A better understanding of who the contenders and pretenders will unfold ahead of Wednesday’s NBA playoffs fixtures.
BetDeluxe previews all the best bets from the NBA analysts.
philadelphia @ miami
may 11th 9:30am
Tied up at two games apiece, Philadelphia heads over to FTX Arena for game five against the Miami Heat in this seven-game series.
Joel Embiid has seen the 76ers level up the series after dropping both road games to begin.
Embiid returned in game three, and his presence helped create space for the Sixers shooters and, more importantly, helped fortify the Sixers on the defensive end.
The towering centre had 24 points and 11 rebounds and played a leading hand in helping James Harden produce his best performance in a Sixers guernsey.
Harden put all the negative postseason talk about his game to rest with 31 points to help the Sixers win a 116-108.
Now it is up to Miami to respond with home-court advantage and the tag of -2.5 favourite.
Get the feeling Heat coach Erik Spoelstra will put a tag on Harden to stop another avenue to the bucket for the visitors.
Embiid will cause damage, as he always does, but the Heat can deal it with as long as they keep Harden under wraps.
Suggested Bet: Miami -2.5 at $1.89
Suggested Same Game Multi:
Leg 1: Miami -2.5
Leg 2: J. Butler over 23.5 points
Leg 3: Total points over 209.5
Combined odds = $4.33
dallas @ phoenix
may 11th 12:00pm
After storming back into the series with two big wins on home soil, the Dallas Mavericks are on the road against Phoenix Suns this Wednesday.
It is no shock that more help from Luka Doncic’s teammates has led to Dallas pinching two results to level the series up at 2-2.
Jalen Brunson and Dorian Finney-Smith have stood up under duress to give Doncic a helping hand in consecutive victories.
Phoenix will have to be a way of the form of Brunson, who looked like he would explode coming into this semi-final series after a sensational display against Utah over six games.
In a wild game four for off-court reasons, Chris Paul only managed 23 minutes after an incident with a fan in the Dallas crowd.
Devin Booker was left with too much to do, but a more level-headed approach from Paul and his teammates in game five should ensure they regain the series lead.
We know how good this Phoenix team is on its home deck.
Expect the Suns to put down the clamps on the defensive to cover the spread.
Suggested Bet: Phoenix Suns -4.5
Suggested Same Game Multi:
Leg 1: Phoenix Suns -4.5
Leg 2: C. Paul over 18.5 points
Leg 3: C. Paul over 7.5 assists
Combined odds = $6
