NBA Playoffs Free Picks Saturday May 8, 2010
These NBA Playoffs free picks for Saturday May 8, 2010 are courtesy of Pregame.com. Visit Pregame.com here for all your sports handicapping needs and more free picks.
The Atlanta Hawks host the Orlando Magic in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference playoff series. The Hawks need a win, as they are down 0-2 to the Magic. The Magic are 2 point favorites, with a total of 195.5 expected today. ESPN will televise the game at 5:00 EDT.
Atlanta really needs to put forward maximum effort for 48 minutes tonight, something they've yet to do against Orlando. After a humiliating loss in Game 1, the Hawks actually had a chance to win Game 2 in the 4th quarter. Unfortunately the Hawks crumbled under the pressure, as they missed 16 of their 21 shots in the final quarter. C Al Horford had a huge game in Game 2, as he had a team high 24 PTS with 10 rebounds. G Jamal Crawford contributed 23 PTS off the bench for the Hawks. Despite the offensive success for Atlanta, they still lost by double digits by allowing 112 PTS to the Magic. The Hawks need to focus on their defensive effort moving forward, as they can't allow the Magic to score 113 PPG for the series and expect to stay competitive. The Hawks are 57-34 SU and 52-39 ATS overall this season. Atlanta is 37-8 SU and 28-17 ATS in home games this season. The Hawks are 8-3 ATS after losing a game by double figures this year.
The Hawks are 1-9-1 ATS in their last 11 playoff games as an underdog. The Over is 10-1 in the Hawks last 11 games following a SU loss of more than 10 points.
Orlando has yet to lose in the postseason, and if recent form is any indication they might not lose at all. Orlando has been dominant in nearly every game they've played during the playoffs. The Magic haven't lost in over a month, April 2nd to San Antonio to be exact. The Magic have won all 12 of their games since then, and appear to be on a mission for a return trip to the NBA Finals. Orlando has been so consistent this season, as it's been 4 months since the Magic lost consecutive games. Orlando will look to get the ball into C Dwight Howard as much as possible for the duration of this series. Howard only missed 1 shot in Game 2, as he had a game high 29 PTS and 17 rebounds. 3 other Magic players scored at least 20 PTS including G Vince Carter and his 24 PTS. Orlando shot nearly 56% from the field in Game 2, after shooting 52% in Game 1. Orlando is 65-23 SU and 51-35-2 ATS overall this season. The Magic are 27-16 SU and 23-17-3 ATS in road contests this season. Orlando is 5-2 ATS as a road favorite of 3 PTS or less this season.
The Magic are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 games as a road favorite. The Under is 8-3 in their last 11 road games against a team with a home winning percentage greater than .600%.
Pregame.com projects the final score to be 101-97 in favor of the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks +2 is the Side of the Day!
.....Next NBA Playoffs free pick for today....
The Utah Jazz host the Los Angeles Lakers in a crucial Game 3 tonight. The Jazz need a win to get back in the series, while the Lakers will look for a win that will get them one step close to successfully defending their Championship. The Jazz are 4.5 favorites, with a total of 202.5 expected tonight. ABC will televise the game at 8:00 EDT.
Utah has played the Lakers tough in both games this series, yet have come away with nothing. The Jazz certainly hope they can feed off the emotion their home crowd is certain to provide tonight. Utah doesn't necessarily match up well with the Lakers, but they have a good enough system in place to have success against Los Angeles. Remarkably, this is the 3rd consecutive year that the Jazz have been in this exact situation they are facing tonight. The Jazz are at home in Game 3 down 2-0 to the Lakers for the 3rd year in a row. Utah has a highly efficient offense, but the Lakers size has caused them offensive problems. The Jazz are playing away from the basket more than usual, and as a result are only shooting 42% for the series so far. PG Deron Williams continues to be dynamic in the playoffs, as he's leading the team with 24.2 PPG and more than 10 APG. Utah is 35-9 SU and 29-13-1 ATS in home games this season. Utah is 5-2 ATS as a home favorite between 3.5 and 6 PTS this season.
The Jazz are 21-7 ATS in their last 28 games following a SU loss. The Over is 6-0 in their last 6 games following a SU loss.
Los Angeles will attempt to take a commanding 3-0 lead against Utah tonight, as they can all but end this series tonight. The Lakers have played inspired basketball after being pushed by the Thunder. Los Angeles has won both games in this series, as they've proven that their overall length causes the Jazz fits. However, the Lakers need to play with an added sense of passion and urgency on the road, especially in Utah. The Jazz have hung tough in both games thus far because they've outscored the Lakers by 7 PTS in the 2nd half of both games combined. The Lakers failed to score more than 96 PTS in both games played in Utah this season. F Pau Gasol and C Andrew Bynum are averaging more than 32 PTS and 21 RPG combined during the playoffs. This duo really helps G Kobe Bryant offensively, as Bryant has other capable scorers he can depend on. Bryant is averaging 25.3 PPG so far in the post-season. The Lakers are 24-20 SU and 19-24-1 ATS on the road this season.
Los Angeles is only 5-8 ATS as the listed underdog this season.
The Lakers are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 road games against a team with a home winning percentage greater than .600%. The Under is 12-4 in the Lakers last 16 games as a road underdog.
Pregame.com projects the final score to be 108-102 in favor of the Utah Jazz. The Over 202.5 is the Total of the Day!
Johnny Detroit, Gambling911.com
