Tag: NBA Playoffs

Dallas Mavericks at LA Clippers Game 5 odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Wednesday’s Dallas Mavericks at LA Clippers odds and lines, with NBA expert picks, predictions and best bets.

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The Dallas Mavericks and LA Clippers meet for Game 5 of a best-of-7 Western Conference, 1st-round series Wednesday. The series is tied 2-2. Tip-off from Crypto.com Arena is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET (TNT). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Mavericks vs. Clippers odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions.

The Mavericks suffered a disappointing 116-111 loss on their home court in Game 4 as 7-point favorites for the first Over (209) result of the series. It was vintage F Paul George in Game 4, as he and G James Harden each racked up 33 points. PG13 was good for seven 3-pointers to go along with 8 assists, 4 steals and a blocked shot.

The Clippers shot 53.8% (43 of 80) from the field while turning it over just 12 times in the win. LA was on fire from behind the arc, too, cashing in at a 62% (18-of-29) clip (pardon the pun).

On the flip side, the Mavs were 49.4% (40 of 81) from the field, 33.3% (11 of 33) from downtown, and they had 16 turnovers. G Kyrie Irving did his part, dropping 40 points with 6 triples, but it wasn’t enough.

Mavericks at Clippers odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:10 p.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): Mavericks -155 (bet $155 to win $100) | Clippers +125 (bet $100 to win $125)
  • Against the spread: Mavericks -3.5 (-105) | Clippers +3.5 (-115)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 209.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)

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Mavericks at Clippers key injuries

Mavericks

  • G Luka Doncic (knee) probable
  • G Tim Hardaway Jr. (ankle) out

Clippers

  • F Kawhi Leonard (knee) out

For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.

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Mavericks at Clippers picks and predictions

Prediction

Mavericks 105, Clippers 101

Moneyline

The MAVERICKS (-155) are still worth playing in this pivotal Game 5 in LA, but there is no longer any margin for error. The Clippers (+125) caught fire from behind the arc in Game 4 and made things extremely difficult for the Mavs in the Metroplex.

If Dallas can’t do better on perimeter defense, it could suddenly get pushed to the brink of elimination after seemingly having the series in hand heading into Game 4 on its home court. I am confident the Mavs can get the job done, however. The defense had allowed 101 points in each of the first 3 games of the series.

Against the spread

The MAVERICKS -3.5 (-105) are a cheaper play laying the little bit of points. Obviously don’t play both the moneyline while also laying the number.

The Mavs and Clippers +2.5 (-105) are both 2-2 ATS in this series while going 4-4 ATS in the past 8 meetings since Feb. 8, 2023, so tread lightly.

Over/Under

UNDER 209.5 (-105) is the lean, but again, go with a half-unit play at most.

The total had gone low in the first 3 games of the series before LA caught fire in Game 4 from behind the 3-point line. It’s possible, but unlikely, that the Clippers will shoot lights out from downtown like that again.

The Under was on a 5-0 run between these 2 sides in the 5 games prior to Game 4, and the Under is still 8-2 in the past 10 battles dating back to Jan. 10, 2023. Lean low.

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Sixers vs. Knicks: Former Warriors Kelly Oubre Jr. scores 14 points in Game 5

The former Warrior wing notched 14 points in the Sixers’ thrilling win over the Knicks in Game 5 of their first round playoff series.

While Kevin Durant’s season came to an end after the Phoenix Suns were swept in the first round of the playoffs against Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves, another former member of the Golden State Warriors is still alive in a thrilling first-round series in the postseason.

Despite the New York Knicks holding a 3-1 lead the Philadelphia 76ers in front of a fiery crowd at Madison Square Garden, a heroic effort from Tyrese Maxey helped the Sixers extend the series.

The former Kentucky guard drilled a ridiculous 3-pointer at the end of regulation to force overtime against the Knicks. In overtime, the Sixers pulled away to secure a much-needed 112-106 win to put the series at 3-2.

Via @NBA on Twitter:

Jalen Brunson continued his impressive postseason with 40 points on 15-of-32 shooting from the field with six assists and three boards in 51 minutes. Maxey countered with 46 points on 17-of-30 shooting from the field with nine assists and five rebounds in 52 minutes.

Former Warrior Kelly Oubre Jr. tacked on 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field with four rebounds in 39 minutes during the Sixers win on Tuesday evening in New York City.

The series will now shift back to Philadelphia for Game 5 on Thursday at 6 p.m. PT.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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Jon Stewart’s stunned reaction to Tyrese Maxey’s epic 3-pointer to force OT in 76ers-Knicks was priceless

We get it, Jon Stewart. We get it.

Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey hit the shot of the playoffs so far on Tuesday night as he drilled a stunning 3-pointer from near halfcourt to send Game 5 of his team’s playoff series with the New York Knicks to overtime.

