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Angelo MaglioccaAmagsSat at 2:00 PM23Amags' MLB Extra Innings Weekly Chat
7 Expert Picks
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Suns' Devin Booker is shooting 49 pct over his last six games, hitting 30+ points in five of his last six games, for an average of 31.7 per game. The Blazers are allowing nearly 116 points per game, in the bottom half of the NBA. Booker only scored 19 in his one matchup this year vs. Portland, but it was in limited minutes in a blowout. Last year, he torched them for 31.8 PPG. Booker's usage rate is 32.3% and if Grayson Allen doesn't play, it'll go up more.
Jalen Green sat out the final two regular-season games with a knee injury, and he played just four minutes last Wednesday vs. Dallas. But he's off the injury report and should see 30-plus minutes in this play-in game vs. Portland. In games with three or more days' rest, Green has averaged 19.6 points in just 22 minutes of action. He shot 47.7 percent from the field and 40 percent from deep. With Jrue Holiday expected to primarily guard Devin Booker, Green will be tasked with handling a lot of the scoring load.
Phoenix went 2-1 vs. Portland this season, the lone loss a 77-point dud without Devin Booker. The other two games with Booker, the Suns won both and scored 127 and 130. The No. 7 seed has a strong history vs. the No. 8 seed in these play-in games, and Portland has a history of losing in Phoenix, dropping 10 of its last 12 trips there. The Suns are 13-6 ATS (68.4%) when laying between 2 and 5 points.
Devin Booker stepped up in his last six games, going over his personal total posted in five of them. He's taking on his veteran leadership role and leading by example at the most critical time of the season. He scored 30 points or more in his last three games and five of his last six. The team will rise with Booker, and they all know what time it is. It’s time for Book to cook. Over.
The Suns won two of three games this season against the Blazers, including both games at Portland, and lost the game in Phoenix without Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks. Everybody's healthy now except for Jalen Green, who may miss Tuesday with a knee injury. The Blazers have won five of their last seven games, while the Suns have won three of their last five. The Suns need to take care of business to advance and not have to play Friday night for their season. Suns to win at home.
FanDuel. It’s a small sample due to a plethora of injuries, but in the seven games that Dillon Brooks, Devin Booker and Jalen Green played their full complement of minutes, Brooks did not clear this line. In what should be a slower, playoff-like atmosphere, I expect Brooks to remain under this combined total against a Portland team that limits spot up opportunities.
It would be absolute human nature for the playoff-newbie Trail Blazers to somewhat go through the motions Tuesday if they get down a decent amount early. Even with a loss, as the No. 8 seed they are guaranteed a home game against the 9-10 winner to still reach the playoffs. Think we have seen teams take that second game kinda for granted before because the No. 7 seed is 8-2 SU in the 7 vs. 8 game all-time. Phoenix won the regular-season series 2-1 and has taken 10 of the past 12 at home vs. Portland. I think this only goes up so will grab it now.
This is a big line for Dillon Brooks who has averaged less than 15 PPG since returning to Phoenix’s lineup after missing over a month of action. Brooks only eclipsed this line once in his previous six appearances. This game features two teams that like to play slow coupled with a low projected total of just 218.5 points. The Suns don’t rely on Brooks nearly as much as they did early in the season prior to the emergence of Jalen Green. I would play this line down to 18.5 for a full unit and ultimately expect this to close between 17.5 and 18.5.











