Betting for the Underdogs in the NBA Playoffs
Betting for the underdogs is kind of tricky, especially during the NBA Playoffs. For the remaining underdogs, let’s see which choices make sense for you.
The Brooklyn Nets are heavily favored to win the NBA championship this season, and how could they not be? Despite missing James Harden for the past two games, the Nets made quick work of the Milwaukee Bucks in Games 1 and 2 anyway, as they blew the absolute barn doors off of them in Game 2. A team featuring Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving is still more than good enough to win a championship. That says a lot, considering their opponents are led by the two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Having said that, the rest of the playoff picture has some pretty close matchups, as any of the other three series currently going on can be won by one team or the other.
Let’s check out the three other playoff series in the NBA.
Jazz vs Clippers
In the Utah Jazz/Los Angeles Clippers series, the Jazz are currently favored with slightly better odds to win the title this year. However, the Clippers have Kawhi Leonard, who is a two-time Finals MVP, on their roster, so he has more than enough experience to carry the Clippers to the Finals this season.
For as much as Paul George is clowned on, he’s still one of the better two-way wings in the NBA. He has moments where the spotlight appears to be too big for him in the playoffs, but now that he’s better adjusted this year with the Clippers, we should expect to see a better version of him, especially when you consider that he averaged 23.6 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game in the first round against the Dallas Mavericks, which went seven games.
The Clippers are more than capable of beating the Jazz this year in the playoffs, as they could very well be playing with a chip on their shoulder to erase the negative narratives around them.
Sixers vs Hawks
Being the most overlooked team as far as the remaining playoff squads are concerned, can the lower seeded Atlanta Hawks pull off the upset over the Philadelphia 76ers and reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 6 years?The Atlanta Hawks/Philadelphia 76ers series has proven to be surprisingly close, as Trae Young carried the Hawks with 35 points in their Game 1 win over Philly.
However, Game 2 was a different story, as Philadelphia got more contributions across the board from their main guys, but unsung hero Shake Milton stepped up with 14 points off the bench.
Milton’s 14 proved to be a huge difference-maker, but you can’t expect that from him every night. Expect the Hawks to come back home and look to at least even up this series. They’ve proven that they can hang with the top-seeded team in the East.
Suns vs Nuggets
The Phoenix Suns have been the Cinderella story of the playoffs this season, as they’ve gotten contributions all across the board. Devin Booker appears to have taken that leap to superstardom, and Chris Paul has shown no signs of slowing down.
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets are considered underdogs this series, but they do have the newly-crowned MVP Nikola Jokic on their team, as he makes everyone around him better.
The Nuggets have a great all-around team, but they’re missing out on Jamal Murray, whose season ended due to a torn ACL.
The Nuggets can grab a game or two in this series, but the Suns just have too much firepower this year. If Murray was healthy, perhaps things would be different.
