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We’re finally here. It’s the first day of the NBA playoffs. After the play-in tournament, we can start the real proceedings. I have a play on two of the four games, and I’ll get to those now.
Toronto Raptors (+160) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (-190) Total: 216.5
Toronto has length. A lot of length. The No. 5 seed in the East can defend any position and make life difficult on shooters, which is why it presents a tough task for the Sixers here. Philly has been reliant on its wings to score from the perimeter in wake of the James Harden trade with the newly-acquired superstar opening up his teammates for jumpers.
Rebounding has suffered a bit since the acquisition of Harden, and the offense has begun a nosedive after such a successful start to the Harden Era. There are still a lot of things Doc Rivers has to figure out, and while the odds support him doing just that over a seven-game series, I’m not sure he is sharp enough to make adjustments in-game.
I think Nick Nurse is head and shoulders above Rivers here, and any time you can get this many points in a playoff game with the better coach you want to take them.
Edge: Raptors +4.5
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Denver Nuggets (+205) vs. Golden State Warriors (-255) Total: 223
Aren’t we just a little bit skeptcial of Stephen Curry‘s ability to dominate on the offensive end here? When Curry went down with an injury, this Golden State team was falling behind to some of the worst teams in the NBA. Now, he’s supposedly healthy enough to return, but it’s anyone’s guess as to whether or not he is 100%.
With all the uncertainty, I’m turning my attention to the Nuggets — a team which finished the season strong after it played weeks worth of meaningful basketball in an attempt to avoid the play-in tournament. Denver is obviously incredibly strong on the inside with Nikola Jokic, and despite relatively good numbers the Warriors’ strength is still not rebounding or defending the rim.
I’m going to bet on Jokic impacting this game in a massive way against the undersized Draymond Green, creating a very close Game 1.
Edge: Nuggets +6.5
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