The NBA Playoffs continue on Tuesday with three games on the card! Check out our preview and betting tips for the night for free right here and good luck to everyone following!
NBA Playoffs Betting Picks - Tuesday, April 18th
New York Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers
Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, 7:30pm (ET)
Game 1 of this series is in the books, and it was the New York Knicks who drew first blood against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Knicks led at the end of every quarter and didn’t allow the Cavaliers to garner any meaningful momentum on offence. In fact, the Cavs were unable to score more than 28 points in any quarter and failed to reach 100 points for only the second time since February.
That win made it four in a row for the Knicks in this matchup, which is sure to fuel them with even more confidence ahead of Game 2.
Meanwhile, the Cavs will be out to prove their 50-win regular season was no fluke and quickly avenge their Game 1 loss. If they are to do so, then they’ll need to get a lot more out of of their role players, because Donovan Mitchell can’t be expected to score 38 points every night.
Now, we look ahead at Game 2 where the Cavs are once again listed as the short-priced favorites, which is hard to fathom in my opinion. Of course, it’s always difficult to win both games on the road to start a playoff series, but the Knicks seem to matchup extremely well against the Cavs and if they aren’t to win this, then I at least expect them to get close enough to cover the spread.
Los Angeles Clippers at Phoenix Suns
Footprint Center, 10pm (ET)
There were plenty of upsets across the first couple of days of the playoffs, but none were bigger upsets than the Los Angeles Clippers defeating the Phoenix Suns at the Footprint Center.
The Clippers, who are without Paul George for this first round series, built a big lead in the first quarter, and it seemed as though that gave them the confidence to continue to play aggressive for the remainder of the game. Of course, the Clippers were tested by the determined Suns at stage during the second half, but they managed to hold strong and come away with a gutsy win.
Kawhi Leonard reminded everyone once again just how good he can be in big games when he poured in 38 points in his first post-season game in a couple of seasons. He was the best player on the court and that’s no mean feat when the likes of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are suiting up in the same game.
With all of that said, this is still a best-of-seven series and the Suns were the red-hot favorites for a reason, and you can expect them to come out firing in Game 2 in what’s a must-win game for them.
The Clippers certainly won’t lie down and let the Suns bank an easy win, but I don’t believe their motivation and desperation levels will be as high as the home side’s, and for that reason I’m happy to back the Suns in to cover the spread and level up the series.
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