The Nuggets have a terrible bench. It has forced them to rely on their starters to play huge minutes. The only reserve who has been playing considerable minutes is Russell Westbrook. Outside of when he left early with an injury in Game 3, Westbrook has logged at least 23 minutes in each of the other four games that he has played in. In all four of those games, he scored at least 14 points. The Nuggets desperately need his scoring off the bench, and he has averaged 14.8 points per game at home. Look for him to remain busy in Game 7.

The Clippers were 30-11 at home this season, but they were just 20-21 on the road. They have lost two of three games in Denver in this series. Nikola Jokic is the best player in the series and Jamal Murray has cranked up his scoring production. Even Russell Westbrook is healthy again and has provided a spark off the bench. I can’t trust James Harden on the road in a Game 7, so I’ll take the Nuggets to win and advance.

Draymond Green has averaged 6.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in this series against the Rockets. He has not combined for more than 19 points, rebounds and assists in any of the five games. A big reason why is that he is averaging just 6.6 shot attempts per game. With the Warriors expected to rely heavily on Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler for scoring, expect Green to continue to have a low usage rate.

Christian Braun averaged 5.2 rebounds over 34 minutes per game during the regular season. The Nuggets have basically no bench outside of Russell Westbrook, which has resulted in Braun averaging 39 minutes per game in this series. With him playing more, he has grabbed at least six rebounds in four straight games. In Game 5, he had 12 rebounds. At plus odds, I think this is well worth the risk.

Jalen Duren is known for his rebounding. After averaging 13.8 rebounds per game last season, he averaged 11.8 rebounds this season. However, he is also a good passer for a center. During the regular season, he averaged 2.7 assists despite playing only 26 minutes per game. In this series against the Knicks, Duren has recorded at least three assists in four of the five games and has averaged 33 minutes. The last two games, he has totaled 10 assists. With him likely in line to play at least 30 minutes again, I’ll take this over.

Draymond Green hit two three-pointers early in Game 4. Those would be the only points that he scored in the entire game. He finished with six points, eight rebounds and two assists. He attempted seven shots in the game. In this entire series, Green has attempted a total of just 29 shots. He is also averaging just 2.5 assists. Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler are both expected to play in Game 5, so look for Green to have a very low usage rate again.

The Rockets are a good defensive team, but they have not slowed down Jimmy Butler. In Game 1, he scored 25 points across 42 minutes. He only played eight minutes in Game 2 before suffering a pelvis injury that also kept him out of Game 3. In Game 4, he returned to score 27 points over 40 minutes. Butler is the main scoring option behind Stephen Curry and should continue to play a ton. I’m surprised that this line has been set so low.

The Warriors have the Rockets on the brink of elimination. Their only loss in this series came in Game 2 when Jalen Green exploded for 38 points for the Rockets. Green did not score more than nine points in any of the other three games in this series. Jimmy Butler also played just eight minutes in Game 2 before leaving with an injury. The Warriors are the better team and the Rockets struggle to score, so I think the Warriors at least keep this close enough to cover the spread.

The Magic are a defense-first team that relies heavily on Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner to generate offense. While Wagner has shot just 44.1% from the field and 21.2% from behind the arc in this series, he still scored at least 23 points in all four games. The key is, he has averaged 39 minutes and 23.3 shot attempts per game in this series. Plenty of minutes and another hefty usage rate should be in the cards for him for Game 5.

The Magic are on the brink of elimination, but they haven’t made things easy on the Celtics. They were blown out in Game 1, but the other three games have all be competitive. They won Game 3 and their other two losses came by nine points each. Jrue Holiday (hamstring) has been ruled out, which is a big loss for the Celtics. I think the Magic are eliminated here, but they won’t go down without a fight. Their defensive effort gives them an opportunity to cover this big number.

Damian Lillard is out for the rest of the season with a torn left Achilles tendon. When he went down early in Game 4, Kevin Porter Jr. played 33 minutes off the bench. He was aggressive, scoring 23 points on 17 shot attempts. Despite shooting just 2-for-7 from the field, Porter scored 12 points in Game 1 with Lillard out. With the Bucks on the brink of elimination, someone must take some of the scoring pressure off Giannis Antetokounmpo. Porter isn’t shy about shooting, so look for him to hit this over with extended minutes coming his way.

After scoring 38 points in Game 2, Jalen Green scored just nine points in Game 3. However, he did record six rebounds and five assists. He has posted at least 10 combined rebounds and assists in all three games of this series against the Warriors. During the regular season, he averaged 4.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists over 33 minutes per game. He is averaging 35 minutes per game in this series, and as one of the best scoring options on the Rockets, he should continue to play a lot in Game 4. The over is the way to go here.

Draymond Green has averaged just 6.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists over the first three games against the Rockets. He did not record more than 19 combined points, rebounds and in assists in any of the games. He’s not really looking to score, attempting a total of 22 shots in the series. He also has a total of just five free-throw attempts. Given his lack of scoring upside, I like this under.

Darius Garland (toe) is listed as questionable for Game 4. With him sidelined in Game 3, the Cavaliers still won by 37 points. They have won all three games of this series by at least nine points. Even if Garland is out again, the Cavaliers have Ty Jerome who can provide a scoring punch in his absence. The Cavaliers are the vastly superior team and have shown it throughout this series. Look for them to complete the sweep with another lopsided win.

Pascal Siakam scored 28 points despite playing just 31 minutes with the Pacers losing big in Game 3. He has scored at least 24 points in all three games of this series against the Bucks. In four regular season games against the Bucks, Siakam scored 25, 20, 25 and 26 points. As the main running mate for Tyrese Haliburton, Siakam has an excellent opportunity to score in bunches again.