NBA Picks

NBA Betting Game Trends

Boston took longer than expected to oust the pesky Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals and it may have cost it the early edge in this series. The Celtics were forced to pound-out an 85-75 Game 7 victory this past Saturday night as six-point home favorites before facing the Heat on just one day’s rest in Monday’s Game 1 of the conference finals.

The result was an almost predictable 93-79 loss as an eight-point road underdog with the total staying ‘under’ the 178.5 point line, as Boston completely wilted in the second half. Kevin Garnett showed up to play with 23 point and 10 rebounds, but Ray Allen was held to six points and Rajon Rondo went just 8-for-20 from the field. The Celtics shot 39.5 percent from the floor and a dismal 52.4 percent from the foul line. All these numbers will have to improve if they are going to have any chance of winning this game.

Miami has been cruising ever since losing to Indiana by 19 points in Game 3 of their conference semifinals matchup as a two-point road favorite. There is still some genuine concern about the loss of Chris Bosh with an abdominal injury, but LeBron James has been able to step-up his game and Dwyane Wade and the rest of the Heat’s supporting cast has been helping as well.

Monday night, James torched the Celtics for 32 points while pulling down 13 rebounds. Wade chipped-in 22 points and seven assists while Shane Battier recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Miami went just 5-for-25 from three-point range, but shot 50 percent from the field and had a whopping 48 to 33 advantage in rebounds. It has now won its last four games both straight-up and against the spread and appears to be peaking at just the right time.

Prediction

Boston’s veteran All-Stars are due for a much better showing this time around, but the team is still just 1-6 ATS in its last seven games on one day’s rest. Look for Miami to extend its current winning streak to five with the SU win, but take the Celtics to cover with the 8.5 points. Miami 88 Boston 84