NBA Basketball Picks

A big question in this series has been the status of Philadelphia Center Joel Embiid. Embiid has been battling soreness in his left knee that rendered him on the side-line for Game Three. Despite losing the All-Star that averages 13.6 rebounds per contest and 27.5 points per game, the Sixers did just fine without him. That has left most series bettors believing the Nets do not have a path to a series win. Franks has your game 4 pick!

The Blazers are forcing the Thunder into disastrous shooting performances in game one and two. Meanwhile, Dame and CJ are dropping dueling 30-point outings and carving up the young, inexperienced wings on OKC. Can OKC do what you are supposed to do in the playoffs and make adjustments, allowing them to cover against the 7.5 point spread? KC has the NBA prediction!

The amount of criticism directed at a 22 year old kid in his second season, who was dubbed as second coming of Magic Johnson in his first, is head-scratching. Could Simmons be operating as more of a roll man in the half-court to unlock some of his playmaking and passing? Sure. But pick and rolls require spacing, spacing requires shooting, and the Sixers are a bit low in that department. Can an average shooting day from JJ Redick unlock Simmons’ talents and the rest of the series for Philly? KC has your Sixers/Nets pick!

After the Warriors defeated the Clippers by a score of 121-104 in Game One in Oakland, it seemed like Golden State was on their way to getting their broom ready against their divisional rivals. The Warriors covered the 13.5 point spread. In game two, they were again listed -13.5 and we all know what happened to them and their homecourt advantage. Is this a series? Is GSW -8 too low? Franks gives his NBA prediction.

Missing Blake Griffin or getting a gimpy Griffin is obviously going to hurt this Pistons team. Griffin scored 97 total points in the four regular season games with the Bucks which topped Giannis’ output of 83. But will bookmakers value his absence correctly at Pistons +15? Matt Lowry gives his breakdown and free pick.

For those that love high-scoring playoff hoops, Game One was certainly not for you. The Celtics and Pacers played a hard-fought defensive-oriented game that resulted in the C’s dispatching the P’s by a score of 84-74. It was a thowback to what playoff ball used to be. Who does this style of ball favor in game 2? Keith has an NBA Prediction!

It’s refreshing to know that some guys just are who we think they are. Michael Jordan is always going to make the last shot, Kobe Bryant is always going to take the last shot, and Donovan Mitchell is always going to miss the last shot. Donovan’s propensity to take as many shots as he can while passing as little as possible is unbelievable, bordering on impressive. Will this shooter shoot his team in the foot in game 2? KC has your NBA pick.

Repeating a 48.3% shooting performance from three-point range will be hard to replicate for the Magic so they will have to turn their calling card which has helped them all season, their defense. The Magic finished with a top-five scoring defense that surrendered just 106.6 points per contest (5th in the NBA). Can they hold the Raptors to under 107 and will that give them a cover against the spread as 10 point underdogs?

If there’s one note that OKC can take away from Game 1, it’s this: shoot better. Five made 3s in 33 attempts isn’t going to get the job done against one of the better offensive teams in the NBA. The Russ/Schroder PG combo managed to go 0-11 from downtown. Does an average shooting night from the Thunder make them a good bet against the spread at +2? KC has your NBA prediction.

The Nuggets clearly were not ready for their first playoff game in seven years, and it showed as a home court advantage that took much of the regular season to obtain, was squandered away in less than a few hours. Will they be ready for tonight as 7 point favorites? Matt Lowry gives his NBA pick against the spread.