NBA Playoffs Free Picks (Thursday April 29, 2010)
These NBA Playoffs free picks are courtesy of Johnny Detroit at Pregame.com. Be sure to check out Pregame.com for all your free picks and game analyses needs here.
The San Antonio Spurs host the Dallas Mavericks in Game 6 of their first round playoff series. The Spurs can eliminate the Mavericks tonight and move on to the 2nd Round. The Spurs are 3.5 favorites, with a total of 191 points expected tonight. TNT will broadcast the game at 8:00 EDT.
This is exactly the type of scenario that San Antonio has thrived in over the past decade. San Antonio is up 3-2 in their 7 game series, and they can advance to the 2nd Round with a victory tonight at home. Despite hurt players, San Antonio is the listed favorite tonight. G Manu Ginobli is currently playing with a broken nose, and was limited to only 18 minutes in Game 4. In fact, Coach Popovich only played F Tim Duncan and G Tony Parker for about 25 minutes during Game 4. Popovich hopes his team is rested and ready to fire a good performance tonight. G George Hill is enjoying a coming out party this postseason, as he's doing his best to turn the Big 3 into the Big 4. Duncan, Ginobli, and Parker are each averaging 17 PPG or more so far in this series. San Antonio is 53-34 SU and 46-39-2 ATS overall this season. The Spurs are 31-12 SU and 25-16-2 ATS at home this season. San Antonio is 5-7 ATS as a home favorite between 3.5 and 6 PTS this season. The Spurs are also 6-2 ATS after scoring 85 PTS or fewer in their previous game.
The Spurs are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game. The Under is 6-0-1 in the Spurs last 7 games against a team with a winning percentage above .600%. Guard Malik Hairston is listed as Questionable tonight with an ankle injury.
Dallas stepped up in a big way in Game 5, beating the Spurs by 22 points despite facing elimination. Dallas will look to continue the momentum by beating San Antonio tonight to force a Game 7. Dallas scored more than 100 PTS for the 1st time in this series. Mavericks fans can thank F Caron Butler for their domination in Game 5, as he had a game high 35 PTS. F Dirk Nowitzki continues to score in waves against San Antonio, as he's averaging 25.4 PPG during this playoff series. Butler and PG Jason Terry are combining for 33.4 PPG during this series. Dallas will need their scoring options in San Antonio, as they've only scored more than 90 PTS in 1 of their 4 games played their overall this season. The Mavericks are 57-30 SU and 39-46-2 ATS overall this season. Dallas is 27-16 SU and 26-16-1 ATS in road games this season. The Mavericks have proven all season long they are a team to be feared when playing on the road. Dallas is 6-5 ATS as the listed road underdog between 3.5 and 6 PTS this season.
The Mavericks are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games following a SU win of more than 10 points. The Under is 4-0 in the Mavericks last 4 games as a road underdog.
Pregame.com projects the final score to be 98-95 in favor of the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks +3.5 is the Side of the Day!
And here is the second of our NBA Playoffs Free Picks...
The Portland Trailblazers host the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 of their playoff series. The Blazers will need all the help they can get at home tonight, as they are staring at elimination. The Blazers are 1 point favorites, with a total of 201.5 points expected tonight. TNT will televise the game at 10:30 EDT.
Portland must win tonight to keep their season going. Portland was dominated in Game 5 in Phoenix, and they will need to rebound quickly. The Blazers have shown a propensity to bounce back all season long, not only from blowout losses but also to injuries. After coming back in Game 4, G Brandon Roy struggled during Game 5. Portland is 14-6 ATS after allowing 105 or more PTS in their previous game. The Blazers are 17-14 ATS when revenging a loss against an opponent this season. Portland is getting huge production from PG Andre Miller this series. Miller is averaging 18 PPG and nearly 6.5 RPG against the Suns during this series. F LaMarcus Aldridge is leading Portland in scoring during the playoffs, averaging 19.6 PPG. The Blazers are 52-35 SU and 46-39-2 ATS overall this season. Portland is 27-16 SU and 21-22 ATS at home this season. The Blazers have played well in the role of favorite this year, going 29-23 ATS this season.
The Blazers are 14-3 ATS in their last 17 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game. The Under is 8-0 in their last 8 games following a loss of more than 10 points. Center Marcus Camby is listed as Questionable with an injured finger. Forward Nicolas Batum is listed as Probable with a sore shoulder.
It's very easy to predict the game plan for Phoenix, as they are going to push the pace at every single opportunity. When Phoenix scores more than 100 PTS this series, they win. When they are held to 100 PTS or less, they lose. While their offense gets all the credit, the Suns defense has been strong of late. The Suns have held the Blazers to 90 PTS or fewer in 3 of their past 4 games. Surprisingly, only 3 Suns are averaging double figures in PTS during the playoffs. G Jason Richardson has been on fire against Portland, as he leads the Suns with 22.6 PPG. Richardson has made 17 3 pointers this series while shooting better than 48% from behind the arc. PG Steve Nash is averaging 16 PPG and 10 APG against Portland, as well as being the emotional leader of this Phoenix team. The Suns are 57-30 SU and 51-35-1 ATS overall this season. Phoenix is 23-20 SU and 24-19 ATS on the road this season. The Suns are 4-4 ATS as a road underdog of 3 PTS or less this season. The Suns would really like to end this series tonight, as they would love to get Nash some rest heading into the 2nd Round.
The Suns are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games as a road underdog. The Under is 4-0-1 in their last 5 road games against a team with a winning home record. Center Robin Lopez will miss the remainder of the 1st Round with an injured back.
Pregame.com projects the final score to be 105-103 in favor of the Phoenix Suns. The Over 201.5 is the Total of the Day!
Johnny Detroit, Gambling911.com
