We’ve reached that point in the first round of the NBA playoffs where things are getting chippy. You got the Pacers and Bucks, who don’t like each other at all, going at it, plus you knew the Rockets and Warriors would eventually start mouthing off. Orlando has been called for three flagrant fouls in its series against Boston, so at least they aren’t trying to hide it.
Sunday brings us four NBA games, and maybe a few hours where we don’t have to hear about Shedeur Sanders quite as much as we have for the last couple of days.
You know the dream NBA finals match-up for the networks is Lakers vs. Celtics, but both have some work to do to get there.
Lakers at Timberwolves Odds
The winning team has covered in all three of the games in this series so far. The Wolves are three-point favorites.
LA is 46-37-2 against the spread this season, while the Wolves are 41-43-1. The Wolves have covered the spread in eight of their last nine first round playoff games and are 6-4 in their last 10 games against the spread.
There are two other big numbers to know. LA has lost its last eight road playoff games, but LeBron in his career is 38-16 in Game 4s in his career. There’s never been a player where you can find as much statistical data as LeBron, I swear.
Lakers at Wolves Prediction
Coming into the series, we all knew the pivotal player was going to be Wolves forward Jaden McDaniels, right? McDaniels entered the series averaging 8.7 points in his career against the Lakers, but he had 30 in the Game 3 win, 25 in Game 1, and eight in the Wolves Game 2 loss.
The Lakers have averaged 15 turnovers this series against the Wolves quick perimeter defense, and that can’t last. Luka Doncic should be better after dealing with a stomach bug Sunday.
LA has its back against the wall already, and that’s when they always seem to step up. They’ll shut down McDaniels and come up with a win.
The Pick: Lakers +3.0 (-110 at FanDuel)
Celtics at Magic Odds
The Celtics have lost three of their last four games against the spread, while Orlando is 7-3 against the number in its last 10. Orlando is 24-19 at home and was the No. 1 scoring defense in the NBA.
Orlando has covered in each of its last six home games against Boston, who will be without Jrue Holiday today, and Jaylen Brown is playing through a sore knee. Boston is 0-3 in Orlando this season.
Celtics at Magic Prediction
The Celtics shot just 9-27 from three in Game 3 and still only lost by two points. Boston’s execution down the stretch was horrible. This series has been a breakout for Magic forward Franz Wagner, who has averaged 26 points this series.
Orlando is getting seven points today, and I think it will be close. Orlando is trying to be physical with Boston, and it’s working to a degree, but there’s no way Boston shoots this bad from deep again. They shot 37 percent for the season from beyond the arc. I think Boston wins a close one this time, so I’ll take the points.
The pick: Magic +7 (-110 at DraftKings)
