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NBA Playoffs Best Bets, Picks & Predictions: Tuesday (5/9)

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No team is packing up their things after tonight.

We’ve got two Game 5’s in the Conference Semifinals. But both series’ are tied up at 2-2.

The Celtics and Nuggets are favored to win Game 5 and their respective series. Will the 76ers or the Suns surprise oddsmakers?

Here are my top two bets for tonight’s slate of games.

View 5-star bets and historical prop performance by players with our Prop Bet Analyzer >>

Today’s Best NBA Bets

Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook. All wagers are 1 unit

Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics

The Celtics haven’t had the best clock management in this series. That ultimately led to the 76ers escaping Game 4 with an overtime victory.

It took everything from the 76ers to win on their home floor against the Celtics. Boston shot the ball better but took 10 more threes in the game. The Celtics earned more assists, added the same amount of rebounds, and blocked nine more shots than the 76ers.

Boston also took advantage of the 76ers in transition, scoring 22 fastbreak points compared to Philadelphia’s nine. Boston had trailed by 16 at one point in the game. However, the Celtics were able to give themselves a chance to win in Game 4 anyway.

This series probably comes down to James Harden and how effective he can be for the rest of the series. He’s been dominant in Games 1 and 4. Those were the two games that the 76ers won. In the other games, he’s been ice-cold and rarely makes plays. Knowing Harden’s track record this season, I doubt he’ll put on a show against the Celtics on the road.

In his last road game against Boston, with Embiid in the lineup, he shot 2-for-14 from the field in 32 minutes. That’s more like him. I’ll take the Celtics to cover -7.5.

Bet: Celtics -7.5 (-110)

Phoenix Suns at Denver Nuggets

We’ve had a team score at least 120 points in three of the first four games of this series. The Nuggets won their first two home games, while the Suns added wins in their first two.

If the home team continues to win, then the Nuggets would eventually win the Western Conference Semifinals matchup and move on to the Western Conference Finals in Game 7.

Don’t count out the Suns just yet. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are truly firing on all cylinders right now. Booker has averaged 36.3 points per game against the Nuggets in this series, while Durant has added 32 points per game in this series. Additionally, both added 36 points in Game 4 and completely took over the game.

Phoenix doesn’t have much consistent help after those two, but Landry Shamet showed up in Game 4 off the bench, scoring 19 points. That was encouraging but Deandre Ayton needs to play better than his eight points in Game 4 if the Suns are going to steal a game in Denver.

Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic scored 53 points for the Nuggets in Game 4. Still, that wasn’t enough against the Suns. Jamal Murray has been a terrific scorer for the Nuggets, but the bench for Denver is weaker than Phoenix’s.

However, with Jokic and Murray scoring at a high level and Durant and Booker hitting shots at a high rate, the over is still appealing in tonight’s Game 5 matchup.

Bet: Over 227.5 (-110) 

Also, take a look at our other best bets for Tuesday:


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