Filip Tomic
NBA
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With the Clippers advancing following their thrilling Game 7 against the Mavericks, we now have a full lineup for the NBA Playoffs conference semi-finals. That stage of the playoffs rolls on with Game 2 between the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks, live on TNT at 7.30pm ET. The Nets secured the win in Game 1, but can Giannis and the Bucks bounce back?
To celebrate the matchup we’ve put together a same game parlay to add to the excitement, but make sure you also check out our picks on the side and total for both of tonight’s games, including the Denver Nuggets taking on the Phoenix Suns.
But for now, let’s focus on the Bucks and Nets.
Milwaukee Bucks ML (+100)
Kevin Durant over 32.5 points (-104)
Kyrie Irving over 6.5 assists (-102)
Jrue Holiday over 7.5 assists (-104)
Parlay odds: +1465
Milwaukee Bucks ML (+100)
Although they dropped Game 1, I would argue the Bucks played a solid game overall and they got a ton of shots, they just weren’t falling for some reason. It might have been because they had seven days off in between games, but that’s out of the way now. Khris Middleton will surely have a better game than his 13-point effort and I also expect coach Bud to make adjustments to take advantage of James Harden’s absence for the Nets.
The Bucks are 4-1 ATS in their last five against teams with winning home records and they are also 5-2 ATS in their last seven games playing on one day’s rest. Brooklyn relied heavily on Blake Griffin in Game 1 and he finished with 18 points and 14 boards. At this stage of his career I’m not sure if he can put together two games in a row with numbers like that. The Bucks will be a lot more focused tonight as they cannot afford to go 2-0 down.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Milwaukee Bucks vs. Brooklyn Nets
Kevin Durant over 32.5 points (-104)
KD had a solid opener a couple of days ago with 29 points shooting 48 percent from the field. He’s showed no signs of slowing down so far in the postseason, averaging 32 games through the first six. He’s been lights-out from the field, shooting 53.3 percent and 46.9 percent from three-point land. He’s also shooting an incredible 92.2 percent from the free-throw line which makes him one of the most lethal scoring threats out there.
During the regular season, he scored 30, 42, and 32 points in the three games against the Bucks, so he’s yet to have a bad game against this team. With James Harden being out, his responsibilities are now even bigger on the offensive end, so look for Durant to have another high-scoring game.
Kyrie Irving over 6.5 assists (-102)
Kyrie’s assist total for Game 1 was set at 3.5 before the tip-off but he finished the game with eight. Harden’s absence has made Irving change his style of play. He averaged only 2.8 assists in the series against the Celtics. Now though he has to fill Harden’s shoes as the main playmaker of this team and there’s really good value in backing him to go over the total tonight. He’s averaged six assists during the regular season and in 14 career games against Jrue Holiday, he’s averaged 5.5 per game. Getting seven assists should be a given tonight.
Jrue Holiday over 7.5 assists (-104)
After finishing with 15, 12, and nine assists in the last three games of the Miami series, Holiday opened up with a six-assist effort in Game 1 on Saturday. That number will have to go up if the Bucks want to get the win tonight. Holiday’s playmaking and defense was the key against the Heat. He will have his hands full trying to slow down Kyrie, but it goes both ways. Jrue has averaged 21 points and 6.7 assists against the Nets in three regular-season meetings and is currently at nine assists per game in this postseason. We can expect the Bucks to shoot a lot better than they did in Game 1, which should hopefully result in a couple more extra dimes for Holiday.
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