The Thursday BetDeluxe NBA Playoffs Preview has arrived and the best bets for each game have been circled by the experts.
Brooklyn and Boston get proceedings underway, while the 76ers and Bucks look to make their moves.
brooklyn @ boston
april 21st 9:00am
Two stellar squads do battle in the playoffs for game two of their series when the Boston Celtics host the Brooklyn Nets at TD Garden.
It was the Celtics who took a 1-0 series lead after an epic 115-114 win over the Nets in game one.
Jayson Tatum hit the match-winning shot on the buzzer to pinch victory from the jaws of defeat and it was a performance by the Celtics with which it can set a platform for the rest of this series.
The even spread of contributors throughout the night is what really stood out for the Celtics against a Nets team which was heavily reliant on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving yet again.
Irving has been the one causing the most damage of late and his 39 points were a sign that he is not to be messed with in this playoffs series.
Durant only managed 23 points, but the Celtics will know he can explode at any time and win the game with his own hand.
Boston showed itself to have a massive edge over the Nets on rebounds and points in the paint, which will be the focal point for the home team again.
There was plenty to like about how the Celtics shared the load between Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford and Marcus Smart.
Going to back the Celtics to cover the spread and make it 2-0.
Suggested Bet: Boston Celtics -3.5 at $1.89
philadelphia @ toronto
april 21st 10:00am
Philadelphia will attempt to put itself into an almost unassailable series lead when it meets Toronto on the road come Thursday morning.
The 76ers moved to a 2-0 advantage over the Raptors thanks to another home-court rout, which saw them deliver a 112-97 win.
Joel Embiid posted 31 points and 11 rebounds to guide his team to victory as the Raptors really struggled to quell his influence around the rim at either end of the court.
The Raptors threw everything at Embiid in a bid to try and stop the 76ers barometer, but nothing worked.
Trying to bully a man who is a physical monster has not worked in the first two games and will not work in this contest.
Toronto needs to find other avenues to victory, but that is easier said than done.
Based on what we have seen through the first two matches of this series, the 76ers have a massive edge over the Raptors.
The scary thing is that James Harden has not really hit his straps yet.
If Harden comes to the party alongside Embiid, 3-0 is just about a fait accompli.
Suggested Bet: Philadelphia 76ers -1.5 at $1.90
chicago @ milwaukee
april 21st 11:30am
Holding a 1-0 lead heading into game two, the Milwaukee Bucks will look to take the prime position in their playoffs series against Chicago on Thursday at Fiserv Forum.
In what was a battle of attrition in game one, the Bucks made the most of limited opportunity in a low-scoring affair to keep the Bulls at arms-length in a 93-86 win.
The Greek Freak in Giannis Antetokounmpo went for 27 points and 16 rebounds in a dominant display when buckets were had to come by for both teams.
One thing we can rely upon with the Bucks is their ability to get the balance between offence and defence right on the money.
It has usually been a scary offensive onslaught which has buried teams throughout their championship triumph of 2020/21 and through this season.
But a reliance on defence when needed is what the Bulls felt the full brunt of in game one.
Chicago does have scoring threats capable of troubling the Bucks defence, namely, DeMar DeRozan, who has had a stellar season, but was well held on Monday.
There seems to be plenty of scope for improvement for both teams on the offensive end coming into this contest, but we feel there is a higher floor for the Bucks.
They are a well-oiled machine and know how the get the job done at this time of the season.
Suggested Bet: Milwaukee Bucks -9.5 at $1.90
