NBA Playoffs Best Bet: Back Boston To Go Up 2-0

We are now in the thick of round two in the NBA Playoffs as each second-round series has begun. Thursday night features a pair of game twos with both home teams already ahead 2-0. Can Boston and Oklahoma City extend their leads?

Here are SportsGrid’s site picks for Thursday night’s second-round action. 

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7:00 p.m. ET – Cleveland at Boston

Spread: Boston (-13.5) | Moneyline:  | Total: 212.5

Where to Watch: ESPN | Location: TD Garden

The Cleveland Cavaliers had a few chances early in the fourth quarter of Game 1 to make the Boston Celtics sweat slightly. Still, they failed to execute, and the Celtics roared away to a very comfortable 120-95 victory at TD Garden. The No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference is heavily favored again in Game 2 with a spread of 13.5 points. The SportsGrid model does not have a strong play for either Game 2, but the model does lean towards the Celtics covering the spread and winning this game by 14 points. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers have one threat that can hurt the Celtics: Donovan Mitchell. Unfortunately for the Cavs, the Celtics have several players that are difficult matchups for the star guard, and on the other end, Boston has an array of offensive weapons that can go for 20+ points. Derrick White is playing the best basketball of his career, and his emergence has given Boston another outstanding scoring option. The Celtics look like the best team in the East by a wide margin, and that should continue in game two tonight.

SportsGrid’s Bets: Boston (-13.5) | SportsGrid Projections: 1-star

9:30 p.m. ET – Dallas at Oklahoma City

Spread: Oklahoma City (-5.5) | Moneyline:  | Total: 218.5

Where to Watch: ESPN | Location: Paycom Center

The Dallas Mavericks beat the Los Angeles Clippers in six games to reach the Oklahoma City Thunder, but they looked tired and outclassed in game one against the West’s top seed. The contest was tied after the first quarter, but the Thunder won the second by nine points, the third by one, and the fourth quarter by 12 points as they systematically pulled away for an easy victory. Luka Doncic is struggling to shoot the ball well, and his slump continued in Game 1. Doncic was 6-19 and just 1-8 from three, and he was a team-worst -21 in his 41 minutes on the floor. That trend has to be reversed in Game 2 if the Mavericks are to have a chance.

The SportsGrid model has the Oklahoma City Thunder winning Game 2 by a slim margin (four points) and not covering the 5.5-point spread. It is only a two-star play and just qualifies as a lean to the Dallas Mavericks to cover, but there is hope for the Mavericks to give us a competitive game on Thursday night.

SportsGrid Best Bet: Dallas (+5.5) | SportsGrid Projections: 2-stars

 

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