The cold-blooded bucket further proves why Maxey is a shining star in this new generation of NBA players, and why Knicks fans just can’t have nice things, even when they’re in Madison Square Garden.

Well, Maxey stunned the MSG crowd, part-time Daily Show host Jon Stewart included. A camera caught the legendary comedian’s reaction to the Maxey 3-pointer, one of absolutely befuddlement at what in the world just happened.

Stewart’s shocked reaction was just priceless, as anyone who has ever had a basket scored on their team like that in the playoffs can empathize with just how jarring it is.

The 76ers prevented being eliminated with the 112-106 overtime victory, keeping its hopes alive of evening things out later this week. Like all Knicks fans, Stewart will probably keep ruminating on how this happened, especially if Philly pulls off the improbable 3-1 series comeback.

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Kristaps Porzingis’ Celtics injury might open the door to a closer Eastern Conference title race

The Knicks are definitely watching Kristaps Porzingis’ injury situation closely.

The Boston Celtics were comfortably the best team in NBA basketball during the regular season. After going up 3-1 on a shorthanded Miami Heat team in the first round, the Celtics should be glowing about being on the verge of advancing to the Eastern Conference Semifinals soon.

Instead, they’re holding their breath about center Kristaps Porzingis’s status.

During Game 4’s blowout win in Miami, Porzingis appeared to hurt his calf on a non-contact injury while handing the ball off to Jaylen Brown. It did not look good as the Boston center left the game to go to the locker room and didn’t return after playing just 14 minutes. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Porzingis will undergo further testing on Tuesday but that early indications are that he didn’t suffer an Achilles injury.

That said, it does not nearly mean Porzingis or the Celtics are out of the woods:

Even if Porzingis avoided a disastrous season-ending injury, it does not seem like he’ll be back in the Boston lineup any time soon. If Porzingis is forced to miss any significant time, the Celtics are capable of winning and making a deep postseason run. Still, they are decidedly much more vulnerable without their starting big man, who was the team’s third-leading scorer, second-leading rebounder, and leader in blocks during the regular season.

You don’t just replace that kind of scoring, rebounding, and rim protection by playing hard and together with the players you still have available. These Celtics are more or less dependent on Porzingis taking pressure off of guys like Jayson Tatum, Brown, and Derrick White. He is too big of a piece to their title aspirations to simply wave off any possible extended absence.

All of this to say: Porzingis’ health status might open the door to a legitimate upset in the Eastern Conference title race, let alone the NBA championship.

Per oddsmakers with DraftKings, the Celtics are still heavily favored with -245 odds to win the East. Meanwhile, the tough New York Knicks come in second with +400 odds, while the young Indiana Pacers have the third-best odds at +1100. But those odds might not yet be accounting for Porzingis’ injury:

If I’m gonna be honest, I wouldn’t have entirely trusted the Celtics against a hard-nosed Knicks team, even with Porzingis in a potential Eastern Conference Finals matchup.

The Knicks are one of those teams that defends incredibly, has a real superstar in Jalen Brunson, and constantly makes all the little winning plays. They already had the capacity to beat a full-strength Celtics team. If that feasible matchup happens without Porzingis (just about three weeks from now), I’d be very comfortable betting on the Knicks’ chances of pulling off the upset.

If you’re looking for a good longshot bet to upset these seemingly vulnerable Celtics, the Pacers might not be a bad idea. (Especially since they appear likely to play the Knicks in the second round.) Tyrese Haliburton has grown up before our eyes in his first postseason, while Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner give Indiana the requisite size to abuse a Boston team that could be without its starting center.

The Celtics are likely to advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. But if they don’t have Porzingis moving forward, it’ll be much harder to count on their run through the Eastern Conference lasting as long as they hope.

Jamal Murray shared the iconic moment LeBron James became one of his all-time favorite players

Jamal Murray’s favorite LeBron James moment is a REALLY GOOD one.

It’s always cool to see NBA stars show love for each other after an epic playoff battle. It’s probably even better when a younger star like the Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray shows so much respect for an all-time great like LeBron James.

After Murray ferociously dunked on James and made another game-winning shot in an emotional performance to help the Nuggets advance to the second round, the 27-year-old point guard couldn’t help but heap praise on James, who has been utterly exceptional for two decades and was flat-out superb while trying to take down the reigning NBA champions.

In his post-game press conference, Murray mentioned that he watched James as a kid while growing up in Kitchener, Canada. He had his Cleveland Cavaliers jersey and appreciated watching James do his thing. Murray made sure to highlight James’ legendary buzzer-beater game-winner during the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals, which was the moment the basketball legend became one of his all-time favorite players.

