NBA May 24-25, Tips and Previews
Jazz v Grizzlies
May 24th 11:30am
The Jazz had a terrific season and now they need to convert regular season form into postseason form. For Utah the most important player is Rudy Gobert.
Gobert dominated the paint all season and made opposition offences think twice before entering the lane. His presence puts the Jazz in every game and they have the offensive tools to hurt teams on the other end.
Ja Morant holds the key for the Grizzlies who face an uphill battle to get out of the first round. His shooting improvement has been the launching pad the Grizzlies needed but they still lack the tools to curb Gobert’s influence.
This series may be more about making Morant the superstar he can be than it is about the Grizzlies getting past the number one seed.
SUGGESTED BET:
UTAH -9.5 @ $1.91
- Suggested Same Game Multi:
- Leg 1: Jazz -9.5
- Leg 2: J. Morant 20.5+ Points
- Leg 3: Total Points over 185.5
- Combined odds = $4.6
Heat v Bucks
May 25th 9.30am
The Heat may have blown a massive opportunity to take a crucial series lead in game 1. Their star man Jimmy Butler didn’t play too well and they still sent the Bucks to OT.
I get the feeling the Heat will take a lot of confidence out of game 1 and will be looking to get a bigger contribution from Butler who carried them to the NBA finals last season. If they are able to get that boost they could level the series.
The Bucks may be relieved to have snuck away with game one but they won’t be too pleased with how they played and they will know the danger the Heat bring.
Both teams have a lot of upside but I have more faith in Butler than in the Bucks as a whole to improve. Jimmy won’t let the Heat go 0-2 behind.
SUGGESTED BET:
Heat Win @ $2.69
Nuggets v Blazers
May 25th 12:00pm
The Nuggets simply won’t be going two games behind the Trailblazers. There is no way they are falling two games behind, I just won’t hear of it.
The one worry I have is the record of Portland on offence. They are a high-scoring team and they showed that they can the best of the Denver defence in game 1.
Denver’s weakness around the perimeter may continue to be an area Portland and Damien Lillard can expose but expect Nikola Jokic to step-up for his team. An MVP finalist, Jokic won’t be interested in chasing a 2-0 deficit.
I have every faith he and Michael Porter Jr can lead the Mile High City to a game 2 win and then take them beyond this series and onto bigger fish.
