2016 NBA Playoffs Games To Bet On Tonight: Raptors vs Heat & Warriors vs Trail Blazers
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The NBA playoffs can’t get any more intense at this time and there are two games tonight that you should keep an eye on because they could go either way. Keep reading for the game previews and free predictions.
Toronto Raptors vs Miami Heat
- Time: Monday, May 09, 2016 8:00 PM ET
- Place: AmericanAirlines Arena
- Betting Odds: Miami -5
- Total: 192
Raptors Betting
In a 4-point victory, the Raptors won over the Heat last Saturday and took the series lead 2-1. Toronto has not backed down and turned this into the most competitive and hard-fought battles of this year’s playoffs.
Point guard Kyle Lowry was key in game 3’s victory, finishing as the Raptors’ top scorer with 33 points. Lowry, it seems, has finally kicked into gear for Toronto, and hit 11 of 9 shots from the perimeter while disrupting the Heat’s defense.
The Raptors suffered a heavy blow in the game, possibly losing big man Jonas Valanciunas to injury with a sprained ankle. Valanciunas racked up 12 boards before he stepped off because of the injury in game 3 and is instrumental for the Raptors dominance under the basket. Without Valanciunas, DeMar DeRozan will be forced to pick up the slack. DeRozan has proven to be effective and his numbers are on the rise which should balance out the Raptors.
Heat Betting
Dwayne Wade is still the Heat’s main man this season and has led the team with impressive performances throughout every playoff games. Despite a 38-point showing in game 3 however, the Heat still lost and fell behind in the series.
However, if the Heat is getting all they can from Wade, after game 3 they now have something which throws a monkey wrench in their plans of making through this series. Big man Hassan Whiteside might not be apt to play in game 4 because of a possible injury to his knee. And, Whiteside is crucial to the Heat under the basket, his possible absence might tilt the odds in favor of the Raptors.
Without Whiteside, the Raptors’ shooters will have to adjust, though Goran Dragic and Joe Johnson are performing relatively well, they’ll need to tighten up ship from three point land where they’ve slacked off and hit only 4 of 18 in game 3.
Betting Trends
- Toronto is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games
- Toronto is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Toronto's last 11 games
- Miami is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Toronto
- Miami is 6-12 ATS in its last 18 games when playing at home against Toronto
- Miami is 11-3 SU in its last 14 games when playing at home against Toronto
Game Predictions: Without Whiteside underneath, the Heat’s chances of passing through go down. If Whiteside cannot play, the Raptors will win game 4.
Golden State Warriors vs Portland Trail Blazers
- Time: Monday, May 09, 2016 10:30 PM ET
- Place: Moda Center
- Betting Odds: Warriors -5
- Total: 214
Warriors Betting
In losing game 3, the Warriors have shown a chink in their armor. Of course, we all know that Golden State’s main weapon, Stephen Curry, is still not in the fold due to his injured MCL.
However, though it’s unknown if Curry will return for game 4, Golden State is still a force to be reckoned with and the rest of its starters have risen to the occasion. Draymond Green almost ended with a triple-double in Game 3, while Klay Thompson added 35 points and five three-pointers.
The difference in game 3 was probably how Golden States’ bench performed and they’ll need to have a better performance tonight if they want to secure this series. In game 3, the Warriors’ bench only put up 18 points of which one player, Leandro Barbosa, accounted for 10.
Trail Blazers Betting
There was no stopping Damian Lillard in game 3. At the buzzer, Lillard ended up with 40 points to his name, including 8 threes, along with 10 dimes.
Lillard’s performance was impressive, no doubt about it, but it was the Trail Blazers’ bench that really kicked into gear in game 3 and arguably won the game. Al-Farouq Aminu scored 23 points with 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc, while C.J. McCollum put up 22 points, five rebounds and four assists. The Blazers have also not backed down from going head-to-head with the Warriors in shooting and, in fact, have been tit-for-tat with 46.3 percent from beyond the arc against Golden State this year.
Betting Trends
- Golden State is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
- Golden State is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Golden State's last 6 games
- The total has gone OVER in 8 of Portland's last 9 games when playing Golden State
- Portland is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games when playing at home against Golden State
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of Portland's last 7 games when playing at home against Golden State
Game Predictions: Curry’s absence is a huge factor when you’re predicting this series’ outcome. Curry makes the Warriors a deadly-effective scoring machine that’s practically impossible to stop. If Curry returns for game 4, the Warriors will probably win. However, we like the Trail Blazers chances of winning on their home court, our bet is with Portland.