Best NBA Bets To Place On 5/12 NBA Games
The Golden State Warriors may have prevented a game seven against the Rockets but lucky for the fans, two other teams couldn’t do the same. The Philadelphia 76ers and the Portland Trail Blazers both forced a game seven to be played on May 12. Game seven is not only one of the most exciting things in sports because of the finality of it but also the mystery of it. Anything can happen so what does that mean for bettors? Their job is that much tougher. Have no fear, we’re here to break down the best NBA bets for each game!
(All bets per Bovada odds)
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Toronto Raptors
Winner: Raptors (-250)
It’s never fun to bet on the favorite but sometimes you have to do the smart move over the fun one. Home court advantage is one of the main things that usually make a favorite something to take advantage of but in this case, it actually warrants it. The Raptors are 4-2 at home this postseason and both losses were by five points or less. Not to mention the last time Kyle Lowry was in a game seven in the conference semi-finals, he scored 35 points and nearly missed out on a triple-double. Not to mention Kawhi Leonard has been on fire recently averaging 31 points, 8.5 rebounds and shooting 56% from the field. It’s not fun but picking the Raptors to win is one of the better NBA bets you can make this offseason.
Spread: 76ers, +6 (-110)
This may seem like a bad bet given the fact all but two games in this series have been decided by double digits. However, every time there has been a double-digit win, the next game was decided by single digits. That combined with the fact that it is a game seven and the talent on the 76ers’ roster means this will most likely be a close game.
Over: 209
This is without a doubt the most puzzling number of all the bets with this game. In the last three games of the series, two have hit the over and the other missed it by six points. Most of the games, even the blowouts, have been high scoring so there is little doubt that the over is not going to be reached here. Portland Trail Blazers vs. Denver Nuggets
Winner: Trail Blazers (+180)
Where the Eastern Conference favorite is going to win, I think the Western Conference is about to see the upset here especially when it comes to the best NBA bets. The Nuggets were the surprise team of this season and unfortunately, their ride is likely going to end here. Portland has lost three games in Denver, where game seven is being held, but two have been by single digits. The one loss that came by double digits was a rare bad performance by Damian Lillard who was 2-9 from the three-point line. So assuming Lillard doesn’t have another bad night, it’s safe to assume that he and fellow guard CJ McCollum will be too much for the Nuggets’ centerpiece Nikola Jokic to overcome. Rodney Hood’s resurgence in this series is arguably the biggest factor in the Trail Blazers’ ability to stay competitive against the Nuggets and while Denver does get to play game seven at home, three thriving players might be too much for the Nuggets to overcome.
Spread: Trail Blazers, +5.5 (-110)
The explanation for this bet is fairly straightforward: all but two games in this series have been decided by single digits. Although most of the games have been decided by more than 5 points, it is a fair bet that this game will be a close one. It’s also worth noting that every single time these two teams met in the regular season, the game was decided by single digits. How many were decided by five points or less? Two out of four. 50/50 is a good chance here especially given how the two have played both in the playoffs and regular season.
Over: 213
Unlike the Raptors vs. 76ers game, this over/under actually makes sense. Every game except for one in this series has seen a combined score of 220 points or more. It is also worth noting that although Denver’s defense ranked in the top five of the NBA in terms of opponents’ points per game, Portland finished at 14th in the regular season. So the Trail Blazers have always had a mediocre defense and the Nuggets’ defense clearly can’t handle a recently thriving Blazers’ offense, this is a sure bet for the over.
Pepsi Center In Denver, Colorado. Photo Credit: Amy Aletheia Cahill | Under Creative Commons License