Zack's Picks (2 Live)
Zack's Past Picks
Prior to game three’s loss to Minnesota, SGA had scored 30 or more points in nine out of his last eleven playoff games. The other two occurrences he went under were games three and four on the road against Denver. Look for the same scenario as Minnesota forces other Thunder players to beat them versus SGA, who scores in the 20’s but falls short of his points prop.
The Oklahoma City Thunder head to Minnesota for game three with Jalen Williams seeking to shake the inconsistency playoff label. His last two road games he scored just six and ten points against the Denver Nuggets, and was a big reason why they were ineffective. This series against the Timberwolves appears to be different. Williams is doing it all with an average of 23 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Impact play continues as Williams gets past his points prop on the road.
In game two expect the Knicks to heighten their defense on the perimeter on guard Tyrese Haliburton and defending the three point line. All starters shot above fifty percent in game one except for Pascal Siakam. This may have been due to the Pacers layoff of eight days, but Siakam ranked 23rd in the NBA this season in field goal percentage. He will perform better in game two and eclipse his points prop.
Anthony Edwards and Minnesota struggled offensively in game one as they shot thirty five percent as a team. Edwards himself was not aggressive enough as he took just thirteen shots. He also tweaked his ankle again for the third time this postseason. In round one during game four when he tweaked his ankle he scored a series high 43 points, and last round against the Warriors he also scored a series high 36 points after tweaking his ankle in game two. Play his over tonight.
The New York Knicks caught a break in their last series against the Celtics with big man Kristaps Porzingis limited with an illness. As a result, there could be an adjustment factor facing a shooting big like Myles Turner in game one. Turner excelled last postseason where he went over in five of the seven games against the Knicks, and also erupted for 26 in his last matchup against the Knicks.
There aren’t many games in the NBA playoffs where the spread is actually a factor. Tonight though I believe we see that be the case, with the spread a bit to high on the Knicks side. These two teams know each other very well from the regular season series, and playing a seven game series last postseason. Take Indiana who has covered seven out of ten playoff games, to cover a generous spread.
With Aaron Gordon limited for today’s game seven, it puts a bigger burden on the star talent of Denver with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray to step up. Jokic has been very aggressive in this series with his shot attempts, averaging 22 a game. That likely will be raised with Gordons limitations. He is also shooting his best in the postseason currently with back to back games of 64 percent or higher. Take Jokic’s over.
Jaylen Brown snapped his shooting slump with game five’s outburst from the field. When he is knocking down his jumpers, New York does not have a main defender that can stop him. Look for Brown to attack in the same way as game five with outside jumpers that turn into slashes to the basket. In another win or go home game look for Brown to excel in the points department. Play his over.
Lu Dort has been primarily a three point shooter in the Thunder’s series against Denver. Over the last two games all of his shots have been beyond the arc, and in the series he has taken forty three pointers compared to six two point shots. Tonight, look for Dort to bypass a strange home and road postseason split. Against Memphis he averaged ten points at home and three on the road, and against Denver 4.5 points on the road compared to thirteen at home. Dort finally ends his road woes tonight. Play his points over.
Oklahoma City has not played their best basketball over the last two games, but they have utilized their depth to erase deficits and win in the fourth quarter. In game six they will attempt to get their first road cover in the series, which I believe will play out similar to games four and five. On a reduced spread offering from games three and four, back OKC to close out Denver. Lay the number in game six.
The Cleveland Cavaliers had their first flat performance of the postseason in game four’s loss against the Indiana Pacers. Down three games to one, they can not allow the Pacers to dictate the tempo early on like game four. Look for the Cavaliers to show the focus they did in game three, and extend this series at least one more game. Lay the big number on Cleveland.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been masterful defensively against the Golden State Warriors. Golden State has not scored over 100 points in the series yet, and Jimmy Butler put his all into game three. With Anthony Edwards coming off his best game of the series, look for other teammates to find their confidence in game four. Minnesota covers and heads back home to try and close out the series in five.
Darius Garland saw his first action in over two weeks in game three’s victory for the Cleveland Cavaliers. As expected he did not shoot the ball well at twenty seven percent, but I expect a rise from him in game two. With Donovan Mitchell’s strong play, Indiana is going to have to over compensate to a degree defensively. Garland gets past his points prop here in game four at Indiana.