NBA Picks & Predictions: Thursday (4/30)
Thursday night will have three massive Game 6 matchups take center stage. The Knicks, Celtics and Timberwolves look to advance to the next round, while their opponents attempt to force the all-important Game 7. Let's take a deeper look at some of these matchups for our top NBA picks.
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Thursday’s Best NBA Picks & Predictions
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers
Perhaps the most surprising Game 6 is this matchup between the No. seed and the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. Boston looked primed to take Game 5 and send the 76ers home, but Joel Embiid and the 76ers had other plans. Philadelphia's big man dominated to the tune of 33 points, four rebounds and eight assists in the 113-97 victory.
Embiid was the story in that game. Since his return from an appendectomy, Boston has not had an answer for the former MVP big man. He's stuffing the stat sheet and making his mark on the team. Boston is not built to defend a big man like Embiid, so there is no reason to think his dominance won't continue to fuel Philadelphia's offense on Thursday night.
The less talked about story in Game 5 was the Celtics’ abysmal shooting, particularly from deep. Shooting just 11-of-39 from deep, the Celtics were eight points below their season average, where they produced a 36.7% success rate from three-point territory.
They're one of the best shooting teams in the league, and they're going up against a Philadelphia team that gives up a lot of attempts. Boston is going to feel like they played with their food at home and should be locked in to try and finish this series early.
Philadelphia found something offensively on Tuesday with Embiid leading the way and some hot shooting. Even before Embiid returned, they showed some capability to put up 100+ points, even at a playoff pace of play.
Boston is certain to recover as they averaged 114 points per game (PPG) in the first four games of the series before the Game 5 dud. I like Boston to take care of business with a statement win in an elimination game that will be surprisingly high scoring.
Picks: Celtics -5.5 (-114) & Over 212.5 Points (-114)
Denver Nuggets at Minnesota Timberwolves
On Saturday night in Game 4, there were three pivotal moments in the series. For Minnesota, they took a commanding 3-1 lead in the series, but it came at a cost. They lost Donte DiVincenzo to an Achilles tear and Anthony Edwards to a bone bruise that will keep him out for the rest of the series. This was a critical blow for the Timberwolves, who had all the momentum in this tough series with Denver.
Denver had a masterful response in Game 5. Behind Nikola Jokic's triple-double, the Nuggets shot 56.6% from the field en route to a 125-113 win. With Edwards and DiVincenzo out of the lineup, the Nuggets were able to break through offensively and dominate points in the paint for the first time all series. With Minnesota still short-handed, we should expect more offensive success from Denver.
When it came to shooting, Minnesota didn't seem to miss their star player all that much. However, the offense was not exactly a well-oiled machine as they turned the ball over 25 times, which led to 35 points for the Nuggets.
Minnesota was a below-average team at taking care of the ball, even with Edwards and DiVincenzo, but Monday was a tough pill to swallow against a Denver defense that ranked last in the NBA at forcing turnovers.
The Timberwolves needed an exceptionally hot shooting performance from the field, particularly from deep at 42.9%, to get within 12 points of Denver in a game they trailed by as many as 27. Even at home, that is going to be too much to ask for if they can't take care of the ball.
The series flipped with the unfortunate injuries to the Timberwolves' key players, and we should see this series head back to Denver for Game 7 after a comfortable Nuggets win.
Pick: Nuggets -5.5 (-114)