NBA Betting Picks With Lines & Odds 8/17/20
The weekend is over and the week welcomes us back but with a twist. The NBA Playoffs start early and will run all day. Odds have been posted and most of these games are around the six-point spread mark. With the bubble effect on these games, we have seen favorites lead the way SU but have been close to 50% ATS. Injuries are playing a big part on these playoffs as a team like Brooklyn was decimated with injuries and then the Jazz are missing two key starters against the Nuggets. I will be recapping in the next article of how these bets have gone.
Denver Nuggets (-5) Vs. Utah Jazz (1 Unit)
DraftKings Sportsbook is where I am looking and if you can get the Nuggets at -4 or -4.5, then go ahead and move there. Denver has taken care of business against the Jazz this season. Nikola Jokic has been a problem for many teams, but Utah especially. Both teams come into this one missing a few key names, but Utah’s missing names are going to hurt more. Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic are out, as Bogdanovic is done for the season. Conley will miss Game 1 due to the birth of his child. This is going to be tough to overcome as the Jazz second unit will have to step in and this leaves the bench thin compared to Denver’s.
The Nuggets are favorites to win the series and it isn’t surprising. While they are without Gary Harris and Will Barton, this has led to Michael Porter coming alive in the bubble. Denver is still going to have an advantage with their bench as Monte Morris has played well off the bench. Utah is going to have to roll out Jordan Clarkson for large minutes and this is a bonus for Utah as Clarkson is one of the worst defenders in the league. This game opened around -3 and the Conley news has moved it up to -4 or -5.
Brooklyn Nets Vs. Toronto Raptors Under 222 (1 Unit)
I expect Toronto to come out and take care of business and this is predicted to be one of the more lopsided series In the last ten games the Raptors are 9-1 and against a weakened Nets roster they should make quick work of this one. In the last ten games, the Raptors under is 6-3-1. The Nets are split 5-5. Toronto’s defense is one of the best in the league where they ranked 5th in the regular season in defensive efficiency. In the bubble, they ranked second and held teams to just 106.4 points per game. Brooklyn is not a good team and the Raptors defense will be able to shut them down. They have bodies to throw at Caris LeVert and Joe Harris who are now the two main offensive weapons.
Over the last three games, the average score has finished at 217. Brooklyn ranks 25th or worst in FG%, 3PT%, and FT%. Where Toronto’s defense ranks top three in FG% and 3PT% allowed to opposing teams. This is the second-highest total set over the last four games.