The NBA playoffs will have another chapter ticked off this weekend as the BetDeluxe team finds all the best bets ahead of Saturday.
It all starts with the Heat taking on the Hawks in the first of three big games on April 23.
miami @ atlanta
april 23rd 9:00am
The Atlanta Hawks face a near must-win situation when they host the Miami Heat in game three of their first round playoff series.
Miami has taken each of the first two games in Miami and sits in the driver’s seat heading into game three this weekend.
Heat star Jimmy Butler did his status no harm after he hoisted his teammates up on his shoulders and carried them to victory in game two.
The man they dub ‘Buckets’ ensured he lived up this namesake by hitting a playoff career-high 45 points to lead the Heat to a 115-105 win.
The scary proposition for Atlanta is Butler somehow adding brilliance from three-point range into his game.
He went 4 from 7 at long range and spiked his points average to 33 through the first two contests.
Atlanta needs to rekindle a misfiring offence and Trae Young needs to be the leader of that.
Young has been incredibly well held by the Miami defence and the Heat will be hoping for much of the same.
There is just too much to like about Miami at the moment to hop off the wagon.
Butler has brought the heat back to Florida and he, alongside troops, will bring it to Hotlanta.
Suggested Bet: Miami Heat -1 at $1.87
milwaukee @ chicago
april 23rd 10:30am
Milwaukee will try to wrestle back home-court advantage when it travels to Chicago for Game 3 of its Eastern Conference playoff series on Saturday.
The Bucks got off to a winning start start with a 93-86 win in Game 1, but the Bulls bounced back with a 114-110 win on Thursday to add some spice into the playoff series.
Game two was one to forget for the Bucks with Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis both getting injured at critical stages in the match.
Milwaukee is not going to be able to coast through its first-round matchup as it tries to defend its NBA title from last season.
The Bucks have gone through a rough patch in each of their first two games in this series with the Bulls playing some serious ball.
The defending champions blew a 16-point lead in Game 1, but their defense came through in the end.
Game two then saw power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo hit 33 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists in the loss, but it was to little avail.
Chicago has its own star capable of producing numbers akin to Giannis in the form of DeMar DeRozan.
The Bulls guard dropped his best ever score in a playoff match with 41 points during the win and will be looking to do much of the same here.
Chicago will take a huge amount of confidence heading into this match up, especially with Middleton due to miss.
Going for the Bulls to go 2-1 up and make this an interesting set of circumstances for the Bucks.
Suggested Bet: Chicago Bulls head to head at $2.18
phoenix @ new orleans
april 23rd 11:30am
The spanner is well and truly in the works for Phoenix when it gets ready for game three against New Orleans on Saturday.
A Devin Booker hamstring niggle coupled with a game two loss means this series is alive for the rank underdogs New Orleans.
Booker is the Suns leading scorer and a pivotal cog as a finisher for Chris Paul’s brilliance with the ball.
The Pelicans might have found a deadly duo of their own in this playoffs series with the form of Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum leaving the Suns defence a lot to think about.
Ingram led the way for the Pelicans in game two with 37 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists, while CJ McCollum finished with 23 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists.
If Booker misses this clash, it just has to be advantage New Orleans based off what we saw on Thursday.
Suggested Bet: New Orleans +1.5 at $1.93