This is so, so cool, man:

Here’s what Murray had to say about one of the best moments of James’ career in full:

“I remember when I was a little kid, and he [James] was playing against Orlando [Magic] and he was in Cleveland [Cavaliers],” Murray started. “And I was wearing his [James’] jersey, and my barber was my dad’s best friend, and he got me a jersey for my birthday. I was trying to remember a time I could wear it, and I remember wearing the jersey while he was playing against Orlando and he hit that shot with one second left. I just remember talking to my dad, and I’m a little kid so I don’t know much, saying ‘There’s no way they’re gonna win, there’s no way they’re gonna win.’ Then I just remember him catching it and hitting it and I just remember being out of breath, like I got punched in the gut. I didn’t know to react. He’s been one of my favorite players.”

Here’s that iconic James’ game-winner, oh by the way:

James has been playing for so long and so well that not only is he going toe-to-toe with the best team in NBA basketball at age 39, but he’s also giving one of those team’s younger stars in Murray, an opportunity to talk about how much they inspired him to become a dynamic difference-maker in their own right.

If that isn’t sports poetry, I don’t know what is.

Orlando Magic at Cleveland Cavaliers Game 5 odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Tuesday’s Orlando Magic at Cleveland Cavaliers odds and lines, with NBA expert picks, predictions and best bets.

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The Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers meet for Game 5 of a best-of-7 Eastern Conference, 1st-round series Tuesday. The series is tied 2-2. Tip-off from Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (NBA TV). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Magic vs. Cavaliers odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions.

Playoff series: Tied 2-2

The Cavaliers opened the series with a pair of wins and covers in Cleveland, but the Magic trounced the Cavs in 2 meetings at Kia Center in Orlando.

Cleveland won 97-83 in Game 1 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to cover a 5.5-point number and 96-86 April 22 in Game 2, also as a 5.5-point favorite.

Orlando belted Cleveland 121-83 in Game 3, handing the Cavs their worst-ever playoff defeat as the Over (202) connected. It wasn’t much better for coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s team, as the Magic hammered the Cavs 112-89 in Game 4 to level the series.

Cleveland has won and covered 3 of the past 4 meetings at home, including Games 1 and 2. The Under is 3-1 in the first 4 games of this playoff series.

Magic at Cavaliers odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:30 p.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): Magic +165 (bet $100 to win $165) | Cavaliers -200 (bet $200 to win $100)
  • Against the spread: Magic +4.5 (-105) | Cavaliers -4.5 (-115)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 201.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

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Magic at Cavaliers key injuries

Magic

  • None

Cavaliers

  • C Jarrett Allen (rib) questionable

For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.

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Magic at Cavaliers picks and predictions

Prediction

Magic 104, Cavaliers 101

Moneyline

The MAGIC (+165) didn’t have a lot of success in the first 2 games in Cleveland, but they dominated the 2 battles in Central Florida. Orlando is a tremendous value at this price.

It’s hard to see how the Cavaliers (-200) will be able to regroup after a pair of lopsided losses, and Cleveland is way overpriced, as you need to risk 2 times your potential return on a team which has lost consecutive games by 30.5 points per game.

Against the spread

If you’re a little more on the conservative side and just can’t play the MAGIC +4.5 (-105) straight up, take the points.

There is risk here, as the Cavaliers -4.5 (-115) have covered the past 3 as single-digit favorites at home, but it’s hard to ignore their pathetic effort in the past 2 outings.

Over/Under

OVER 201.5 (-110) is worth a look. We had a couple of low-scoring efforts in Games 1 and 2 in Cleveland, but the Magic certainly solved their offensive woes in the pair of games down in Orlando. The Magic are brimming with confidence and should easily get to triple-digits again.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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Nikola Jokic joked the Nuggets’ injuries were just an elaborate ruse to trick the Timberwolves

Nikola Jokic just wants everyone to THINK the Nuggets are hurt.

After a hard-fought five games with iconic dunks on legends, two game-winning shots (one over an all-worldly defender), and emotional coach-to-player heart-to-hearts, the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets finally survived their war of attrition with the Los Angeles Lakers.

With Jamal Murray battling a calf injury and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope spraining his ankle, the Nuggets advancing to the second round did not come without a cost. Fortunately, Denver has a very generous four days to rest up and heal before playing the rival Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.

But as Nikola Jokic joked right after the Nuggets’ series win over the Lakers, Denver actually just wants everyone to think they were hurt — especially the Timberwolves.

Could you imagine if the Nuggets’ ailments really were just an elaborate ruse? Imagine thinking something so utterly galaxy-brained.

Never change, Nikola Jokic, because this is absolute comedic gold.

Michael Malone shared the emotional talk he had with Jamal Murray about his injury before Game 5

Jamal Murray and Michael Malone have a special bond.

