Wednesday's NBA Playoffs Betting Preview and Odds
The opening round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs continues Wednesday night with three games, including Game 2 between the Pacers and Cavs with Cleveland trying to rebound after their Game 1 loss.
Indiana Pacers at Cleveland Cavaliers (-8, 210)
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers had two full days off to consider a rare terrible performance and a loss in a first-round game, and more aggression from the superstar at the start seems to be the answer. The fourth-seeded Cavaliers will try to even the Eastern Conference series at one win apiece when they host the fifth-seeded Indiana Pacers in Game 2 on Wednesday.
Cleveland was down 25-8 in the first quarter on Sunday before James attempted his first field goal, and coach Tyronn Lue suggested that he needs to force the issue, no matter what the defense is giving him. "He has to be aggressive and set the tone early," Lue told reporters after Monday's practice. "We talked about that today ... being aggressive early, setting the tone, especially for these new guys, bringing these guys along. He understood that, but once again, he's always a guy trying to get his teammates off early, get them guys going, then try to feel the game out. But be ready to set a tone." The Pacers dominated on both ends of the floor in the 98-80 Game 1 triumph but is not satisfied. "We've got to be better," Indiana point guard Darren Collison told the team's website. "There's some things that we can improve on that I was looking at in the film. We can do better in a lot of different areas. We can't just take Game 1 and say we don't have to (make) any improvements. We can be better."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TNT, FS Indiana, FS Ohio (Cleveland)
SERIES PRICE (PER PINNACLE):
BETTING ACTION AND LINE MOVES: The Cavs opened as 7.5-point home favorites and by Tuesday night that number was bumped up to -8. Early Covers Consensus returns are showing 67 percent users picking the Pacers. The total hit betting boards at 209 and was bumped up to 210 overnight.
ABOUT THE PACERS (49-34 SU, 48-35 ATS, 32-50-1 O/U): All-Star guard Victor Oladipo scored a game-high 32 points on 11-of-19 shooting on Sunday and keyed the defensive effort with four steals. "No surprise at all," veteran forward Thaddeus Young told reporters of Oladipo's performance. "We all know what Vic can do and we know what type of player he is. He's a very dynamic player and when he steps out on the court, you're either going to have to double him or you're going to have to stop him." The Pacers also got a big boost from reserve swingman Lance Stephenson, who embraced the challenge of guarding James and added 12 points in 17 minutes off the bench.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (50-33 SU, 32-50-1 ATS, 39-42-2 O/U): All-Star forward Kevin Love grabbed 17 rebounds on Sunday but finished with just nine points on 3-of-8 shooting. "I think part of it is on me just to be more aggressive, to get post touches," Love told reporters. "Sometimes, I fall into my own trap of just spacing everybody. That allows other guys to get downhill, Bron to play his game. But I think just mixing it up even when he's not in the game, getting in the post a little bit more, getting offensive rebounds, getting more touches in there. ... That's partially on me too with just coming out and attacking first and being more aggressive." Cleveland shot 38.5 percent from the floor in Game 1, including 8-of-34 from 3-point range.
INJURY REPORT:
Pacers - No injuries to report.
Cavaliers - PG G. Hill (Questionable, Back), SG K. Korver (Questionable, Illness).
MATCHUP CHART:
TRENDS:
* Pacers are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
* Cavaliers are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games overall.
* Under is 13-3 in Pacers last 16 vs. Eastern Conference.
* Under is 6-1 in Cavaliers last 7 home games.
* Under is 3-0-1 in the last 4 meetings.
Utah Jazz at Oklahoma City Thunder (-4, 206.5)
Oklahoma City star forward Paul George is expected to be on the court when the Thunder host the Utah Jazz on Wednesday in Game 2 of the Western Conference first-round series. George sat out the final 62 seconds of his stellar Game 1 outing due to hip pain and his status is slated to be officially firmed up after the mid-day shootaround.
George scored 36 points and made an Oklahoma City franchise playoff record eight 3-pointers as the Thunder posted a 116-108 victory on Sunday. "When he's aggressive, man, it changes the game for us," Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook told reporters. "You saw that. He had it going. Our job is to make sure we find him, make it easy for him. As long as he stays aggressive, we'll be a better team." Utah's top player is also dealing with an injury as rookie sensation Donovan Mitchell had an MRI exam on his left foot with the results showing nothing more than a bruise. Mitchell, who had 27 points and 10 rebounds in his first career postseason game, asserts that he is fine and will play on Wednesday.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBATV, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Utah), FS Oklahoma
SERIES PRICE (PER PINNACLE):
BETTING ACTION AND LINE MOVES: The Thunder opened as 5-point home favorites and as of Wednesday morning that number is down to -4. 60 percent of Covers Consensus users are picking OKC. The total hit betting boards at 207.5 and has been dropped a full point ot 206.5.
