NBA Eastern Conference playoff betting preview: Round 1
Brooklyn Nets at Toronto Raptors (-2.5, 194)
The Nets' starters boast a combined 399 career playoff games, while there are three playoff rookies - guard DeMar DeRozan, forward Terrence Ross and center Jonas Valanciunas - among the Raptors' first five. The teams split four meetings this season, with each squad going 1-1 on its home floor and three of the four games decided by four points or fewer.
After a slow start and a notable trade that sent swingman Rudy Gay to Sacramento, Toronto went 42-22 over the final four-plus months of the season to record a franchise record in victories and storm to the Atlantic Division crown - its first since 2006-07. DeRozan and point guard Kyle Lowry were the catalysts all season for Toronto, combining to average 40.6 points and 11.4 assists and stepping up their games against Brooklyn; DeRozan averaged 22.3 points and Lowry 22 points versus the Nets.
TRENDS:
* Under is 4-1 in the last five meetings in Toronto.
* Home team is 7-2-1 ATS in the last 10 meetings.
* Nets are 0-5 ATS in their last five games overall.
Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Clippers (-7, 211)
The Golden State Warriors went into the playoffs as the No. 6 seed last season and knocked off the third-seeded Denver Nuggets. They will be attempting to turn the same trick again this spring, though the competition will be different when the Warriors visit the third-seeded Los Angeles Clippers. Golden State and Los Angeles did not get along very well during the regular season, and Warriors guard Klay Thompson continued the war of words this week by talking about Clippers All-Star forward Blake Griffin. “He’s kind of like a bull in a china shop, kind of out of control sometimes,” Thompson told 95.7 The Game radio in San Francisco. “And then you do just see him flop sometimes, like how can a guy that big and strong flop that much?”
The Clippers are primed for a deep playoff run and brought in coach Doc Rivers in part for his experience in the postseason. Rivers is the biggest change from last spring, when Los Angeles dropped a first-round series to the Memphis Grizzlies under Vinny Del Negro, but he is not the only difference. The Clippers led the league in scoring and became a defensive force as the season progressed and DeAndre Jordan grew more comfortable with his role as an enforcer and rim protector. Clippers G Chris Paul averaged 28 points, 12.7 assists and 3.7 steals in three games against Golden State this season.
TRENDS:
* Home team is 6-1 ATS in the last seven meetings.
* Warriors are 11-1 ATS in their last 12 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Under is 9-3-1 in Clippers last 13 home games.
Atlanta Hawks at Indiana Pacers (-7.5, 186)
Atlanta was 10 games under .500 on April 3 before closing with six wins in the last eight games, including a 107-88 drubbing of the Pacers in Indiana on April 6. The Hawks bowed out in six games in the first round to the Pacers last season, dropping the final two games after evening the series with a pair of home victories. Atlanta doesn’t have Al Horford this time around but does have All-Star Paul Millsap. Atlanta can spread the floor with its frontcourt rotation of Millsap, Pero Antic, DeMarre Carroll and Mike Scott, and all five in the starting lineup are capable of stepping out and hitting 3-pointers.
The Pacers went 10-13 over the last six weeks of the season, briefly dropping out of the top spot in the East before winning three of four to close things out and top the Heat by two games. Indiana’s slump came after trading away veteran Danny Granger and signing mercurial center Andrew Bynum, and downturns in production from Roy Hibbert and Paul George didn’t help. Hibbert averaged 17 points and 9.9 rebounds in the playoffs last spring and the Pacers are counting on him to carry a heavy load again. Hibbert averaged five points on 28.1 percent shooting and 3.8 rebounds in the four games against the Hawks.
TRENDS:
* Over is 13-3-1 in the last 17 meetings in Indiana.
* Favorite is 25-9-1 ATS in the last 35 meetings.
* Pacers are 5-2 ATS in their last seven Conference Quarterfinals games.
Memphis Grizzlies at Oklahoma City Thunder (-7, 192.5)
The Memphis Grizzlies eliminated an Oklahoma City team missing Russell Westbrook from last season’s playoffs and take aim at stunning the Thunder again when the first-round series opens in Oklahoma City on Saturday. The trio of Gasol, power forward Zach Randolph and point guard Mike Conley are used to waging battle with the Thunder, having surprisingly taken Oklahoma City to seven games in the 2011 conference semifinals before last season’s impressive series victory.
The Thunder posted the NBA’s second-best record despite Westbrook missing 36 games due to his balky knee and are expecting the first-round series to be quite a tussle. “It’s going to be a tough but fun series,” Kevin Durant told reporters. “We have a lot of history with these guys. We’re looking forward to getting the opportunity to play for a championship.” Durant is the favorite to win NBA MVP honors after leading the league in scoring with a 32-point average, the highest since Kobe Bryant averaged 35.4 points for the Lakers in 2005-06.
TRENDS:
* Grizzlies are 6-2-1 ATS in the last nine meetings.
* Under is 5-1 in Thunder's last six Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Grizzlies are 5-0 ATS in their last five Conference Quarterfinals games.
