Miami Heat at Charlotte Hornets – Game 4  NBA Playoff Picks  

Monday, April 25, 7 p.m. (ET) NBA TV

NBA Pointspread: Charlotte -2.5

Total Line: 195.5

Miami at Charlotte Game 4 Matchup Overview

Miami jumped-out to a 2-0 lead in this best-of-seven series with a pair of wins at home both straight-up and against the spread, but it fell flat in Game 3 with a 96-80 loss as a three-point road underdog this past Saturday. The total stayed UNDER closing 197.5-point line in that game after going OVER in the first two contests in NBA playoff picks. The Heat went just 20-21 SU on the road in the regular season and they are 1-7 ATS in their last eight road games.

Four of five Miami starters scored in double figures in Saturday’s loss lead by Luol Deng’s 19 points, but the Heat only got 13 points from their bench. They also struggled shooting the ball with a 34.2 field goal percentage that included a 7-for-22 effort from three-point range. One bright spot was the continued solid play of Hassan Whiteside with 13 points and 18 rebounds. Overall, Miami has averaged 106 points a game in this series while shooting 50 percent from the field.

It has been quite a while since Charlotte won a playoff game and it now finds itself in great position to tie things up after a very slow start. The Hornets lost Game 1 by 32 points and followed that weak effort up with a 12-point loss in Game 2. They closed as 4.5-point road underdogs in both of those losses. Going back to the beginning of this month, Charlotte is a costly 4-7 ATS in their last 11 games on  closing betting lines and the total has gone OVER in eight of those games. It went 30-11 SU at home this season with a 21-19-1 record ATS.

Jeremy Lin came off the bench to lead the Hornets in scoring in Game 3 with 18 points. Kemba Walker added 17 points and seven assists to the winning cause, but the team as a whole still only shot 38.9 percent from the field and 27.8 percent from three-point range. Through the first three games of this series, they have averaged just 96.7 points a game as opposed to a season average of 103.4 points that was ranked 11^th in the league. Walker has been the team’s leading scorer in the postseason with 21.7 points after averaging 20.9 in the regular season.

Miami at Charlotte Game NBA Playoff Picks

Charlotte was able to breathe some new life into this series and Miami has been a tough team to bet on away from home in recent weeks.

NBA Playoffs Wednesday Preview & NBA Playoff Pick

Charlotte Hornets at Miami Heat                     

Wednesday, April 20, 7 p.m. (ET) NBA TV

NBA Pointspread: Miami -4.5

Total Line: 199

Charlotte at Miami Game 2 Matchup Overview

The Hornets will be looking for a much better showing in Game 2 of this Eastern Conference opening round matchup after getting hammered by the Heat 123-91 in Game 1 of this best-of-seven series this past Sunday. They closed as 4.5-point road underdogs in that game and the total went OVER GTBets 198.5-point line. Charlotte is now 3-6 against the spread in its last nine outings and the total has gone OVER in its last six games.

The first step to turning things around will be to avoid a costly slow start that led to a 19-point deficit in Sunday’s loss. Nicolas Batum and Kemba Walker combined for 43 points but the rest of the Hornets’ starters added just 19 points. Charlotte shot 43.1 percent from the field and it was outrebounded 42-28. On the year, this team was ranked 11^th in the league in scoring with 103.4 points per game and 14^th in rebounds with 43.9.

Miami won a four-way tiebreaker at 48-34 straight-up to earn the No. 3 seed in the East and it finished the regular season with a 4-2 mark (SU and ATS) in its last six games. The Heat stayed hot at home with the win in Game 1 to go 6-0 both SU and ATS in their last six games at AmericanAirlines Arena. They are also 9-3 SU and ATS in their last 12 games against a Southeast Division opponent. The total has gone OVER in three of their last five games in NBA picks and predictions.

A solid mix of veteran playoff experience mixed a strong showing from a third-year center helped pace Sunday’s victory. Luol Deng scored 24 points and pulled down 12 rebounds to go along with Dwyane Wade’s 23 points and 12 assists. Hassan Whiteside has been a strong addition to the starting lineup at center and he added 21 points and 11 rebounds to the winning cause. The Heat only averaged 100 points a game in the regular season, but they were ranked fifth in the NBA in points allowed (98.4). 