ABOUT THE JAZZ (48-35 SU, 43-40 ATS, 40-42-1 O/U): Mitchell had to exit the game twice in the fourth quarter due to his foot soreness, which was prompted by getting it stepped on by Oklahoma City's Corey Brewer earlier in the contest. Mitchell was confident that having two days off between games would provide ample time for rest and healing and the team took a collective sigh of relief when the MRI results came back negative. The 21-year-old completed the regular season by topping 20 points in 12 of 14 games and his strong playoff opener is a sure sign the Jazz will ride him as far as possible in this series.
ABOUT THE THUNDER (49-34 SU, 35-47-1 ATS, 37-46 O/U): George revealed after Game 1 that he goes by "Playoff P" and the nickname appears to fit since he is averaging 22.7 points in 50 playoff games dating to the beginning of the 2013 postseason. Westbrook contributed 29 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in Game 1 but he looked like the complementary player and not the star in the opener. "We knew all along that we got multiple guys that can make plays, create and be explosive offensively," George told reporters. "We're not going to put that pressure on just one guy. Obviously, my job is to help Russ, and with that, it's helping the team. It's my job to bring it and to bring it at a high level."
INJURY REPORT:
Jazz - SG D. Mitchell (Probable, Foot), SF T. Sefolosha (Out For Season, Knee).
Thunder - SF P. George (Probable, Hip), C S. Adams (Probable, Hand), SG A. Roberson (Out For Season, Knee).
MATCHUP CHART:
TRENDS:
* Jazz are 12-3 ATS in their last 15 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
* Thunder are 3-15 ATS in their last 18 vs. NBA Northwest.
* Over is 7-1 in Jazz last 8 road games.
* Under is 8-3 in Thunder last 11 overall.
* Jazz are 1-5 ATS in the last 6 meetings in Oklahoma City.
Minnesota Timberwolves at Houston Rockets (-10.5, 214.5)
The NBA-best Houston Rockets got the win in Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference series over the Minnesota Timberwolves, but it wasn't easy. MVP candidate James Harden put the team on his back and will try to follow up a tremendous performance when the Rockets host the eighth-seeded Timberwolves in Game 2 on Wednesday.
Harden scored 44 points on 15-of-26 shooting, including seven straight points during a decisive run in the fourth quarter, and added eight assists in the win. "If you have that aggressive mindset, good things will happen," Harden told reporters. "If they gave me space, where I could get my shot off, I shot it. I was feeling it. If they pressure me enough, I would try to get by them and create for myself or for someone else. Whether it's (Game 1) or 82 regular season games, that's how I need to play." The Timberwolves watched their All-Star, center Karl-Anthony Towns, slump to nine points on 3-of-9 shooting on Sunday and will look to get him more involved in Game 2. "I think we gave them a steady diet of the same thing," point guard Jeff Teague told reporters. "Next game, we got to give them some different looks where (Towns) actually posts up a couple times and still be able to get our spacing with guys driving and trying to kick the ball, but we definitely have to get him a couple more touches."
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT, FS North (Minnesota), AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston)
SERIES PRICE (PER PINNACLE):
BETTING ACTION AND LINE MOVES: The Rockets opened as big 10.5-point home favorites for Game 2 and as of Tuesday night that number has yet to move, despite 61 percent of Covers Consensus users picking the underdog T-Wolves. The total hit betting boards at 212.5 and has been bumped up to 214.5.
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (47-36 SU, 38-42-3 ATS, 45-37-1 O/U): Minnesota elected to leave Towns on the perimeter for most of Game 1 to space the floor, and the All-Star was not in disagreement with the plan. "You follow the game plan," Towns told reporters. "Gotta follow the game plan. Whatever the game plan is that's set before the game, you've got to follow it. Especially in the playoffs because it's so much about discipline. It's about being disciplined throughout the game. As long as we stay disciplined we always have a great chance of winning every game." Fellow All-Star Jimmy Butler was held to 13 points on 4-of-11 shooting while battling foul trouble.
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (66-17 SU, 41-41-1 ATS, 33-49-1 O/U): Harden got some offensive help in Game 1 from center Clint Capela, who collected 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting and 12 rebounds. "In the beginning of the game, you just saw a different Clint," Harden told reporters. "He was running so fast, I had no choice but to give him the ball. Or figure out a way to get him the ball. Defensively, the way he's been active, blocking shots, rebounding the basketball. ... He was just like a deer out there." Capela's performance helped Houston overcome a 10-of-37 effort from 3-point range in the opener.
INJURY REPORT:
Wolves - C J. Patton (Questionable, Illness).
Rockets - PF R. Anderson (Questionable, Ankle), PF L. Mbah a Moute (Early May, Shoulder).
MATCHUP CHART:
TRENDS:
* Timberwolves are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
* Rockets are 0-7 ATS in their last 7 vs. Western Conference.
* Under is 4-0 in Timberwolves last 4 road games.
* Under is 25-6 in Rockets last 31 vs. Western Conference.
* Over is 14-4 in the last 18 meetings.
