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Tuesday's Game 2 Tips
May 3, 2011
For the third straight day, gamblers are staring at a doubleheader Tuesday in the NBA Playoffs. The action starts early down in South Florida where Miami will play host to Boston in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Most betting shops have installed Miami (63-25 straight up, 43-44-1 against the spread) as a five-point favorite with a total of 182. The Celtics are plus-190 on the money line (risk $100 to win $190).
Erik Spoelstra’s team cruised to a 99-90 win as a five-point home favorite in Sunday’s Game 1. The 189 combined points jumped ‘over’ the 179 ½-point total.
Dwyane Wade was the catalyst with 38 points, five assists, three steals and two blocked shots. James Jones erupted for 25 points from off the bench, while LeBron James added 22 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals and a pair of blocked shots. Jones hit 5-of-7 attempts from 3-point range and drained all 10 of his free throws.
Ray Allen scored a team-high 25 points in the losing effort. Paul Pierce chipped in with 19 but he was ejected on a questionable technical-foul call late in the fourth quarter.
It helped that Wade and Jones had big games offensively, but the physical tone the Heat set early was the biggest difference in winning the series’s lid-lifter. Jones levied a hard foul on Pierce that prompted the perennial All-Star to shove him and get his first tech. Moments later, Wade decided to run through a Pierce screen rather than go over it. That physical play baited Pierce into another tech and the ejection.
None of that will be lost on Boston (60-27 SU, 40-45-2 ATS) going into tonight’s Game 2. You know the Celtics will try to come out and be the more physical team from the jump.
Doc Rivers didn’t think Miami was being physical, telling the media, “It wasn’t physical – it was cheap-shot stuff.”
Despite the Game 1 setback, Boston still owns a 10-4 spread record in its last 14 games against Miami. And the Celtics have won in the Heat’s building, doing so by a 112-107 count back in November.
Sportsbook.com has updated the series price for Boston-Miami. Going into Game 2, the Heat are the minus-330 ‘chalk,’ while the Celtics own attractive plus-270 odds (risk $100 to win $270).
TNT will have the telecast at 7:05 p.m. Eastern.
Memphis (51-38 SU, 58-29-2 ATS) will try to take a 2-0 advantage over Oklahoma City in the West semifinals tonight. The Grizzlies stunned the Thunder in Game 1, capturing a 114-101 win as a 6 ½-point underdog.
Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol dominated in the lane with Randolph scoring 34 points to go with 10 rebounds and three steals. Gasol finished with 20 points, 13 boards and three blocked shots. Mike Conley added 15 points and seven assists without committing a turnover.
Kevin Durant had a team-high 33 points and 11 rebounds in the losing effort. Russell Westbrook had 29 points, eight boards and six assists, but he committed seven turnovers and was just 9-of-23 from the field. Kendrick Perkins pulled the biggest no-show, producing just two points and six rebounds in 29 minutes.
Lionel Hollins’s team is on a 16-3-1 ATS roll dating back to the regular season. Even without one of its stars in Rudy Gay, Memphis is starting to look like a legitimate contender to win it all – seriously.
There’s not a better interior combination than Randolph and Gasol in all of the NBA, including Bynum and Gasol in L.A. Tony Allen is a dynamic defender with a nasty streak who is thriving in a starting role since Gay’s injury. And then there’s Conley, who has come a long way and is playing outstanding right now.
When you look at the bench, you have to like what you see. Shane Battier is an ideal role player who can knock down big 3’s at crunch time, while O.J. Mayo is an inconsistent scorer but one capable of erupting at any time. Darrell Arthur is a young ‘big’ that’s got an excellent skill set for a big man.
One thing is for certain: The Grizzlies have been cashing tickets galore, especially when listed as underdogs. They are 27-7-2 ATS in their last 36 such spots.
The ‘over’ has also been a money maker for Memphis recently, going 8-2 in its last 10 games.
For tonight’s Game 2, most books are listing OKC as a 6 ½-point favorite with a total of 197 ½. The Grizzlies are plus-260 to win outright (risk $100 to win $260). The updated series price at most spots is OKC minus-130, meaning bettors can take Memphis for a plus-110 payout.
TNT will have television coverage at 9:35 p.m. Eastern.
**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**
--Atlanta won its first second-round game in 14 years last night when it captured a 103-95 win in Game 1 at Chicago. The Hawks won outright as nine-point underdogs, rewarding money-line supporters with a monster payout in the plus-375 range (risk $100 to win $175). Joe Johnson scored a game-high 34 points and Jamal Crawford dropped 22 on the Bulls. Jeff Teague did a helluva job replacing Kirk Hinrich, who is unlikely to play in the series. Teague scored 10 points and had five assists compared to only one turnover. Most importantly, he was the primary defender on Derrick Rose, who was just 11-of-27 from the field.
--The ‘under’ had cashed in five straight Atlanta games and 13 of its last 16 before last night’s game obliterated the 178-point total to go 'over.'
--Dallas rallied from a double-digit deficit in the third quarter to beat the Lakers 96-94 in last night’s Game 1 at Staples Center. Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd made huge plays at crunch time, while Kobe Bryant committed one turnover, played a role in another and then missed a clean look at a 3-pointer for the potential game winner at the buzzer.
--Depending on what number you had for a bet on last night’s L.A.-Dallas total, the final minute was filled with anxiety for bettors on either side. The ‘over’ cashed thanks to three free throws from Dirk and Jason Kidd in the last 19 seconds.
--For bettors thinking an underdog money-line parlay might hit for a second night in a row, you can go with Boston and Memphis in a two-teamer that’ll pay better than 9/1 odds.
