NBA Wednesday's Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards
**Hawks at Wizards**
-- Atlanta (66-26 SU, 54-36-2 ATS) pulled even at 2-2 in its Easter Conference best-of-seven semifinals series by capturing a 106-101 win Monday night at Washington as a 4.5-point road favorite. The Hawks also covered the number for first-quarter (-1) and first-half wagers (-2.5). Mike Budenholzer's team got a stop in the final seconds of the first stanza to take a 29-26 advantage into the second quarter, a stanza it dominated to go into intermission with a 65-55 lead. For second-half bets, the Wizards took the cash as 1/2-point 'chalk' (+9.5 adjusted). The 207 combined points soared 'over' the 198-point total.
-- Jeff Teague had been struggling mightily in Atlanta's four previous games, including a series-clinching win at Brooklyn in Game 6 of the opening round. He had been playing through the pain of a sprain ankle sustained in Game 5 vs. the Nets. Since then, the first-time All-Star out of Wake Forest had been averaging only 9.5 points per game (compared to a 15.9 PPG average during the regular season) and shooting at an abysmal 26.1 percent clip from the field. However, on Monday night in D.C., Teague returned to form with a team-high 26-point effort. He also had eight assists compared to just one turnover and also had a pair of steals.
-- Following a dreadful Game 3 that saw him coming off the bench to play just 22 minutes due to flu-like symptoms, Paul Millsap responded with a dominant first half when he scored 15 points and dished out six assists. The two-time All-Star finished with 19 points, six assists, five rebounds and two steals. Al Horford produced 18 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a pair of blocked shots, playing with great activity and energy on both ends of the court.
-- Dennis Schroder had another strong game with 14 points, eight assists and four rebounds. Budenholzer gave him increased minutes (nearly 30) and played him in tandem with Teague at times. Mike Scott, who hit two huge 3's in back-to-back fashion during the fourth quarter of Atlanta's miraculous Game 3 rally that was ruined by Paul Pierce's game-winning buzzer beater, took his second 'DNP' of the series. Budenholzer instead gave his minutes to Mike Muscala, whose development gave the Hawks enough confidence to trade Adreian Payne at mid-season for Minnesota's first-round pick this summer. Muscala, who hit a game-tying trey in Saturday's Game 3 prior to Pierce's heroics, made 3-of-5 shots in 14 minutes of action for six points and two rebounds.
-- Despite trailing by 10 going into the fourth quarter and by nine with 3:40 remaining, Washington (52-38 straight up, 39-48-3 against the spread) took its turn at nearly staging a crazy comeback in Game 4. The Wizards cut the deficit to 104-101 on a Nene bucket in the paint with 36 ticks remaining. Following a stop and a timeout, they got a great look off the inbounds pass with Pierce free from the right wing for a triple to tie. The future Hall of Famer, who has been terrific the entire series, missed on this occasion, though. Millsap was fouled with 0.9 seconds left and made both free throws to give the Hawks the spread cover.
-- Bradley Beal was sensational in Monday's losing effort, tallying 34 points, seven assists, six rebounds, three steals and one blocked shot. Pierce, who has made at least a pair of 3-pointers in all eight of Washington's postseason games, went 5-of-7 from long distance and finished with 22 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots. Ramon Sessions had 13 points (5-14 FGs), five assists, four rebounds, one steal and one turnover. Nene was also in double figures with 12 points and seven boards. Will Bynum provided quality minutes off the bench, scoring 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor in just 14-plus minutes of playing time. Marcin Gortat had just three points on 1-of-7 shooting from the field.
-- Washington played without John Wall on Monday for a third straight game due to fractures in his wrist, which appears entirely too swollen for him to return at any point in this series. In the first five games of the playoffs, Wall was averaging 17.4 points, 12.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots per game.
-- As of Tuesday afternoon, most betting shops had Atlanta listed as a nine-point favorite with a total of 199.5 for Wednesday's Game 5 at Philips Arena. Gamblers can back the Wizards on the money line for a +400 return (risk $100 to win $400).
-- Updated series price Atlanta -700, Washington +500.
