A 2-1 day on Friday took our playoff betting tally to 5-4 this postseason and we’ll be looking to add at least a few more wins to that today as we preview the four game slate this Sunday, the 23rd of April.
Toronto Raptors at Milwaukee Bucks (5am AEST)
The Raptors will attempt to improve on a 2-1 deficit as they face the Bucks early Sunday morning in Milwaukee. After a game three demolition job that saw Milwaukee come out 27 point victors, Totonto are searching for answers to the length and flexibility of the Bucks rotation. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton are both giving the Raptors serious problems with their length while Greg Monroe is having a resurgence of sorts and looks the offensive threat that he once was.
For the Raptors, it’s the play of all-star shooting guard DeMar DeRozan that has been the telling factor as he went 0 for 8 in game three and scored just 8 points. Even in game 2, which the Raptors won, both DeRozan and Kyle Lowry struggled to get it going with the length of Antetokounmpo giving DeRozan real problems. Tough game to pick but the Bucks have been great at home all year and we like them to hold the advantage here.
TIP: Milwaukee Bucks to win – $1.77 at Ladbrokes
Washington Wizards at Atlanta Hawks (7.30am AEST)
Washington stood firm and kept the home court advantage through the first two games to lead the series 2-0 before moving on to Atlanta. The Hawks will be hoping they can do the same thing in a must win game at Phillips Arena on Sunday. John Wall has been arguably the player of the first round so far with a 32-14 performance in game one backed up by a 32-9 in game two. It could finally be Wall’s time this post season as he has a healthy Wizards team behind him for the first time in a long time.
The Hawks are still battling injury concerns with star forwards Paul Millsap and Dwight Howard not at 100%. It’s a must win for Atlanta here, no team in NBA history has ever come back from a 0-3 deficit and a home loss would be demoralising for the Hawks. With much more on the line we like the Hawks to bounce back here before probably giving up game four.
TIP: Atlanta Hawks to win – $1.70 at Sportsbet
San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies (10am AEST)
After conceding the first two games in San Antonio, the Grizzlies bounced back and earned a home win on Friday to make it 2-1 heading into their second home game. The offense and rebounding of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph was instrumental in the win but as per usual, it was the Grizzlies defence that ultimately won them the game. The Grizzlies held Kawhi Leonard to just 18 points on the night after going for over 30 in the first two games.
Defene has been the theme of the whole series so far, each game has seen at least one team score 94 points or less with both teams scoring under 100 in game 2. Really tough to pick a winner here but another game in Memphis should mean another defensive slugfest, we like the unders here.
TIP: Total Points UNDER 188 - $1.91 at Ladbrokes
Golden State Warriors at Portland Trailblazers (12.30pm AEST)
Kevin Durant has been listed as questionable heading into game three and the first of two games at Portland in their series against the Warriors. Golden State didn’t need him in game two as five Warriors scored in double digits to claim an easy 110-81 victory. It’s hard to make a case for Portland in any sense here, before the series started we thought the only chance they’d have to pinch a game was if all-star guard duo Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum went off, that happened in game one as they combined for over 70 points, the Blazers still lost.
With the game being played in Portland the line has come in significantly. We like the Warriors to cover fairly easy here.
TIP: Golden State Warriors -6 - $1.95 at Sportsbet
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