May 3, 2011
For the third straight day, gamblers are staring at a doubleheader Tuesday in the NBA Playoffs. The action starts early down in South Florida where Miami will play host to Boston in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Most betting shops have installed Miami (63-25 straight up, 43-44-1 against the spread) as a five-point favorite with a total of 182. The Celtics are plus-190 on the money line (risk $100 to win $190).
Erik Spoelstra’s team cruised to a 99-90 win as a five-point home favorite in Sunday’s Game 1. The 189 combined points jumped ‘over’ the 179 ½-point total.
Dwyane Wade was the catalyst with 38 points, five assists, three steals and two blocked shots. James Jones erupted for 25 points from off the bench, while LeBron James added 22 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals and a pair of blocked shots. Jones hit 5-of-7 attempts from 3-point range and drained all 10 of his free throws.
Ray Allen scored a team-high 25 points in the losing effort. Paul Pierce chipped in with 19 but he was ejected on a questionable technical-foul call late in the fourth quarter.
It helped that Wade and Jones had big games offensively, but the physical tone the Heat set early was the biggest difference in winning the series’s lid-lifter. Jones levied a hard foul on Pierce that prompted the perennial All-Star to shove him and get his first tech. Moments later, Wade decided to run through a Pierce screen rather than go over it. That physical play baited Pierce into another tech and the ejection.
None of that will be lost on Boston (60-27 SU, 40-45-2 ATS) going into tonight’s Game 2. You know the Celtics will try to come out and be the more physical team from the jump.
Doc Rivers didn’t think Miami was being physical, telling the media, “It wasn’t physical – it was cheap-shot stuff.”
Despite the Game 1 setback, Boston still owns a 10-4 spread record in its last 14 games against Miami. And the Celtics have won in the Heat’s building, doing so by a 112-107 count back in November.
Sportsbook.com has updated the series price for Boston-Miami. Going into Game 2, the Heat are the minus-330 ‘chalk,’ while the Celtics own attractive plus-270 odds (risk $100 to win $270).
TNT will have the telecast at 7:05 p.m. Eastern.
Memphis (51-38 SU, 58-29-2 ATS) will try to take a 2-0 advantage over Oklahoma City in the West semifinals tonight. The Grizzlies stunned the Thunder in Game 1, capturing a 114-101 win as a 6 ½-point underdog.
Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol dominated in the lane with Randolph scoring 34 points to go with 10 rebounds and three steals. Gasol finished with 20 points, 13 boards and three blocked shots. Mike Conley added 15 points and seven assists without committing a turnover.
Kevin Durant had a team-high 33 points and 11 rebounds in the losing effort. Russell Westbrook had 29 points, eight boards and six assists, but he committed seven turnovers and was just 9-of-23 from the field. Kendrick Perkins pulled the biggest no-show, producing just two points and six rebounds in 29 minutes.
Lionel Hollins’s team is on a 16-3-1 ATS roll dating back to the regular season. Even without one of its stars in Rudy Gay, Memphis is starting to look like a legitimate contender to win it all – seriously.
There’s not a better interior combination than Randolph and Gasol in all of the NBA, including Bynum and Gasol in L.A. Tony Allen is a dynamic defender with a nasty streak who is thriving in a starting role since Gay’s injury. And then there’s Conley, who has come a long way and is playing outstanding right now.
When you look at the bench, you have to like what you see. Shane Battier is an ideal role player who can knock down big 3’s at crunch time, while O.J. Mayo is an inconsistent scorer but one capable of erupting at any time. Darrell Arthur is a young ‘big’ that’s got an excellent skill set for a big man.
One thing is for certain: The Grizzlies have been cashing tickets galore, especially when listed as underdogs. They are 27-7-2 ATS in their last 36 such spots.
The ‘over’ has also been a money maker for Memphis recently, going 8-2 in its last 10 games.
For tonight’s Game 2, most books are listing OKC as a 6 ½-point favorite with a total of 197 ½. The Grizzlies are plus-260 to win outright (risk $100 to win $260). The updated series price at most spots is OKC minus-130, meaning bettors can take Memphis for a plus-110 payout.
TNT will have television coverage at 9:35 p.m. Eastern.
**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**
--Atlanta won its first second-round game in 14 years last night when it captured a 103-95 win in Game 1 at Chicago. The Hawks won outright as nine-point underdogs, rewarding money-line supporters with a monster payout in the plus-375 range (risk $100 to win $175). Joe Johnson scored a game-high 34 points and Jamal Crawford dropped 22 on the Bulls. Jeff Teague did a helluva job replacing Kirk Hinrich, who is unlikely to play in the series. Teague scored 10 points and had five assists compared to only one turnover. Most importantly, he was the primary defender on Derrick Rose, who was just 11-of-27 from the field.
--The ‘under’ had cashed in five straight Atlanta games and 13 of its last 16 before last night’s game obliterated the 178-point total to go 'over.'
--Dallas rallied from a double-digit deficit in the third quarter to beat the Lakers 96-94 in last night’s Game 1 at Staples Center. Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd made huge plays at crunch time, while Kobe Bryant committed one turnover, played a role in another and then missed a clean look at a 3-pointer for the potential game winner at the buzzer.
--Depending on what number you had for a bet on last night’s L.A.-Dallas total, the final minute was filled with anxiety for bettors on either side. The ‘over’ cashed thanks to three free throws from Dirk and Jason Kidd in the last 19 seconds.
--For bettors thinking an underdog money-line parlay might hit for a second night in a row, you can go with Boston and Memphis in a two-teamer that’ll pay better than 9/1 odds.
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