The dominant Sixers can be the first team who will advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs tomorrow, but the Raptors will try to make sure that they won’t get swept at their home court.
On the other hand, the Jazz and Timberwolves aim to tie their first round series to two games apiece after losing to the Mavericks and Grizzlies respectively in Game 3, while the Nets are searching for some answers as they wouldn’t like to go down 0-3 against the Celtics.
Learn more about the latest NBA 2022 updates as SBOTOP previews tomorrow’s matches.
Philadelphia Sixers @ Toronto Raptors
When the Sixers last took on the Raptors in the NBA playoffs, the final image was Kawhi Leonard hitting the amazing buzzer-beater in Game 7 which sent Philadelphia in tears.
On Thursday, Embiid got his revenge when he hit the game-winning trey in OT to put themselves one step closer to the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
The Raptors are likely demoralized coming off the loss since they had the opportunity to swing back momentum into their favour, and now they’re on the brink of elimination.
Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam both struggled as they only had 12 points each and shot poorly from the field. With their season on the line, these two Raptors must play much better.
Meanwhile, Joel Embiid dropped 33 points and 13 rebounds on 60-per cent shooting and the Raptors don’t have an answer for him. He is being backed by Tyrese Maxey and James Harden, who both had 19 points each in Game 3.
Betting Tip – Philadelphia Sixers Asian Handicap -2.50 @ 1.94
Dallas Mavericks @ Utah Jazz
Many people counted out the Mavericks against the Jazz before their matchup even began since Luka Doncic has yet to play due to a strained calf he suffered in the final game of the regular season.
Certainly, Dallas used their naysayers as fuel to the fire since they’re now up 2-1 in their best-of-seven series, and it’ll get even better with Doncic listed as probable for Game 4 tomorrow.
The Mavs overcame Doncic’s absence thanks to Jalen Brunson, who’s averaging 32.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in the last three games.
The Jazz can’t seem to figure out how to contain the red-hot Mavs offense, while they’ve been over-reliant on Donovan Mitchell (32.7 points per game) at the other end.
Much of Utah’s problems are rooted to the fact that they’re unable to find ways to get the best out of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert together. They must fix it soon or they might be in for an early exit again.
Betting Tip – Utah Jazz Asian Handicap -5.50 @ 1.88
Boston Celtics @ Brooklyn Nets
The Nets are in deep trouble since their stars have yet to leave an imprint in this series. The Celtics’ suffocating defence has been stymieing both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, as they’ve successfully limited their production and efficiency.
In Game 2, Durant and Irving shot 1-for-17 in the second half and that gave Boston the opportunity to make a furious comeback after trailing by as much as 17 points early on.
Seven Celtics scored in double digits in the said game, which says a lot about their great teamwork and chemistry.
Brooklyn look lost and head coach Steve Nash can’t seem to find the solution. If there’s one game that they can win, it should be tomorrow when they’re in front of their home crowd at the Barclays Center.
Boston are 40-1 whenever they lead 2-0 in a playoff series. Regardless of tomorrow’s result, the NBA 2022 odds of Brooklyn advancing look bleak.
Betting Tip – Brooklyn Nets Asian Handicap -4.00 @ 2.04
Memphis Grizzlies @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Consecutive wins have put the fearless Grizzlies back in the driver’s seat for this series, which was punctuated by their stunning Game 3 comeback against the Timberwolves.
Minnesota were humming along as they built a 26-point lead early in the second period, but Memphis stuck to their “Grind City” mantra by producing 21 unanswered points to eventually steal the victory.
Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks, and Ja Morant all showed up while only D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards responded for the Timberwolves as Karl-Anthony Towns has been a virtual no-show.
KAT has more fouls (10) in the last two games than field goals made (7), which is a major problem for the Timberwolves. The former top overall pick must do much better to save his reputation-staining run so far this postseason.
Betting Tip – Memphis Grizzlies Asian Handicap -2.50 @ 1.92
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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