Look for Favorites to Prevail in first round of NBA Playoffs
The NBA Playoffs begin on Saturday and we take a look at four matchups from the opening series.
The NBA Playoffs start this Saturday with the No. 3 seeds facing the No. 6 seeds and the No. 4 seeds hosting the No. 5 seeds in both the Western and Eastern conferences.
Odds To Win First Round of NBA Playoffs
- Cleveland Cavaliers -210 vs. NY Knicks +175
- Sacramento Kings +225 vs. Golden State Warriors -275
- Phoenix Suns -550 vs. LA Clippers +410
- Philadelphia 76ers -900 vs. Brooklyn Nets +600
Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook
The home teams are the Cleveland Cavaliers, Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, and Philadelphia 76ers.
In the opening round in the 2021-22 playoffs, the home team won three of the four series of the 3-6 and 4-5 matchups.
76ers Heavily Favored over Nets
The No. 3 Sixers are -900 to win the series while the No. 6 Brooklyn Nets are +600. The Sixers are led by top MVP candidate, Joel Embiid. He led the NBA in scoring for the second consecutive year. The Nets are led by Mikal Bridges who came to New Jersey at the trade deadline in the package for Kevin Durant.
The Sixers swept the season series from the Nets 4-0. The Nets are loose and have extraordinarily little pressure on themselves.. After trading Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant they moved from championship contender to a rebuilder. Sixers are ready to make an extended run and should handle the Nets easily. This series should end in five games.
Prediction: Philadelphia -900 over Brooklyn
Watch: Game 1, Saturday, 1:10 p.m., ESPN or FuboTV
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Cavaliers Win Tight Series
The No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers face the No. 5 New York Knicks. The Cavaliers are -200 to win the series while the Knicks are +165. Donovan Mitchell leads the Cavs. Mitchell is a superstar and able to take over a game with his scoring prowess.
The Knicks are led by Julius Randle. Randle’s status is questionable due to an ankle injury. Although Jalen Brunson has steped up and improved his scoring in Randle’s absence.
The Knicks won the regular season series 3-1. If Randle is available and close to 100%, the Knicks have a legitimate chance to pull an upset. While Mitchell is one of my favorite players, he was never able to advance his Utah Jazz teams in the playoffs. This is his opportunity to shed the perception that he can’t win in the playoffs. The Cavs wins in six games.
Prediction: Cleveland -210 over New York
Watch: Game 1, Saturday, 6 p.m., ESPN or FuboTV
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Warriors Win High-Scoring Series
The Sacramento Kings host the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference 3-6 series. The No. 6 Warriors are -275 to win the series while the No. 3 Kings are +225. The Kings are the higher seed and have home court advantage.
De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis lead the Kings. The Kings are one of the more prolific offenses in the NBA. The Warriors are the defending champions. They aren’t a good road team as indicated by their 11-30 record in the regular season.
The Warriors won eight of their last 10 games. Steph Curry is the Warriors equalizer against any team. This will be an up and down series and that should favor Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Jordan Poole.
The Warriors won the season series 3-1. This series will be a high-scoring affair so leverage your action on the totals going over. This is the first time the Kings have made the playoffs since 2006. The Warriors have the experience and are poised for one more run for a title with this core group. Series goes six games, and the Warriors prevail.
Prediction: Golden State -275 over Brooklyn
Watch: Game 1, Saturday, 8:30 p.m., ABC or FuboTV
Suns Roll Over Injury-Ridden Clippers
The Phoenix Suns face the Los Angeles Clippers in the 4-5 match up. The Suns are favored to win the series with a price of -550. The teams split the regular season 2-2. The Clippers have a price of +410 to pull an upset. The Clippers have had championship expectations but have fallen short since the acquisition of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in 2020.
The Suns are the team that is expected to win the Western Conference. The addition of Kevin Durant propelled them ahead of the Denver Nuggets and the Memphis Grizzlies. Chris Paul and Devin Booker are one of the top guard tandems in the NBA.
The Suns enter the playoffs winning seven of their last ten while the Clippers were 6-4 over that span. The Clippers will be without Paul George for at least the first game of this series. Expect strong scoring numbers from Leonard if you are looking for prop action. Suns win the series and advance 4-1.
Prediction: Phoenix -550 over LA Clippers
Watch: Game 1, Sunday, TBD, ESPN or FuboTV
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