NBA Playoffs Betting Preview

This NBA Playoffs betting preview covers all three of Monday night's games with odds available at Sportsbook.com here.

NBA: Orlando at Charlotte

Orlando and Charlotte play Game 4 of their first round NBA Eastern Conference Playoff series and the Magic have the chance to become the first team to move on to the second round with a sweep. The Bobcats would like to at least experience the success of a playoff win in this, their first postseason ever. The Bobcats are currently a 4-point home dog according to Sportsbook.com.

Without reading the entire box score, finding out Vince Carter, Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis would score 37 points on 12 for 29 shooting in Charlotte; it would be assumed Orlando would have fallen in Game 3.

But as J.R.R. Tolkien once said "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future." This is precisely what 6'0 Jameer Nelson has done; scoring 32 points in 90-86 win in Game 3 to lead the Magic to victory.

Nelson is averaging 25.7 points per game and has a turnover about every 36 minutes of play in this series. "I'm not out there trying to shoot every shot," Nelson said. "It just happens that sometimes you have to, especially if you have it going."

Orlando now has a commanding 3-0 lead and is 12-0 ATS after a win by six points or less this season. Because the Bobcats don't have the offensive firepower to match the Magic, it's more a matter of who wants to win this game than overall ability.

Charlotte is 18-5 ATS having lost four of their last five games and veteran coach and vagabond Larry Brown knows what he has seen in the series. "It hasn't been the defense that has let us down," Brown said. "Defensive rebounds have been a problem. Turnovers have been a problem. And I think more than anything is poor execution on offense."

Orlando is a four-point pick and is 25-14 ATS as a road favorite of four points or less and is 21-11 UNDER in this role. The Bobcats will attempt to stave off elimination and are 20-9 ATS after a game as a home underdog, losing by 2.7 points per contest.

Head over the Sportsbook.com now to bet on this and every other NBA game on Monday's betting board.

NBA: Atlanta at Milwaukee

Just when experts were ready to write off the Bucks in their first round Eastern Conference playoff series with Atlanta, Milwaukee came up with a huge effort on its home court, turning back the Hawks in a relatively easy 18-point win on Saturday. Tonight, Game 4 of the series is on tap, and odds-makers at Sportsbook.com show Atlanta as the 2-point favorite. Can the Bucks even the series, or are the Hawks ready to assume control?

Coach Mike Woodson said his Atlanta club has to learn to deal with adversity, especially on the road. Hey coach, what about if they just decide to act like they even care about giving effort on the playoff road for goodness sake. Consider Luc Mbah a Moute, Kurt Thomas and Dan Gadzuric of Milwaukee had a decided advantage over Josh Smith, Al Horford and Marvin Williams just by trying, something the team in the ATL jerseys just were not interested in.

This team is supposed to be maturing, but after Saturday's debacle, the Hawks have lost eight of nine road playoffs games the last three years, with the average margin of defeat 22.6 PPG. Take a look at this trend further illustrating the struggles of the franchise on the road:

•          ATLANTA is 4-17 ATS (-14.7 Units) in road games in all playoff games since 1996. The average score was ATLANTA 82.0, OPPONENT 96.1 - (Rating = 1*)

"I still think we're a team that's still learning how to win, like all teams in this league," Woodson said. "It's not easy winning on the road, and I never use that as an excuse, but that's reality." Losing is one thing but being blown out and man-handled is quite another. Dating back several seasons, this franchise is 2-12 ATS on the road in the first round of the playoffs.

This has to give the Bucks a great deal of confidence and maybe those signs around town spooked Atlanta - Fear the Deer.

Milwaukee is 8-1 ATS off a home win by 10 points or more this season; nevertheless is not getting ahead of itself. "There was a lot of pressure on us to come out and win Game 3," rookie Brandon Jennings said. "But we can't celebrate. We've got to come back Monday and do the same thing."

Sportsbook.com has established the Hawks as 2-point favorites with a ‘total' of 189. Atlanta is 8-1 ATS and 8-1 OVER off a double digit defeat. The Andrew Bogut-less Bucks are 14-4 ATS after scoring 105 points or more and are 14-2 OVER as a home deer, whoops, dog of three points or less.

With Daily Money Back Specials and Reduced Juice Fridays, Sportsbook.com is the place to bet on the NBA Playoffs.

NBA: Portland at Phoenix

After Games 2 & 3 of the first round West playoff series between Portland and Phoenix, it would have been simple to just write off the Blazers. Those games were decidedly won by the Suns. However, Portland came back strong on Saturday with an emotional boost from the return of Brandon Roy to even the series. The pivotal Game 5 is set for Monday, and Sportsbook.com odds-makers list Phoenix as a 7-point home favorite.

Right before the series, the big news in the basketball desert was Portland was not going to have their best player, Roy, who was having minor surgery on a torn meniscus. Phoenix went out and celebrated their good fortune by going thru the motions in the series opener, falling by five as eight-point favorites.

The Suns took this series seriously the next two contests, pummeling Portland by 29 and 19 points respectively and got their swagger back, making this look like a five-game series was about to unfold. 

However, word was Roy's procedure was so minor he was able to shoot free throws and do straight line running within days and low and behold he was in uniform for Game 4.

With the theme of "Rocky" playing at the Rose Garden, a delirious crowd welcomes backed their superstar and Phoenix fell for it.

It was clear Roy lacked any lateral quickness, but the Suns coaches and players had a welcoming committee whenever he touched the ball, bring an extra man to guard him, for reasons unknown, freeing up other Blazers players.

"As soon as he checked into the game, I got my first open shot with nobody guarding me, so I was thinking thank God he's back," Aldridge said with his team 15-4 ATS after two or more Under's.

Amare Stoudemire brought up what is becoming an annoying theme to Suns fans and backers. "We didn't bring it, we just didn't bring it," Stoudemire said. "We realized how important the game was. We didn't bring the effort, we didn't bring the energy, we didn't rebound, we didn't attack. We had a chance to go up 3-1, which would have been great. Now we've got to go back to a must-win situation."

Phoenix is 25-14 ATS after playing a road game and is a seven point favorite with total of 202.5. If the Suns expect to win this first round Western series they have to force the tempo and are 22-6 OVER at home after two away encounters.

Portland at least knows they are going back home for a Game #6, as they are 0-8 ATS off an upset win as a home underdog.

Game tips at 10:40 PM ET and currently 92% of the bettors are on the Suns (-7) at Sportsbook.com.