NBA Playoffs Free Picks
Today's NBA Playoffs free picks are courtesy of Pregame.com. Get more free picks and game analyses.
The Boston Celtics host the Miami Heat tonight in Game 2 of their playoff series. This game is very likely to be a physical battle considering what happened at the end of Game 1. The Celtics are 1.5 favorites, with a total of 179 points expected tonight. TNT will broadcast the game at 8:00 EDT.
Boston might have won the first battle, but they certainly didn't win the war. Boston beat Miami 85-76 to win Game 1, yet all talk surrounded the scuffle to end the game. As a result of what happened late in the game, F Kevin Garnett was suspended for Game 2 because of a thrown elbow. The Celtics were trailing as they entered the 4th quarter, and turned to their defense to win the game. The Celtics limited the Heat to only 10 4th quarter points, ultimately outscoring them by 11 PTS in the deciding quarter. Boston has now won all 4 meetings against the Heat this season. Boston is 25-17 SU and 13-28-1 ATS in home games this season. The Celtics have really struggled as the listed favorite this season, going 25-38 ATS this year. Boston is 3-6 ATS as the listed home favorite between 3.5 and 6 PTS this season. Boston had allowed 8 of their last 9 opponents to score more than 100 PTS leading into the playoffs. The defensive effort in the 4th quarter will certainly build confidence moving forward for the Celtics. All 5 starters average double figures in PTS this season, led by F Paul Pierce and his 18.3 PPG.
The Celtics are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games following a SU win. The Over is 5-1 in the Celtics last 6 home games. Forward Kevin Garnett will miss Game 2 after being suspended for his antics in Game 1. Forward Paul Pierce is listed as probable with a banged up shoulder.
Miami can certainly still win this series, despite the fact they are down 1 game in this best of 7 series and they've yet to beat Boston in 5 tries this season. The Heat simply need to stop shooting so many 3 pointers, as they've horrendous against the Celtics from behind the arc. A simple schematic change offensively will likely make the Heat far more successful as this series progresses. G Dwyane Wade and F Quentin Richardson were the only 2 players that scored in double figures for the Heat in Game 1. C Jermaine O'Neal needs to be more productive offensively, as he was only 3 of 14 from the field in Game 1. The Heat are still one of the hottest teams in the playoffs, as they have won 12 of their past 14 games SU. Miami has held 17 of their past 20 opponents under 100 PTS, another example of why this team has been so successful of late. The Heat allowed the 2nd fewest PTS in the NBA this year at 94.2 PPG. Wade averaged team highs of 26.6 PPG and 6.5
APG this season. The Heat are 47-36 SU and 42-40-1 ATS overall this season. Miami is 23-19 SU and 24-18 ATS away from home this season. The Heat are also 21-18 ATS as the listed underdog this season.
The Heat are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games as the listed road underdog. The Under is 9-0 in the Heat's last 9 games playing on 2 days rest. Point Guard Rafer Alston is out due to a suspension earlier this season.
Pregame.com projects the final score to be 91-86 in favor of the Miami Heat. The Heat +1.5 are the Play of the Day!
Another Free NBA Playoffs Free Pick...
The Los Angeles Lakers host the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight in Game 2 of their Western Conference Playoff Series. The Thunder will look to redeem themselves after a poor performance in Game 1. The Lakers will look to continue their defensive pressure on the young Thunder. The Lakers are 6.5 favorites, with a total of 189 points expected tonight. TNT will broadcast the game at 10:30 EDT.
Los Angeles certainly can breathe a sigh of relief after their solid Game 1 win against the Thunder. Several experts and literally the entire Lakers nation were nervous with their play leading up to the playoffs. The moment the Lakers found out they would be matched up with the Thunder in Round 1, some experts thought the young Thunder would be too much for them. The Lakers dispelled any of those thoughts with a dominating performance defensively. The Lakers held the Thunder to only 79 PTS in Game 1. Outside of PG Russell Westbrook and F Kevin Durant, not a single Thunder player scored more than 10 PTS. The Lakers held the Thunder to a combined 30 PTS in the 1st and 3rd quarters. The psychological battle that Coach Jackson used against Durant didn't work, as Durant went to the free throw line 11 times. The Lakers are 58-25 SU and 34-46-3 ATS overall this season. Los Angeles has fared quite well at home this year, going 35-7 SU and 17-24 ATS. The Lakers
are 30-38 ATS as the listed favorite this season, including 5-6 as a home favorite between 6.5 and 9 PTS. The Lakers had 4 players score in double figures in Game 1. F Pau Gasol had 19 PTS and 13 rebounds to lead a dominating inside presence for the Lakers.
The Lakers are 0-9 ATS in their last 9 games following an ATS win. The Under is 6-1 in the Lakers last 7 games as the listed home favorite. Center D.J. Mbenga is Questionable tonight with an injured eye. Guard Sasha Vujacic is out tonight with an injured ankle.
Oklahoma City had a very rude awakening to how playoff basketball is played. Clearly a more physical brand of basketball is played, and this young Thunder squad is going to have to grow up fast if they want to leave a lasting impression in this years playoffs. The Thunder could only muster 79 PTS in Game 1, and they struggled from the very beginning as they only scored 13 PTS in the 1st quarter. There were 2 good things to come out of Game 1, one of which is PG Russell Westbrook. Westbrook was able to get anywhere he wanted on the floor, and he responded with 23 PTS on 10 of 16 shooting. Second, the Thunder attempted more free throws than the Lakers on the road. The Thunder are 51-32 SU and 48-35 ATS overall record this year. With the loss in Game 1, the Thunder have lost 4 of the 5 games against the Lakers this season. The Thunder are 23-19 SU and 26-16 ATS on the road this season, easily one of the best road records in the NBA this year. Oklahoma City is an impressive 19-13 ATS as the listed underdog this season, including 6-3 ATS as a road underdog of 6.5 to 9 PTS. Durant led the NBA in scoring this season, yet continues to under perform against the Lakers. Durant is averaging 25 PPG in a 5 game span against the Lakers this season, 5 points lower than his overall season average.
The Thunder are 16-5 ATS in their last 21 road games against a team with a home winning percentage greater than .600%. The Over is 7-1 in the Thunder's last 8 road games.
Pregame.com projects the final score to be 101-98 in favor of the Lakers. The Over 189 is the Total of the Day!
Johnny Detroit, Gambling911.com