There were real questions about whether Jamal Murray would even play during Monday night’s Game 5 against the Los Angeles Lakers, let alone be effective. Murray answered the bell on a hurt calf with a clutch performance that included a vicious dunk on LeBron James and another game-winner, helping the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets advance to the second round of the playoffs.

Behind the scenes, the real tug-and-pull about Murray’s health seemed to come from Nuggets head coach Michael Malone.

In his post-game press conference, Malone revealed he had an “emotional” pre-game conversation with Murray about his availability for Game 5. It was probably the kind of discussion where a head coach has to strike the balance of looking at the big picture while one of his star players wants to compete and be there for his team at all costs.

Inevitably, Malone revealed that Murray told him he was glad he played because the Nuggets probably wouldn’t have won without him. The Denver coach agreed, calling that “the understatement of the year.”

You can find the sequence starting at the :13 timestamp below, courtesy of DNVR:

Here’s Malone’s thoughts on Murray’s heroics through his calf injury in full:

“For Jamal [Murray], to add to his playoff lore by having two game-winners in a series is just incredible,” Malone said. “The conversation before the game, without getting into too much detail, was an emtional one about him playing tonight. As he [Murray] just told me, he goes ‘I’m glad I played because I don’t know if we win if I don’t play tonight.’ I said, ‘Well that’s the understatement of the year,'” Malone laughed.

It’s obvious Malone and Murray have a special coach-to-player relationship, one that goes beyond the basketball court. Their bond shined through in a moment when the Nuggets needed it most.

Anthony Edwards gave a hysterical NSFW reason for Karl-Anthony Towns’ clutch performance against the Suns

There are explanations, and then there are explanations by Anthony Edwards.

The Minnesota Timberwolves emphatically embarrassed the Phoenix Suns by sweeping them in the NBA playoffs. On Sunday, they secured a series win, boosted by Karl-Anthony Towns‘ sensational 28-point and 10-rebound outing. How did KAT have one of the best games of his career? You need to hear Anthony Edwards’ absolutely funny NSFW explanation to understand just how tremendous it was.

The Suns are probably not going to want to turn on the film for their abysmal playoff series anytime soon. Anthony Edwards was unraveling them any chance he got, dropping 30-plus points in three out of four games, including Sunday’s monster 40-point performance. But it wasn’t just Edwards. It was KAT, too.

When the Timberwolves went cold during a potential series-clinching game, it was Towns who dropped some timely buckets to give Minnesota its first playoff series win since 2004. Anthony says there’s a simple reason for that. KAT didn’t foul. No, really.

Here’s what he told the media about KAT’s special night (Warning: NSFW language.):

“Tonight, he wasn’t in foul trouble. The first three games, the [expletive] just kept fouling….”

“He’s the best offensive player on the team. If he’s not in foul trouble, it’s a problem for any team that has to guard us because he can stretch the floor. He can post. He can pass. He can do everything….Just stop [expletive] fouling.”

NBA fans made Ben Simmons jokes when Joel Embiid passed up a crucial wide-open jumper

Somewhere, Ben Simmons was probably laughing.

In a hard-fought series against the New York Knicks, it feels like every mistake has cost the Philadelphia 76ers dearly. What happened at the end of Philadelphia’s loss on Sunday to give the Knicks a 3-1 series lead looked especially brutal.

With the 76ers trying to mount a late comeback, Joel Embiid found himself wide-open for a short mid-range jumper that would’ve made it a one-score game. Instead, he pump-faked, drove into the teeth of the Knicks’ defense for the lay-up, and missed altogether. It seemed eerily reminiscent of ex-76er Ben Simmons passing up an easy dunk in a Game 7 loss against the Atlanta Hawks a few years ago.

Check it out via a video from a Twitter user below:

Oof. That’s gotta sting for the 76ers, particularly now that they face a 3-1 series deficit and have no margin for error.

To be fair to Embiid, he was probably the only reason this was even a close game in the fourth quarter. The superstar stuffed the stat sheet with 27 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, three steals, and two blocks. This happened while All-Star Tyrese Maxey teammate shot just 8-of-21 from the field, and other key contributors like Tobias Harris scored only 10 points.

However, Embiid is the 76ers’ engine. He still scored a single point in the fourth quarter after playing the entire second half of a game for the first time in his career. (Never mind that the Knicks won the fourth-quarter rebounding battle far and away without a true center on the floor.) 76ers head coach Nick Nurse defended the decision because Philadelphia really needed this win, but it’s hard not to think that getting some rest would’ve helped Embiid, especially with his clutch time decision-making.

Embiid’s brutal decision at the very end probably didn’t lose the 76ers this game by itself, but the optics will be impossible to escape. It’s only natural it reminded NBA fans of Simmons’ infamous blunder.