The NBA playoffs chug along on Tuesday with three potential elimination games on the schedule.
In the early game, the Boston Celtics will try and close out their best-of-seven series with the Atlanta Hawks. Boston holds a 3-1 series lead after earning a split in a pair of games in Atlanta. The scene now shifts to Boston where the Celtics easily took the first two games of the series.
The middle game will see the Denver Nuggets host the Minnesota Timberwolves. Denver holds a 3-1 series edge after Minnesota clawed out a 114-108 overtime victory in Game 4 to stave off elimination. With Game 5 being played back at high altitude, the Nuggets are big favourite to close out the series.
The last game on the docket will take place in Phoenix as the Suns hold a 3-1 series advantage over the hobbled Los Angeles Clippers. Kawhi Leonard has already been ruled out for Game 5 with a knee injury and Paul George remains sidelined with a knee issue.
All three games have double-digits spreads in favour of the home teams.
| Home Team |  | | Away Team | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Celtics | -13 | o229.5 | Atlanta Hawks | 7:30 PM |
| Denver Nuggets | -10 | o220.5 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 9:00 PM |
| Phoenix Suns | -12.5 | o224 | Los Angeles Clippers | 10:00 PM |
Celtics/Hawks betting trends and insights
- Hawks are 0-6 ATS in the last six meetings in Boston.
- Hawks are 1-8 ATS in the past nine meetings.
- Hawks are 1-5 ATS in their last six games overall.
- Celtics are 5-0 ATS in their last five home games and 7-1 ATS in their last eight games overall.
The Hawks will play without guard Dejounte Murray, who will be serving a one-game suspension for making contact with a referee in Game 4. He’s averaged 25.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 2.3 steals through the first four games of the series.
Boston will have some added motivation to finish off the series and avoid a Game 6. If the Celtics eliminate the Hawks on Tuesday, their second-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers would begin on Saturday. Sixers star Joel Embiid is nursing a knee injury and his status is uncertain for the start of the next series. Boston is surely already looking ahead and will want to force Philadelphia into action as soon as possible in order to potentially take advantage of an ailing Embiid.
Player prop trends:
- Marcus Smart has been consistently hitting his line for points+rebounds over the last five games, averaging 21.5 during that span. His points+rebounds line is at 16.5 in Game 5 and BetMGM has the best odds on the over at +100.
- Jayson Tatum’s line for made three-pointers is 3.5. He’s averaged 3.6 three-pointers over his last 10 games and four per game in the series. FanDuel has the best odds on Tatum over 3.5 three-pointers at +100.
Nuggets/Timberwolves betting trends and insights
- The Timberwolves are 1-5 ATS in the last five meetings.
- The Nuggets are 20-8 ATS in their last 28 home games.
- The under is 6-1 in Denver’s last seven home games.
- The under is 5-2 in Minnesota’s last seven road games.
The Timberwolves are dealing with a number of injuries coming into the game. Jaylen Nowell (knee) is questionable and Kyle Anderson (eye), Jaden McDaniels (hand), and Naz Reid (wrist) are all out for Minnesota.
Anthony Edwards has been electric for the Timberwolves in the series, averaging 32.3 points on 48.3% shooting from the field. He sealed the victory on Sunday with a three-pointer to put the T-Wolves up by four with just seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Nuggets centre Nikola Jokic has had his work cut out for him with three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert guarding him throughout the series, but the versatile big man broke out in Game 4 with 43 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. He seemed to find this three-point stroke in the loss, draining five of his eight attempts from long range.
Player prop trends:
- Edwards has been flourishing offensively over the last three games, but it’s his defensive props that have been cashing lately. The Timberwolves guard’s line for steals+blocks is 2.5 and he’s exceeded that mark in each of his last seven games. You can find the over on that prop at Caesars for -148.
- Jokic’s line for three-pointers made is 0.5 on Tuesday, and he’s clearly feeling confident with his stroke after his three-point barrage in Game 4. Jokic has cleared that line in three straight games, but you’ll pay a hefty price if you like the over. The best price seems to be -225 at PointsBet.
Suns/Clippers betting trends and insights
- The over is 3-0-1 in the past four meetings in Phoenix.
- The over is 6-1-1 in the Clippers’ last eight games overall.
- The over is 5-1-1 in the Suns’ last seven games overall.
- Los Angeles is 1-4 ATS in its last five road games.
This series had the potential to be so great, but the injuries to Leonard and George robbed us of the spectacle. Russell Westbrook is thriving as a solo act, though, putting up 31.7 points, seven assists and 6.3 rebounds over the last three games.
Phoenix, meanwhile, was 8-0 in the regular season with Kevin Durant on the court and he’s continued to be a difference-maker in the playoffs. Durant is averaging 27.8 points, eight rebounds, and 6.8 assists in the series and the chemistry with his new teammates is becoming more evident with every game in the series.
Player props trends:
- A sneaky wager could be on Bismack Biyombo over 0.5 blocks. He’s recorded at least one block in the last five games and nine of his last 10. There could be a significant amount of garbage time if the Suns run away with this one, which means Biyombo has the potential to see a significant uptick in minutes as the backup centre. DraftKings has over 0.5 blocks at -140.
- Another Suns reservist that’s worth a look is Josh Okogie, whose assists line is at 0.5 in this one. Okogie has recorded at least one assist in three straight games and eight of his last nine. If you like the Suns to walk away easily with this one, Okogie could see a ton of minutes and easily surpass this total. Unfortunately, you’ll pay a steep a price around -250 on this prop at most sportsbooks, but theScore Bet is offering a juicier payout at +200 if you’re willing to wager on Okogie getting at least two assists.