Charlotte at Miami Game 2 NBA Playoff Picks 

The Heat are in solid form and primed to take a two-game lead in this series but will that happen?

 

Indiana Pacers at Toronto Raptors- Game 2                                 

Monday, April 18, 7:30 p.m. (ET) NBA TV

NBA Odds: Toronto -7

Total Line: 193.5 

Game 2 – Indiana at Toronto Game Matchup Overview 

Indiana came into the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference after going 45-37 straight-up in the regular season. The Pacers closed-out the season on a 6-1 SU run while going 5-2 against the spread and they were able to stay hot in Saturday’s 100-90 upset of Toronto as seven-point road underdogs in Game 1 of this best-of-seven series. The total stayed UNDER VietBet’s 194.5-point closing line and it has stayed UNDER in their last three games.

Paul George was almost unstoppable in Saturday’s win with a game-high 33 points while going 12-for-22 from the field and 4-for-5 from three-point range. He has led Indiana in scoring all season long with 23.1 points as part of the team’s scoring average of 102.2 points per game. Defensively, the Pacers were ranked eighth in the NBA in points allowed (100.5) and they have now held teams to fewer than 100 points in five of their last seven contests.

The Raptors chased Cleveland all season long for the top spot in the East with a SU record of 56-26 which included a stellar 32-9 record on their home court. They started the regular season with a seven-point win over Indiana as 5.5-point home favorites and they went on to win the season series 3-1 both SU and ATS. Toronto had won its last four games SU (3-1 ATS) before dropping this series opener and the total has now stayed UNDER in five of its last seven games in NBA playoff picks.

Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are the two main reasons why the Raptors are the No. 2 seed in the East this year, but they both struggled from the field shooting the ball in Game 1. Lowry tallied just 11 points while going 3-for-13 and DeRozan added 14 points in the losing effort after going 5-for-19. Toronto basically matched the Pacers in scorer this season with 102.7 PPG and it was the third-best team in the league when it came to points allowed (98.2).

Indiana at Toronto Game Prediction 

I like Toronto’s chances to even the series on Monday night, but I am not sold on its chances to cover BetAnySports seven-point betting spread.

NBA Playoffs Preview & Free Pick

Boston Celtics at Atlanta Hawks – Game 1     

Saturday April 16, 7 p.m. (ET) ESPN

NBA Pointspread: Atlanta -5

Total Line: 204

Boston at Atlanta Game 1 Matchup Overview

The Celtics come into this opening round playoff series as the fifth seed in the East. They tied both Miami and Atlanta with a straight-up record of 48-34, but they lost a tiebreaker to both teams to slide down the standings. Boston closed things out with a 98-88 victory against the Heat as 4.5-point home favorites on BetAnySports’ betting line to go 5-2 SU over its last seven games, but against the spread this record falls to 3-4. The total has gone OVER in three the Celtics last four games.

The key to getting off to a fast start in this best-of-seven conference clash will hinge on the play of point guard Isaiah Thomas. He led the team in both points (22.2) and assists (6.2), but he did struggle shooting the ball at times with a field goal percentage of 43.9. The Celtics as a team were ranked fifth in the NBA in scoring with 105.7 points per game, but they fell to 13^th at the other end of the court in points allowed (102.5).

Atlanta’s 118-107 win over Boston on April 9 as a five-point home favorite helped clinch home-court advantage in this series, but it did go on to lose to Cleveland and Washington (SU and ATS) on the road to end the season on a down note. Going back to the end of March, the Hawks are 4-4 SU with a costly 2-6 record ATS and the total has stayed UNDER in four of their last five games. They went 27-14 at home this season SU, but that record falls to 21-19-1 ATS.

The top two players for Atlanta this season have been Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague. Millsap led the team in scoring with 17.1 PPG and he is also pulling down a team-high nine rebounds. Teague leads the Hawks in assists (5.9) to go along with his 15.7 point scoring average. All told, Atlanta has five different players scoring in double figures as part of a team average of 102.8 PPG. The Hawks were well down the list in the league in rebounds (42.1), but defensively they were one of the best when it came to points allowed; giving-up an average of 99.2 point a game.

