NBA Playoffs Free Picks for Thursday April 22, 2010
NBA Playoffs free picks for today are courtesy of our friends at Pregame.com, featuring all the latest free picks and game analyses. Check them out here today.
The Chicago Bulls host the Cleveland Cavaliers in what amounts to a must win for Chicago. The Bulls are down 2 games to none, and return home for a crucial Game 3. The Cavaliers are 3.5 favorites, with a total of 193 points expected tonight. TNT will broadcast the game at 7:00 EDT.
Chicago is in danger of having a very brief stay in the playoffs, as they are currently down 0-2 to Cleveland. Chicago has lost both games by double digits, yet the games seem to be more competitive than the final scores would indicate. That is partly due to the trash talking and physical play involving both teams. The Bulls are likely to look to play close to the basket tonight, as they outscored the Cavs 56-38 in Game 2. PG Derrick Rose is one of a few Bulls players playing well in the playoffs, as he's averaged 25.5 PPG thus far. C Joakim Noah had 25 PTS and 13 rebounds in Game 2, and will look to build off that confidence building game. The Bulls are 41-43 SU and 43-39-2 ATS overall this season. Chicago is 24-17 SU and 20-19-2 ATS in home games this season. The Bulls are 24-21 ATS as the listed underdog this season, including 2-2 ATS as a home underdog between 3.5 and 6 PTS. The Bulls scored more than 100 PTS in both games against the Cavaliers at home this season.
The Bulls are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games following a SU loss. The Over is 8-1 in the Bulls last 9 playoff games as an underdog.
Cleveland is easily playing like the odds on favorite to win this years NBA Championship. Mentally, the Cavaliers have never been stronger as they are constantly striving for perfection. Despite beating Chicago by double figures in each contest and shooting better than 50%, Cleveland is stating they can play better. F LeBron James is leading this Cleveland team both on the court and with his leadership. James had 40 PTS in Game 2, and is shooting nearly 60% for the series. James has stated to the media that he wants to finish off this series by playing even better than they've showed thus far. The Cavaliers are 63-21 SU and 39-44-1 ATS overall this season. Cleveland is 26-15 SU and 22-18-1 ATS on the road this season. The Cavaliers are 9-6 ATS this season as a road favorite between 3.5 and 6 PTS. Cleveland always hasn't played their best in let down situations, as they are only 16-21 ATS against teams with a losing record this season.
The Cavaliers are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 playoff games as a favorite up to 4.5 points. The Over is 5-1 in the Cavs last 6 playoff games as a favorite. Forward Anderson Varejao is listed as probable with a small leg injury.
Pregame.com projects the final score to be 94-90 in favor of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Under 193 is the Total of the Day!
Projected Score: 94 (UNDER-Total of the Day)
Next up...
The Oklahoma City Thunder host the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of their 1st Round Playoff matchup. The crowd in Oklahoma City will simply be electric tonight, so it should be an unbelievable atmosphere. The Thunder are 3 point favorites, with a total of 191.5 points expected tonight. TNT will air this exciting game at 9:30 EDT.
Oklahoma City was the popular pick to give the Lakers a scare in their 1st Round playoff series. Despite being down 0-2 in their 7 game series, the Thunder are still quite confident. Part of that confidence comes from having the youngest scoring champion in league history in Forward Kevin Durant. The other part of it is because of Coach Brooks. Brooks was just named the NBA Coach of the Year yesterday. Oklahoma City had a chance to win Game 2 in Los Angeles, but they couldn't get the final shot to go down. The Thunder have extra confidence when playing in front of their home fans, where they were 27-14 SU and 22-19 ATS this season. Oklahoma City has so much success at home because they are such a young team and they respond well to the fans cheering them on. The Thunder went 1-1 SU and 2-0 ATS at home against the Lakers this season. Their SU loss was in OT, where the Thunder had plenty of opportunities to close out the Lakers. The Thunder were 27-22 ATS as the listed favorite this season, including 8-7 ATS as a favorite between 3.5 and 6 PTS.
The Thunder are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games against a team with a winning road record. The Over is 9-4-1 in the Thunder's last 14 games as a favorite.
It almost seems like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are trying to one up each other despite playing in opposite sides of the country and conferences. Bryant is never satisfied, especially in the playoffs. Despite winning the 1st two games in their series with Oklahoma City, Bryant is incredibly focused on winning Game 3. The same thoughts have been shared by LeBron James as well, as it appears both Los Angeles and Cleveland appear on a collision course in the NBA Finals. Before the Lakers can take that step, they must get past the young Thunder. The Lakers have beaten the Thunder by a combined 11 PTS in the playoffs, with much of the reason coming defensively. The Lakers have held the Thunder to 92 and 79 PTS respectively thus far in their series. F Ron Artest is doing a brilliant job shading Kevin Durant. The Lakers are 23-18 SU and 18-22-1 ATS on the road this season. Los Angeles is only 5-7 ATS as the listed underdog this season. However, the Lakers are 3-3 ATS as the listed underdog between 3.5 and 6 PTS this year.
The Lakers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 playoff games as an underdog. The Under is 11-2 in the Lakers last 13 games as a road underdog. Center D.J. Mbenga is listed as Questionable with an injured eye. Sharpshooting Guard Sasha Vujacic is Out tonight with an injured ankle.
Pregame.com projects the final score to be 103-94 in favor of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder -3 is the Play of the Day!
Johnny Detroit, Gambling911.com
