John Hyslop
NBA
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This is it, the NBA playoffs start tonight. It’s actually the play-in tournament so it’s a little different than in years past but the premise is still the same. Win. TNT is putting these games on our televisions tonight beginning with the Charlotte Hornets and Indiana Pacers at 6:30pm ET. No disrespect to either of those teams or their fans or people who bet on them, but I am more excited about the second game of the doubleheader. At 9:00pm ET, the Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics square off with the winner grabbing the seven seed. It’s perfect for a same game parlay.
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Bradley Beal over 31.5 points (-105)
Kemba Walker over 3.5 made-threes (+115)
Marcus Smart over 4.5 assists (-145)
Russell Westbrook over 1.5 made threes (-115)
Parlay odds: +1209
© Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Bradley Beal over 31.5 points (-105)
The Washington Wizards have played the Boston Celtics three times this season and Beal has topped this number in all of them. I don’t think this will be a particularly high scoring game, but it will still be well over 200. Beal has proven he doesn’t need a 250+ point game from both teams to go over 32 points. The last time these teams met, they combined for 221 points and Beal had 46. It’s a must win game so expect Beal to take more than his fair share of shots.
Kemba Walker over 3.5 made-threes (+115)
Kemba Walker has been on fire over his last six games going for 30+ in four of them. With Jaylen Brown on the shelf, the Celtics will need both Walker and Jayson Tatum to step up. One area that is going overlooked is the three-point market. While 3.5 is a big number, it’s not when the guy is shooting 10+ per game. Over his last seven games, four of them saw Walker take double digit threes while two others saw him take nine. If he sees that kind of volume tonight, he should hit at least four.
Marcus Smart over 4.5 assists (-145)
Everyone has seen their roles expand with Jaylen Brown out and Marcus Smart is no different. One thing that’s noticeable is the fact that he looks more like a point guard than small forward. His stat lines are starting to look like that too. Over his last seven games, he’s recorded at least five assists in six of them. The one time he didn’t, he dished out four. I think he’s in line for at least six tonight and if I’m right, he’ll fly over this number.
Russell Westbrook over 1.5 made threes (-115)
We chase volume around here and Westbrook is getting a ton of it from beyond the arc. Over his last six games, Westbrook has attempted at least five three-pointers in all of them. He’s connected on at least two in four of them. In his last game against Charlotte, Westbrook took eight from three-land. He’s not the best three-point shooter, but when he’s willing to take 7+, his over 1.5 threes made prop starts to look really enticing. Especially at -115.
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