It’s an intriguing day in the NBA Playoffs on Thursday with two teams looking to close out their respective series on the road. We bring you our full preview and best bets for both matchups below!
Check out our NBA betting tips for Tuesday’s slate below and good luck to everyone following us this post-season!
NBA Playoffs Betting Tips: Thursday, May 11th 2023
Miami Heat at New York Knicks
Madison Square Garden, 9:30am AEST
The Miami Heat protected home court in Games 3 and 4 which gives them a commanding 3-1 series lead over the New York Knicks. The Heat now have a chance to close out the series on Thursday and proceed to the Eastern Conference Finals, but will have to get it done on the road in Game 5.
The Heat are thoroughly deserving of their lead in the series and have probably been the most impressive team in the entire playoffs to date. Jimmy Butler has clearly been the standout performer, but all their role players have stepped up at different stages, making this a very dangerous team.
Meanwhile, the Knicks in this series haven’t shown anything close to the level they played at in the first round against the Cavaliers. Julius Randle continues to make losing plays, as does RJ Barrett. The only consistent performer has been Jalen Brunson, but there’s only so much a 6ft point guard can do to impact winning.
The Knicks will start Game 5 as favourites due to having home court advantage, but the $1.50ish price for them is far too short considering their poor performances in this series to date. The Heat are the better overall team and are over the odds to close out the series on Thursday.
Miami Heat to win
$2.50 (1 Unit)
Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors
Chase Enter, 12pm AEST
The Los Angeles Lakers were the underdogs at the beginning of this series, but that has quickly changed as they currently hold a 3-1 advantage in their second round matchup with the Golden State Warriors. LeBron and the Lakers now have a chance to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since the 2019-20 season when the won the championship in the ‘Bubble’.
The Lakers have been a different animal since the trade deadline and have stormed into championship relevancy. Their first round series win over the Grizzlies was fantastic, but their performance against the Warriors through four games has arguably been better. LeBron James hasn’t had to get out of second gear, yet his team hold a strong 3-1 lead in the series.
Steph Curry has done all he can to give his Warriors a chance to advance to the Western Conference Finals, but he’s been let down by his teammates to date. Klay Thompson has only had one efficient shooting game, and Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole have both struggled.
The Warriors have a sensational record on their home court this season and start as the favourites in Game 5 as a result. I can’t knock the trades for starting them as favourites, but feel as though the +7 line is a bit of an insult to the Lakers who have dominated this series. With that said, I’ll be taking the underdogs to cover the spread in this one.
Los Angeles Lakers +7
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
