1/25/2024 0 Comments Lakers vs nuggets picks![]() ![]() Butler played more of a decoy/distributor role later in the Knicks series, and that was enough. He played through it, but seemed to lack the explosiveness in his moves that made him so unstoppable. It also allows the Celtics' defenders to be more aggressive on the perimeter, thus affecting the Heat's chances to score from deep.Īnd, quietly, it seems to me that Butler wasn't quite the same "Himmy" after his ankle injury against the Knicks as he was before. The two big lineup of the Celtics has proven to be one of the best defensive units in the league over the last two seasons, and will make it very difficult for the Heat to score in the paint. In addition, because the Heat start two bigs in Bam Adebayo and Kevin Love, it opens up the probability of the Celtics continuing the adjustment coach Joe Mazzulla made last series and starting both Al Horford and Robert Williams. The Heat have yet to face a team with that kind of firepower in the postseason. And the Celtics have Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White all capable of knocking down the 3-point shot in volume if left open. This will open things up for All NBA 2nd team wing Jaylen Butler to either get open looks or work against an imbalanced defense. ![]() Jayson Tatum is an alpha scorer for the Celtics that the Heat will have to key on all the way out beyond the 3-point line. Neither of those teams had the team shooting to get the game out of the dirt and just outscore the Heat. The Heat have won their first two series by dirtying up the game and relying on the brilliance of Butler and timely 3-point shooting to overwhelm the limping Bucks and the Knicks. But beyond the analytics, the Celtics just match up well stylistically with the Heat. They are the better team overall, the top team in the league, according to ESPN's Basketball Power Index, and the BPI series projector has the Celtics winning the series 97% of the time. With all due respect to Jimmy Butler and the Heat, the Celtics should win this series convincingly. Miami Heatīest bets: Celtics -2.5 games (+125) Celtics -1.5 games (-190) Eastern Conference finals Boston Celtics vs. Here's a look at the updated odds and some of the bets that are worthy of your attention. Two rounds of the NBA playoffs are in the books and the conference finals should be a lot of fun, with the 2-seed Boston Celtics taking on the 8-seed Miami Heat in the East and the 1-seed Denver Nuggets facing the 7-seed Los Angeles Lakers in the West. The Lakers are, as of now, 5.5-point favorites for Game 3 at Arena, where they also have yet to lose this postseason.You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserĢ023 NBA conference finals: Odds and futures predictions However, they fell short, and now must hold serve on their own home court to avoid slipping to the precipice of elimination. From pulling within three points of a 21-point comeback in Game 1, to squandering a double-digit first-half advantage in Game 2, they certainly had opportunities to steal home court advantage in this series. So the Nuggets will have some celebratory puffs on the way to Los Angeles for Game 3.īut the Lakers may require a long drag of a cigarette reflecting on missed opportunities over the past week. In Game 2, Jamal Murray rebounded from a slow start to score 37 points and Jokić amassed a 23-point, 17-rebound, 12 assist triple-double - his league-leading seventh this postseason and 13th of his career. You put that in your pipe, you smoke it, you go up 2-0. Michael Malone says the narrative before Game 2 wasn't about the Nuggets. ![]() The Nuggets handled business in their opening games in Denver, grabbing a 2-0 series lead and moving their home playoff record to 8-0 in the process.ĭespite leading the Western Conference from late December on and employing a two-time MVP in Nikola Jokić, the scariest part might be that they have fully embraced an underdog identity, headlined by a feisty Michael Malone. ET on ABC What are the odds for the Lakers vs. Looking for tickets for tonight’s game? Find ticket deals on StubHub. Our in-depth NBA coverage is linked below the picks.įor live NBA odds from BetMGM, click here. You’ll find picks, coverage and the latest odds here. During the NBA Playoffs, The Athletic’s writers will make their straight-up picks. ![]()
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