The final play-in games take place tonight to finalize the NBA Playoffs, which start tomorrow. Chicago will play Miami for the 8th and final spot in the Eastern Bracket, and Oklahoma City and the Timberwolves will face off for the final spot in the Western Bracket.
These are two really good games which should be very competitive and exciting to watch. I am a pretty big critic of the NBA regular season, but I do have to admit that the NBA Playoffs are exciting and actually bet-able!
Let's get into each game and the bets I will be placing!
Bulls/Heat
Game Lines:
MIA -5
o/u 208.5
The Chicago Bulls entered the play-in as the 10th seed in the East. They have had a disappointing season considering the stars on their roster, but they beat the Raptors in the first game to advance to the final must win game.
Miami on the other hand, suffered an embarrassing loss to the Hawks, and are now one loss away from being eliminated from the playoffs as the 7 seed.
The two teams have played each other three times in the regular season, with Chicago winning all three easily.
Their most recent matchup was a 113 to 99 Chicago win, and the other two games had the following scores in favor of Chicago: 113-103, and 116-108.
With these regular season scores, the Bulls roster compared to the Heat's, and my opinion that the Bulls care more, is the reason I will be taking Chicago +5.5.
The total in this game is one of the lowest we will see all playoffs, and because of that I will also be taking the under of 208.5. I love taking low unders just as much as I like taking high overs. Putting my trust in both team's elite defense to step on in a big way for the under!
Thunder/Timberwolves:
Game Lines:
MIN +5
o/u 228.5
How are the Thunder in this position? It seems like they were just the worst team in the NBA and now their one win away from the NBA Playoffs. I wish the Pistons rebuilt this fast!
Anyways, OKC has the momentum and are one of the youngest teams in the NBA. They are eager to prove themselves yet might struggle with their lack of experience.
The Timberwolves are a tough team for me to get a read on. Rudy Gobert just got suspended for his incident with his own team late last week, yet they still almost beat the Lakers (lost in OT).
One thing is for certain, and it is that this game, like the first game, will go under 228.5.
As for the side in this game, I believe the TWolves will win, but I do think that OKC will make it close. For that reason, I have taken the TWolves on the Moneyline and parlayed that with the under to get better odds. It comes out to +180.
It's a very exciting time in the NBA, and we will be back tomorrow for more bets on the actual Playoff games.
Good luck, good scores, and Godspeed!
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