what makes them so fluid and fun to watch. The Clippers? Meh. When LAC runs into any sort of adversity, we’ve seen them buckle. Now they’re fresh off a huge game seven win, with all the pomp and circumstance and feelings of closure that come with it, and they have to turn around 2 days later and face the #1 seed in the West. Yikes.
Betting against LAC can be very profitable because the books always line them as one of the best teams in the NBA. Any other opponent would be more than just a 3 point dog tonight but the Clippers are graded as a true championship contender. I don’t disagree with that in general, they are a contender, but in spots like this we can make money off them and do it consistently. While Kawhi was brilliant at the end of his last series, I don’t think he can hold up his team the same way he did against the Mavs. The Jazz are going to bring a significantly better defensive effort (Utah is #3 in defensive efficiency, Dallas was 17th and probably should have been graded lower) than LAC experienced in the first round and they have the perimeter shooting ability to keep pace with the Clippers. Oh yeah– and they also have one of the best defenders in basketball in Rudy Gobert– good luck getting to the rim.
The Clippers and Jazz are both in the bottom half of the NBA in average pace this season and they both have exceptional defenses. I like unders in this series, starting tonight, and I love the Jazz in game one.
