NBA Playoffs Free Picks (April 26, 2010)
These NBA Playoffs free picks are courtesy of Johnny Detroit and Pregame.com. Be sure to check out the Pregame.com website for more free picks here.
The Charlotte Bobcats host the Orlando Magic tonight in an elimination game. Charlotte has their backs against the wall, and they will look to keep their season going in front of their home fans. The Magic are 4 point favorites, with a total of 184 points expected tonight. TNT will televise the game at 8:00 EDT.
Charlotte is staring elimination right in the face, as they are down 0-3 to the Magic in their playoff matchup. No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit, yet the Bobcats players are trying to remain upbeat. Charlotte's offense has been anemic in this series, as they've to score more than 89 points this series. The Bobcats are pleased with their defensive effort, as they've held the Magic under 100 PTS in each game this series. F Stephen Jackson is averaging a team high 21.3 PPG during the playoffs, yet he's shooting less than 40% from the field in the process. F Gerald Wallace is playing well, averaging 17.7 PPG and 10 RPG against the Magic this series. No other Bobcats player is averaging more than 12 PPG, which ultimately makes Charlotte very predictable on offense. The Bobcats are 44-41 SU and 45-38-2 ATS overall this season. Charlotte is 31-11 SU and 23-19 ATS in home games this season. The Bobcats are 3-2 ATS as a home underdog between 3.5 and 6 PTS this season.
The Bobcats are 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 games against a team with a winning percentage above .600%. The Under is 12-3-1 in their last 16 games as an underdog. Center Alexis Ajinca remains Out with an injured hand.
Orlando appears dominant so far in the playoffs, as they are one game away from advancing to the 2nd Round. However, Orlando and Coach Van Gundy feel there is much to work on for the Magic. Orlando is trying to keep C Dwight Howard on the court, and get G Vince Carter back on track offensively. Carter is averaging 13.7 PPG this series, yet is only shooting 32.5% from the field. Howard has been in foul trouble all series long, and as a result is only averaging 11 PPG and 8 RPG against Charlotte. The biggest reason for the Magic success this series is PG Jameer Nelson. Nelson has been remarkable, averaging 25.7 PPG with 14 assists against only 3 turnovers. Nelson is almost making better than 45% of his three pointers, as well as 93.8% from the free throw line. Orlando is 62-23 SU and 47-35-3 ATS overall this season. The Magic are 26-16 SU and 22-17-3 ATS in road games this season. Orlando is 8-5 ATS this year as a road favorite between 3.5 and 6 PTS.
The Magic are 6-0-1 ATS in their last 7 games as a road favorite. The Under is 13-6 in their last 19 games as a road favorite.
Pregame.com projects the final score to be 97-94 in favor of the Orlando Magic. The Over 184 is the Total of the Day!
Next Free NBA Playoffs Pick...
The Phoenix Suns host the Portland Trailblazers in a critical Game 5 tonight in their First Round Playoff series. The series is currently tied 2-2, so this will be a hotly contested game. The Suns are 6 point favorites, with a total of 202 points expected. TNT will broadcast the game at 10:30 EDT.
Phoenix was doubly shocked in their last game with Portland, both by the final score and by the return of Brandon Roy. Phoenix is going to need to get their offense back in gear, because when the Suns struggle to score, they lose. The Suns have averaged 93.5 PPG in their 2 losses, while they've averaged 113.5 PPG in their 2 wins. Playing at home will surely help this Suns team get back on track. G Jason Richardson is doing his part offensively this series, as he's averaging a team high 25 PPG. Richardson is shooting better than 50% from both the field and the 3 point line. Richardson has averaged 4 made three pointers per game so far this series, an amazing display of markmanship. F Amar'e Stoudemire is also averaging more than 20 PPG this series, along with a team high 8.9 RPG. PG Steve Nash will likely manage a great game tonight, as he's averaged 11 APG so far during this series. The Suns are 33-10 SU and 25-16-2 ATS in home games this season. Phoenix is 7-2 ATS as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 PTS this season. The Suns are 8-5 ATS in a game following a SU loss as the listed favorite.
The Suns are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games following an ATS loss. The Over is 5-1 in the Suns last 6 games as a home favorite. Center Robin Lopez is out for this series because of a bad back.
Portland is sky high right now, as they are back in their 1st Round playoff series and they have their best overall player back on the court. The Blazers will be the listed underdog when they take the court tonight in Phoenix, but that hasn't bothered them before. Portland won Game 1 of this series as a bigger underdog than they are today, and both of their SU wins this series have come as the listed underdog. Portland will look to play stifling defense yet again today, as they held the Suns to only 87 PTS in Game 3. Coach McMillan has done a masterful job during this series of keeping his team balanced. Not only are the Blazers playing solid defense, but their scoring balance has been admirable as well. 5 different Blazers average double figures in PTS this series, led by F LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge is averaging 20.3 PPG and 6 RPG this series, and has been the go to guy for Portland in the clutch. Portland is 25-18 SU and 26-15-2 ATS on the road this season. The Blazers are 18-14 ATS as the listed underdog this season. Portland continues to play well against high scoring teams, as they are 31-23 ATS against teams that average more than 99 PPG this season.
The Blazers are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 playoff games as an underdog. The Over is 16-7 in the Blazers last 23 road games.
Pregame.com projects the final score to be 103-102 in favor of the Phoenix Suns. The Blazers +6 is the Play of the Day!
Johnny Detroit, Gambling911.com
