Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors
The Grizzlies earned a chance at the #8 seed after a massive 100-96 win over the Spurs. They were led by the one-two punch of Valanciunas and Morant. Valanciunas absolutely dominated the boards with 23 rebounds and he also added 23 points. The Warriors defence isn't great against centres so he's going to be a key player to watch in this matchup. Brooks also scored a team high 24 pts in the win and he'll get a good defensive matchup against a Warriors team that allows 27 ppg to shooting guards in the last 30 days.
Golden State couldn't stop LeBron and Davis in their 103-100 loss to the Lakers on Thursday but they should be more confident on their home court. The Warriors have one of the best home records in the West with 25 wins out of 36 games. The main area of improvement for the Warriors will be turnovers after committing 20 against the Lakers and Green/Curry were the major contributors with 6 each.
Both sides played well defensively in their Thursday playoff games and we expect a similar type of affair in this clash. The Under has also saluted in the last 6 meetings and Memphis is 7-1 against the Under in their last 8 overall games.
Stadium Record
The Warriors are 5-0 on their home court. The Grizzlies have lost 6 of their last 7 on the road against the Warriors.
Head to Head Record
The two sides met recently and the Warriors recorded a comfortable 113-101 result.
Best Bet
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Boston Celtics at Brooklyn Nets
An impressive 50 point game by Tatum on Wednesday against the Wizards saw the Boston Celtics earn the 7th seed and a meeting with divisional rivals, the Nets. Without Jaylen Brown for the rest of the season, the Celtics will need more of the same from Tatum. But Kemba Walker also continued his solid shooting form with 29 pts in the win over the Wizards. After struggling with the Nets this season, their defence will need to be at its very best, especially against former Celtic Kyrie Irving.
After a 48-24 regular season record, the number 2 seeded Brooklyn Nets and their super team will look to end a championship drought for their franchise. Kyrie Irving is always the player to watch against Boston and without Jaylen Brown, that makes his job easier. Meanwhile, James Harden and Kevin Durant have had their injury troubles during the season but they both started to get more game time before the playoffs. So expect the Nets trio to put on a show.
Brooklyn have the wood over the Celtics this season with 3 straight wins and their main shooting target will continue to be Kyrie Irving against his former team. So we like his chances of beating 25+ points as Boston have defensive issues without Jaylen Brown.
Stadium Record
The Nets were hard to beat at home this season with a 28-8 record. Boston holds a 0-5 record at this venue.
Head to Head Record
Brooklyn owned the season series with a clean sweep of the 3 meetings and they've won 7 of the last 10 as well.
Best Bet
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K. Irving 25+ points / J. Harden 8+ assists / K. Durant 6+ rebounds / J. Tatum 25+ points = $3.80
Portland Trail Blazers at Denver Nuggets
Portland narrowly avoided the play-in tournament as they sealed up the number 6 seed and this should be a tough series against the Nuggets. But they've been a good road team this season (22-14) and hit the playoffs in great form, winning 8 of their last 10. Damian Lillard should enjoy a favourable matchup against the Nuggets defence without Jamal Murray. Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers defence will need to shutdown the likes of Jokic and Porter Jr.
The Nuggets have plenty of question marks coming into the playoffs, mainly due to injuries. Jamal Murray is out for the season and Will Barton is also out. So Campazzo and Morris will need to bring their best defensive efforts against the likes of Lillard/McCollum. But their key in this series will be MVP candidate Nikola Jokic. He scored 41 pts at home against the Trail Blazers this season and we can expect he'll be getting plenty of the ball.
The odds reflect the question marks about the Nuggets injuries as they're not clear favourites despite playing on their home court. As a result, picking a winner is a tough bet. So we'll be looking at Damian Lillard in the player combos markets of 40+ pts & assists. As mentioned, he has a great matchup against Denver's injury riddled guard rotation and he should take full advantage.
Stadium Record
Denver have been strong at home this season with a 25-11 record. Portland holds a 2-4 record in the last 6 games at this venue.
Head to Head Record
Portland won the last meeting 132-116 but the Nuggets have won 6 of the last 10.
Best Bet
Player points + assists D. Lillard 40+ = $2.10
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