Winners Club: Nets One Game From Playoff Elimination

Plus, NBA playoff spreads and NFL draft week prep.

Most NBA playoff teams that needed a win over the weekend got one.

Not the Nets.

Brooklyn rolled over at home in Game 3 against the Celtics. It was another forgettable game for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in what’s been a disastrous series against Boston’s vaunted defense. Tonight could be the end for the one-time title favorites.

Catch up on the latest NBA playoff news and odds and prepare for the NFL draft, which begins Thursday, with the latest edition of Winners Club.

Upcoming Playoff Schedule

Two series could come to an end tonight. Boston can close out Brooklyn in what would be the only first-round sweep. The Nets are a narrow home favorite even after their poor showing at Barclays Center over the weekend where Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving combined to score fewer points than Jayson Tatum. Ben Simmons, who was reportedly targeting a Game 4 return, will not play tonight.

Philadelphia could also get its revenge on Toronto from the 2019 Eastern Conference semifinals with a win tonight. The Raptors extended the series over the weekend with a Game 4 victory behind a powerful Pascal Siakam performance. Joel Embiid didn’t look himself in that loss and it came out afterward that he has a torn ligament in his thumb.

Monday

7 p.m. ET (TNT): Celtics vs. Nets (-1.5) | Boston leads series, 3-0

8 p.m. ET (NBA TV): Raptors vs. 76ers (-7.5) | Philadelphia leads series, 3-1

9:30 p.m. ET (TNT): Jazz vs. Mavericks (-3.5) | Series tied, 2-2

John Minchillo/AP

Tuesday

7 p.m. ET (NBA TV): Hawks vs. Heat (-7.5) | Miami leads series, 3-1

7:30 p.m. ET (TNT): Timberwolves vs. Grizzlies (-6.5) | Series tied, 2-2

10 p.m. ET (TNT): Pelicans vs. Suns (-6.5) | Series tied, 2-2

NBA Weekend Recap

The Hawks won Game 3 against the Heat on Friday and then dropped Game 4 on Sunday. The Raptors beat the 76ers on Saturday to avoid a sweep and the Nuggets similarly avoided getting swept by defending their home court against the Warriors. The Timberwolves, Pelicans and Jazz all avoided falling into 3-1 deficits with clutch wins over their respective opponents.

Phoenix, now tied 2-2 with New Orleans, has fallen out of favor of the oddsmakers. The title favorite is now Golden State (+275), followed by Boston (+450) and then Phoenix (+550). The Heat (+600) and Bucks (+650) round out the top five at SI Sportsbook.

NFL Draft

There’s been much less of a lull between the Super Bowl and the draft during this wild offseason due to the frequent blockbuster moves that have kept NFL fans checking Twitter to see who will be the next top-tier receiver or quarterback to switch teams. Still, the draft is a spectacle of its own and that will certainly be the case from Thursday to Saturday in Las Vegas.

You can bet on just about anything related to the draft. Who will go No. 1? No. 2? No. 3? How many tight ends will go in the first round? Will Sauce Gardner be a top-five pick? It’s all there on SI Sportsbook, and the team at SI Betting has thorough coverage of plenty of those draft props.

Joseph Maiorana/USA TODAY Sports

First Pick Odds: Exactly a week ago, Georgia's Travon Walker was +300 to go No. 1 and Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson was -333. Walker is now the favorite to go to the Jaguars at -150 odds and Hutchinson has moved to +100. Whom will Jacksonville select?

First-Round Quarterbacks Drafted Over/Under: The line for quarterbacks taken in the opening round is set at 2.5. Even for how bad of a signal caller class this is, the over looks mighty good. Will be the three, four or even five first-round QBs?

Round 1 Over/Under Defensive Players Drafted: It seems the best players in this draft are on defense, like Walker and Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton. Will more than 15.5 defensive players come off the board in Round 1?

First-Round Skill Positions Selected Over/Under: This will come down to the number of receivers drafted in the first 32 picks. There’s not much first-round talent at running back or tight end compared with recent years, but receiver is a deep position in this class without a true No. 1 prospect.

Need and Rumors for Every First Round Team: Which teams have which picks and what do those franchises need? Refresh yourself on the top draft targets in Albert Breer’s latest MMQB column.

In Other News

Giants Reportedly Shopping Kadarius Toney: New York is apparently looking to trade its 2021 first-round pick after the Florida product had a turbulent rookie season and has yet to show up to voluntary minicamp.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Need some fresh players for your fantasy team? Consider Jeremy Peña, Eric Hosmer, Aaron Hicks, Joc Pederson and more.

Caleb Love Announces Return to UNC: The Tar Heels are largely keeping the starting five from their national title runner up team intact. Love announced over the weekend he’ll be back for his junior season in Chapel Hill.

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Thanks for reading! I’ll be back Wednesday.