The Boston Celtics looked old. But the NBA playoffs have certainly perked them up. San Antonio seems a bit senior, too, at some positions, and a little short against Dallas. But they are coming home at 1-1. Utah’s bus might qualify for a handicap sticker with their injuries, however, they might add a notch in their series with a victory against Denver Friday. That’s the background for tonight’s NBA playoff lineup. Now, here’s a quick forecast.
Boston vs. Miami 7PM Eastern, ESPN
A popular bet two times in Boston, the Heat came up short both times as Boston went to work and did what they do well- defense and good shooting. The playoffs can really help a club find a way to focus. The Celtics are 13-1 and 10-4 against the spread when they’re up against Miami in three seasons of playing the team.
Kevin Garnett figures their backs are against the wall, and they’re thinking that if they don’t get Game 3 then this is pretty much over. “I know that’s what I would be thinking so we’re going to have to be ready for that.” Garnett’s club is 19-7 against the spread coming off a win at home by 20 points or more.
The Miami Heat are 7-23 against the spread at home after playing back-to-back games on the road. But they don’t looked scared. Heat forward Udonis Haslem is talking instead about making minor adjustments, energy, effort, and mental things. “Those are the things we’ve been so good at so far this year,” Haslem said. “We’ve got to get back to that.”
YouWager.com has the Celtics catching four points, with a total of 182. Boston is 22-11 against the spread away from home, when the total is between 180 and 189.5 points over the last two seasons. Boston is 10-2 UNDER coming off a win at home by 10 points or more this year. The Miami Heat is 28-13 against the spread after permitting 105 points or more. They also have a 9-0 OVER record after a bad defeat on the road where they scored less than 80 points.
Dallas vs. San Antonio 9:30 Eastern, ESPN
Tim Duncan is not the NBA player he was 10 years ago. Duncan averages 26 points and 12.5 rebounds against Dallas. The Tim Duncan ‘drop-step’ is back, however, and now he makes up for a lack of speed with better positioning to gets shots off quicker. “For two or three weeks there toward the end of the season, I was starting to wear down a little bit,” Duncan admitted. Coming off their recent 102-88 defeat, the San Antonio Spurs are 10-3-1 against the spread after hitting 100 points.
The Dallas Mavericks may have depended too much Dirk Nowitzki offensively in this series. His hot 36-point standard for Game 1 drooped a little when he was
9-24 from the field and totaling 24 points on Wednesday. The Mavericks are 14-3 against the spread on the road coming off an upset loss as a favorite. So now, they’ll really need to make some numbers in the paint with their centers. In the opening match Erick Dampier and Brandon Heywood shot 15 points. But in Game 2, they only got two points.
Playing at the AT&T Center, the Spurs are 3.5-point pick at YouWager.com. San Antonio has covered seven of their previous nine. Dallas is 26-15 against the spread away from home and they are 13-3 UNDER revenging a loss at home.
Denver vs. Utah 10:30 Eastern, ESPN2
Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer seem to be carrying the Utah Jazz. Williams had 33 points and 14 assists for a 114-111 upset in Denver. Boozer added to this with 20 points and 15 rebounds and the injured club tied the series. Nuggets point guard Chauncey Billups admitted after the game that “D-Will and Booze, they had their way.”
Friday, the series goes to Salt Lake City. The Jazz are 32-9 and 26-13-2 against the spread here, where they usually win by 9.5 points per game. The Denver Nuggets are 29-12 against the spread after back-to-back matches as a home favorite over the last two seasons. Johan Petro allowed that the team missed some easy shots, some lay-ups, and they knew it. “But we know what we have to do. We’ll get one over there,” Petro said. “It’s playoff basketball.”
The Nuggets will need to crank up the heat on defensive. The Jazz were shooting 54.7 and 52.9 percent in the first two matches of this round. Interim coach Adrian Dantley will have to find a way to get his club to work harder on the other end of the floor. The Nuggets are 13-3 against the spread after permitting 105 points or more in three in a row.
In front of a home crowd, Utah is a 2.5-point pick at YouWager.com. They are 8-1 against the spread after two in a row as an underdog this season. The listed total is 215.5, but Denver is 8-0 UNDER on the road after a combined score of 215 points or more in two straight games. Utah is 15-4 UNDER at home after scoring 110 points or more.