-- Totals have been an overall wash (44-44-2) for the Wizards, but the 'under' is 25-19-1 in their road assignments.
-- The 'over' is 47-45 overall for the Hawks this year, but the 'under' is 24-22 in their home games.
-- Chris David of VegasInsider.com has been riding the Hawks team total 'over' in this series and he's not giving up on it anytime soon. "The Hawks have scored 98, 106, 101 and 106 points in this series against the Wizards and you could argue that they haven't played a great game yet. They’ve had some unbelievable halves but there hasn’t been a wire-to-wire domination for 48 minutes. If they ever do, Atlanta could light up the Wizards for 110-plus and that shouldn’t surprising considering Atlanta has done 17 times this season. I’m on ‘over’ 102.5 for Game 5.” -- Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET on TNT.
**Grizzlies at Warriors**
-- Just like the East's top seed Atlanta, the West's top dog Golden State (73-17 SU, 50-39-1 ATS) needed a road win Monday to pull even at 2-2 with Memphis in this conference semifinals showdown. The Warriors got just that at The Grindhouse by virtue of a 101-84 victory as four-point road favorites. The 185 combined points stayed 'under' the 196-point total.
-- As of Tuesday afternoon, Golden State was installed as a 9.5-point 'chalk' with a total of 195 for Wednesday's Game 5. The Grizzlies are +415 on the money line (risk $100 to win $415).
-- Steve Kerr's team took control of Game 4 from the outset, racing out to a 28-20 lead at the end of the first quarter. Golden St. would go to halftime with a 61-44 advantage and Memphis never got the deficit into single digits in the second half. Steph Curry was the catalyst with 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. Draymond Green added 16 points, 10 boards, four assists, two steals and a pair of blocked shots. Klay Thompson (15 points), Harrison Barnes (12) and Andre Iguodala (11) were also in double figures for the winners. Andrew Bogut made his presence felt with nine rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks.
-- Although the Warriors got back into the win column Monday, turnovers remain an issue. They committed 21 in Game 4, including seven from Green and four apiece from Bogut and Curry.
-- With Mo Speights (calf) missing Game 4, David Lee finally provided some decent minutes. Lee, a former All-Star who missed the New Orleans series with an injury, wasn't terrific by any means, but he did contribute five points, one rebounds, one block and one assist without a turnover. Speights is expected to miss the rest of the series.
-- Memphis (61-30 SU, 45-43-3 ATS) didn't get much production from anyone outside of Marc Gasol in Game 4. Gasol finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds and six assists compared to only one turnover. Zach Randolph had a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards, but he committed four turnover and didn't pass out any helpers. Mike Conley made only 4-of-15 shots and finished with 10 points, seven assists, three rebounds, three steals and three turnovers. Jeff Green and Vince Carter and 12 and 10 points from off the bench, respectively.
-- If you're still a believer in the Grizzlies in this series, there's money to be made. Updated series price: Golden St. -1000, Memphis +650.
-- Memphis owns a 22-23 spread record on the road this year.
-- The 'under' is 49-40-1 overall for the Warriors, but totals have been a wash (22-22-1) in their home games. They have seen the 'under' cash in five straight games and six of their last six.
-- David drilled the Memphis team total 'under' in Game 4 and he likes it again in Game 5. He explained his stance. "I was happy to see Kerr force the Grizzlies to shoot from the outside and it paid off in Game 4 as they went 4-of-18 (22.2%) from the field. The team total (93) is a tad lower for Wednesday but I don’t see Memphis coming close to this number again due to its outside shooting. The Warriors don’t get a lot of credit defensively but they’re ranked first in defensive efficiency and field goal percentage defense. They’re allowing 96 PPG in the playoffs and that number drops to 92 PPG if you toss out the overtime battle in Game 3 versus New Orleans in the first round. With that being said, I’ll play the averages again and go ‘under’ in Game 5." -- The 'under' has been a major money maker in Memphis games, going 53-36-2 overall. The Grizzlies have seen their totals produce a wash (22-22-1) in road assignments.. They have seen the 'under' go 8-2 in their last 10 games.
-- TNT will have the broadcast at 10:35 p.m. ET.
