NBA Thursday Parlay – May 8
After a crazy opening round of this year’s NBA Playoffs in which the underdogs covered the spread in over two-thirds of the 50 games that were played, the top two favorites left in this tournament made a strong statement this past Tuesday night with lopsided victories in Game 1 of their NBA Conference Semifinals’ matchup. [ad-4468020]
This Thursday night both Miami and San Antonio will play the second game of their best-of-seven series and I have come up with a pair of winning picks in these games that go together perfectly to form this week’s NBA Playoffs Two-Team Parlay.
The following is a brief look at both games based on lines by BetOnline.
Game 1: Brooklyn Nets vs. Miami Heat
Pointspread: Miami -8
Total Line: 192
ATS Matchup Stats | NBA Gambling Insight!
Brooklyn came into the playoffs as the No. 6 seed in the East, but they were actually favored over No. 3 Toronto in the opening round series price. The Nets prevailed in seven games, but fatigue may have been a factor in Tuesday’s 107-86 loss to the Heat as eight-point road underdogs.
The only way this team has a shot to remain competitive in this series is to steal a win on the road this Thursday night, so I would look for a much better effort from this veteran bunch.
Miami cruised through its opening round series against Charlotte in four games, but it showed little signs of rust from an extended layoff in Tuesday night’s win. LeBron James led the way with 22 points and the Heat shot an impressive 56.8 percent from the field while going 14-for-16 from the free-throw line.
They actually made it look too easy which, to me, is actually a cause for concern for Thursday night. I am pretty sure that Miami will win this game straight-up, but look for it to take its foot off the gas just enough for the Nets to cover with the points.
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Game 2: Portland Trail Blazers vs. San Antonio Spurs
Pointspread: San Antonio -6.5
Total Line: 207
ATS Matchup Stats | NBA Gambling Insight!
Portland was only seeded one spot lower than Houston in the Western Conference, but it clearly proved it was the better team as a series underdog by ousting the Rockets in six games.
Even with confidence and momentum on their side, the Trail Blazers suddenly looked like a No. 5 seed in Tuesday’s 116-92 loss to San Antonio as 6.5-point road underdogs in Game 1.
This game was never close after they went down by 13 points at the half and despite the fact that LaMarcus Aldridge ended the night with 32 points, Portland looked flat and overmatched.
The Spurs took the long way to this round of the playoffs by having to go the full seven games to get past Dallas in the conference quarterfinals.
They did finish that series on a strong note with a 119-96 romp over their division rivals as seven-point home favorites in that Game 7 clash and, more importantly, backed it up with another dominant performance at home in Game 1 of this series.
Unlike the first game of this week’s parlay, I see that dominance at home continuing in Game 2 with another solid win over Portland that covers the spread.
