Brian Scalabrine: NBA champion on Heat vs 76ers, Suns vs Mavericks and his best bet for Thursday

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I’m Brian Scalabrine, an 11-year NBA vet and member of the world champion 2008 Boston Celtics. Moving forward I’ll be writing regular columns here at Pickswise, giving my thoughts on the NBA betting market. It’s been a busy week in the association, and there’s a lot to digest.

Today we’ll be talking about two series’ that are both headed into critical Game 6s. We’ll start with the Heat/76ers series before getting to Suns/Mavericks, and then we’ll wrap things up with my best bet for Thursday’s slate

Check out Pickswise’s best bets for all NBA playoff games

Heat should close things out against 76ers

I was absolutely shocked when Philadelphia won Game 4 to even up this series at two games apiece. I thought it was a combination of being an all-time performance from the 76ers and that Miami couldn’t have played any worse. But life comes at you fast. Fast forward a short time later to Game 5, and it became quite clear that the Heat are just the better team.

Passing, shooting, playing with pace and space, Erik Spoelstra’s team does pretty much everything on the basketball court well. They don’t get the credit they deserve, but there’s a reason they’re the number one seed. They didn’t get here by luck or chance. On the flip side, Philadelphia looks a little bit old and a little bit slow.

That’s not to say there’s no chance of another Philly win. Could James Harden and Joel Embiid dominate once again? Of course. Those guys are always capable of having huge nights. But this is just as simple as could be, don’t overthink it. Miami dominates this matchup in all aspects of the game besides the inside play of Embiid. I would be shocked if the Heat don’t close out this series here.

Don’t miss our same game parlay for Heat vs 76ers (+968 odds!)

Don’t count out the Mavs against the Suns

The Dallas Mavericks aren’t buried just yet. The Mavs are down 3-2 to a really good Suns team, but they’ve got what it takes to put forth another strong effort with their backs up against the wall. They’re a team that seems to make adjustments, which is why we’ve seen them have a lot of success in Games 3 and 4 after losses in 1 and 2.

Perhaps most importantly for this Game 6, they’re a team that seems to shoot the ball extremely well at home. This really does come down to whether can they make shots. If they make shots then Luka has space, and if Luka has space then all of a sudden the Suns have to make tough decisions.

They’ve already demonstrated that their role players will make outside shots in front of their home crowd, so I like them here. I think the Suns are the better team, but the Mavericks are going to extend this series to a Game 7. It’s amazing how you can grab so much momentum at home when your role players knock down a few threes.

Look for Dorian Finney-Smith to have another good game, and Spencer Dinwiddie is due for a breakout. I think the Mavs will win on Thursday night, but ultimately Phoenix will advance to the Conference Finals with a win in Game 7.

Be sure to check out our full game preview for Phoenix Suns vs Dallas Mavericks

Scal’s best NBA betting pick for Thursday’s slate: Heat +2.5 over 76ers

Roll with Miami getting +2.5 here. I think the Heat will get off to a good start, which will put a ton of pressure on the 76ers. I know Philly will make their run at some point, but it won’t be nearly enough. Miami has figured this thing out, and I can’t see Harden having another historic performance which is the only thing that could bail out Philadelphia. The Heat are the better basketball team, even though I don’t doubt that Embiid will be good. Miami should win the game and the series here on the road.

Pickswise is the home of free NBA picks and predictions. Make sure to also check out our NBA parlays and NBA prop bets tabs for more expert picks. 

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