NBA Playoffs: Best Bets for 76ers-Nets, Kings-Warriors
There’s a pair of pivotal Game 3s on Thursday’s NBA playoff schedule in Brooklyn and San Francisco.
The 76ers hold a 2–0 lead over the Nets and can take complete control of the series with a road win at the Barclays Center. Both games so far have been decided by double-digits and Philadelphia is favored once again in this matchup.
The Kings are also up 2–0 on the defending champs as the series moves to the Chase Center for the next two contests. Both games at Golden 1 Center were close and the Warriors are now favored to win on their home floor, which they defended extremely well this season, especially when compared to their road record.
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No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 6 Brooklyn Nets
(Philadelphia leads series, 2-0)
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET | TNT
Spread: 76ers -4.5 (-110) | Nets +4.5 (-110)
Moneyline: PHI (-200) | BKN (+165)
Total: Under 209.5 (-110) | Over 209.5 (-110)
76ers-Nets Best Bet: 76ers -4.5 (-110)
The 76ers stifled the Nets in the second half of Game 2. After a 49-point first-half performance, which gave Brooklyn a five-point lead when the third quarter began, the road team managed just 35 points over the game’s final 24 minutes The Nets shot worse
than 38% from the field and just 31% from three. Only Spencer Dinwiddie (14 points) joined Cam Johnson (28 points) and Mikal Bridges (21 points) in double digits in a dismal offensive outing.
Philadelphia was no offense juggernaut Monday, either. James Harden finished with eight points, seven assists and five turnovers on 3-13 shooting and Joel Embiid was held to 20 points and coughed up an additional eight turnovers. But Tyrese Maxey’s 33 points and six three-pointers powered the team to a second-half comeback and a 2–0 lead as the series shifts to Brooklyn. The Sixers’ whopping 56-33 rebounding advantage surely helped as well.
Through two games, it’s clear the Nets are outmatched on both sides of the ball. That won’t change at the Barclays Center. Brooklyn went 23–18 at home in the regular season but just 6–8 after the Kevin Durant trade. The commitment to stopping Embiid from having his way on offense has opened up opportunities for secondary scorers like Tobias Harris (20.5 points per game) and Maxey.
The 76ers, who tied for the second-best road record in the NBA at 25–16 and went 13–8 against the spread as a road favorite, are in position to take a 3–0 series lead and cover a very manageable number Thursday.
No. 3 Sacramento Kings vs. No. 6 Golden State Warriors
(Sacramento leads series, 2-0)
Time: 10 p.m. ET | TNT
Spread: Kings +5.5 (-110) | Warriors -5.5 (-110)
Moneyline: SAC (+205) | GSW (-250)
Total: Under 239.5 (-110) | Over 239.5 (-110)
Kings-Warriors Best Bet: Under 239.5 (-110)
The biggest storyline heading into this game is the league’s suspension of Draymond Green. The Warriors will be without their top defender and a crucial connector on offense against the Kings. Golden State is favored to win Game 3 at the Chase Center, but make no mistake: The defending champs are on the ropes.
Both games in Sacramento were close — the Kings won Game 1 by three and Game 2 by eight. De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk have both been sensational and the offense has, by some standards, actually underperformed, specifically from behind the arc. A bottom-10 defense in the regular season, Mike Brown’s defense has made Stephen Curry work for his buckets and largely neutralized Jordan Poole, a 20-point per game scorer off the bench in the regular season.
With the best defender in the series out of the picture and the Dubs out for blood, it’s fair to expect offensive fireworks when these teams take the floor in San Francisco. But the reality might be more of a low-scoring affair.
For one, Game 2 fell well short of the lofty 238.5-point total, and the over/under for Game 3 is a full point higher. And secondly, both teams’ season-long trends favor the under for this contest. Kings games stay under more than 63% of the time when they’re on the road, the highest percentage in the league, and the under hit 59% of the time for the Warriors at home, the fourth-highest rate. The series-opening shootout from over the weekend is still fresh in everyone’s minds, but a full season’s worth of games suggests the under is a good play here.
NBA Playoffs Betting Record: 3–3
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