Boston at Atlanta Game Prediction 

This should be one of the closest matchups in the opening round of the playoffs in NBA playoff picks.

Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors     

Wednesday, April 13, 10:30 p.m. (ET) ESPN

NBA Odds : Golden State -18

Total Line: 213.5

Memphis at Golden State Game Matchup Overview

Memphis will have the unenviable task of trying to stop Golden State from setting a new NBA single-season record for wins as a heavy road underdog, but it almost got the job done this past Saturday in a tight 100-99 loss to the Warriors at home as a 13-point underdog on RealBet closing betting line. The Grizzlies went on to lose to the Los Angeles Clippers 110-84 on Tuesday as nine-point road underdogs to fall to 1-9 straight-up and 4-6 against the spread in their last 10 games.

This late-season free fall has Memphis tied with Dallas for sixth-place in the Western Conference standings heading into the final game of the regular season. The Grizzlies shot just 40.7 from the field against the Clippers while going 5-for-20 from three-point range and Zach Randolph (14 points) was the only starter to score more than eight points. In last Saturday’s one-point loss to Golden State that shooting percentage was even worse (38.5), but four of five starters scored in double figures led by Matt Barnes’ 24 points.

The Warriors tied the record of 72 wins set by the 1995/96 Chicago Bulls with Sunday’s hard-fought 92-86 victory against San Antonio as rare 3.5-point road underdogs with Realbet. It was their 10 SU win in their last 12 games, but ATS they are just 5-7 during this same stretch. The total stayed UNDER 206 in that game and it has now stayed UNDER in nine of their last 13 games.

The intensity level will be sky-high this Wednesday night at Oracle Arena with the record in sight, so the only question is can Golden State cover such a large spread. Going back over the last nine games closing as double-digit favorites, the Warriors are just 2-7 ATS, which brings up some reasonable doubt. The other side of the coin could point to Stephen Curry going off in a big way to ensure that his team takes its rightful place in NBA history. 

Memphis at Golden State 73 Win’s Game Prediction & Pick

Memphis may be a playoff team but right now it is playing like it is trying to improve its position in the NBA lottery.

NBA Monday Preview & Free Pick

Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers          
Monday, April 11, 9:30 p.m. (ET) NBA TV

NBA Odds and Pointspread: Cleveland -6

Total Line: 204.5

Atlanta at Cleveland Game Matchup Overview 

The Hawks have a one-game lead over both Boston and Miami for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs with just two games left on their regular season schedule. They come into this matchup with a straight-up three-game winning streak that includes home wins against Toronto and the Celtics in which they covered against the spread as five-point favorites in each contest. Atlanta goes on the road for its last two games with a SU road record of 21-18 while going 20-18-1 ATS.

In Saturday’s 118-107 victory against the Celtics, Paul Millsap led the way with 31 points and 16 rebounds. He has been the team’s leading scorer all season long with 17.3 points per game and Atlanta as a team is ranked 12^th in the NBA in scoring with an average of 103.0 PPG. It moves to sixth on the list at the other end of the court with a points-allowed average of 99.0.

Cleveland is still trying to lock-down the top seed in the East with the Raptors two games back with two games to play, so there is something on the line in this game. The Cavaliers have dropped their last two games (SU and ATS) with road losses to Indiana and Chicago following a four-game winning streak (SU and ATS). The total went OVER closing 204.5-point line in Saturday’s 105-102 loss to the Bulls and it has gone OVER in four of their last five games.

LeBron James was on the bench for last Wednesday’s loss to the Pacers and he returned to score a game-high 33 points against Chicago while going 13-for-17 from the field. It was still not enough to overcome a team shooting percentage of 43.4 in that loss. Cleveland is eighth in the league in scoring with 104.2 PPG and it has been able to raise that average to 108.2 points in its last six games. The Cavaliers have given-up an average of 101 points during this same six-game stretch as opposed to a season average of 98.2 points allowed. 

Atlanta at Cleveland Game Prediction 

Both teams still need a win in this game and given the fact that the last six meetings in Cleveland have gone OVER closing total line in NBA free picks and predictions.