The NBA Playoffs continue to entertain, with plenty of highlight-reel plays, massive dunks and spectacular chasedown blocks.
Not only that, the cream is beginning to rise to the top, as the contenders are beginning to separate from the pretenders. The Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets are clearly the three best teams in the postseason, and we won’t be surprised at all if two of them square off in the NBA Finals.
Three of four teams that play on Tuesday night have an opportunity to close out their playoff series, so here’s some betting advice on if they’ll be able to do so.
NBA Betting picks for Tuesday, April 23rd
Raptors -11 — It was clear that the first game in the series was a fluke, as Toronto has pretty much dominated Orlando throughout the past three games since then. They won both of their two road games, with an impressive margin of victory of 27 points combined.
Kawhi Leonard is one of the best players in the league, and he knows how to seize the moment and close out teams. Raptors fans at Scotiabank Arena will be going nuts cheering in support of their team, and their role players have played so well at home this season, which we expect to happen on Tuesday. The Raptors will use three-point shooting and stout defense to win this game by double digits.
Nets +8.5 — Good teams win, and great teams cover. The problem with the Sixers is that they haven’t really looked great for the majority of the season, despite how loaded with talent their roster is. As for the Nets, when they’re hitting three-pointers, they can keep any game close. And given all the trash talk between the two sides, it’s safe to say they’ll be motivated to play physical and slow the game down in the half court, rather than the run-and-gun style the Sixers love.
Philadelphia will likely win the game in front of their home crowd, but the Nets will look to send a big message as they prepare to be major players in free agency this summer.
Nuggets -5.5 — The Nuggets have finally figured out how to slow down Derrick White, and it paid major dividends, as they finally won in San Antonio — something they hadn’t previously done in their past 14 trips.
Denver thrives off its perimeter shooting, creating open looks by floor spacing and in transition with its run-and-gun style. The team has shot extremely well from three-point range at Pepsi Center this season, and we believe that will continue on Tuesday, with the Nuggets building off the momentum they stole in Game 4 to assert their hold on this series.
Trail Blazers -3.5 — Anyone who’s watched this series can clearly see the Thunder are very much done. Russell Westbrook has scored 28 points combined in the team’s past two losses, going an abysmal 10-for-41 shooting.
It appeared as if the Thunder had a major frontcourt advantage heading into this series, with Jusuf Nurkic injured, but former Oklahoma City big man Enes Kanter has made all the difference. Also, sharpshooting guard Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum have been able to draw the Thunder’s bigs away from the rim, negating some of that advantage. The Trail Blazers’ shooting hasn’t cooled off yet, and it won’t at home in Game 5, as they clinch the series in front of their fans.
