The La Lakers are aiming for the sweep over the Houston Rockets tonight. One of the few Lakers that had a down game three offensively was DeAndre Ayton, who scored just three points. After 19 points in game one, he has scored just eight total points the last two games. A Rockets team that is undermanned and off an overtime loss, look for cracks in the paint defensively for Ayton to exploit. Take his over tonight.
The White Sox look to win their third straight series if they get a victory today over the Washington Nationals. They are turning back to using an opener with Bryan Hudson, who pitched one inning in Friday’s 5-4 win over Washington. This should be a seesaw battle, but a fade worthy spot on Naitonal's starter Foster Griffin who is top ten in wins but has given up three home runs over his last two starts. Right price point to back the slight home favorite White Sox.
The New York Knicks ceiling for personnel does not vary much from player to player outside of Jalen Brunson. You know what you are going to get on a nightly basis. The one player that can put on a special performance out of the norm is Karl Anthony Towns. He did this to keep the Knicks alive last season against the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, and is having high end success in this series against the Hawks. The offensive numbers have been steady, but the Knicks need to find a solution to what has occurred the last five quarters. Grab Towns to be one of the playmakers that raises his game.
In the playoffs, there are certain players that need to be told to shoot the ball more. I would not be surprised if Spurs Coach Mitch Johnson, and his teammates spoke to Julian Champagnie on taken more shots. Through two games he has taken just seven shots, but has made five of those. In the regular season Champagnie had just seven double doubles, two of those were against the Portland Trailblazers. The quiet producer so far in the series, raises his game to what we saw in the regular season. Take Champagnie’s over.
A team that could have multiple players excel tonight in the prop market are the Houston Rockets. In games one and two they under achieved as a team offensively scoring below 100 points. That angle as well as Reed Sheppard having his minutes cut leaves the door open for a player like Tari Eason. Eason has been left open on the perimeter by the Lakers, and has scored in double figures in both games. Take Eason’s over in game three.
Game two saw several Houston Rockets clear their points prop by just a half a point. Amen Thompson was one of those players and he did so without attempting a shot over the final eleven minutes of the fourth quarter. That will not happen again whether the Rockets get swept or not. With Kevin Durant out, look for Thompson to become second in line in shots tonight behind Sengun. With Thompson’s slashing ability giving us an opportunity for layups, and three to four trips to the line. Take his over.
Going back to the regular season, the LA Lakers have now won four straight matchups over the Houston Rockets. The playoff level a team can rise to just was not there in LA for Houston. A warranted spread from oddsmakers does not always show initially in a series. I expect that tonight with the Rockets backs against the wall, and the Lakers getting healthier with Austin Reaves now questionable. A must win game where the tide can change by taking care of business on their home floor. Lay the number with the Rockets.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have shown for several years their streakiness as a team. It works both ways for winning and losing, and right now the Diamondbacks are showing a big worry with their pitching. The last two games the starters have given up eight runs each. As great as Eduardo Rodriguez start has been to the season, this looks like another letdown spot for the Diamondbacks. Whether it’s from Rodriguez or the bullpen, back the underdog White Sox.
The Phoenix Suns are likely in for a quick series against OKC, as the spread has jumped to 17.5 for tonight. The big concern for Phoenix is their lack of size, as Mark Williams remains questionable with a foot issue. Either way I expect rookie Oso Ighodaro to have minutes similar to game one’s twenty six. He was scoreless but a lot of that had to do with the Suns having to try and shoot themselves back in the game being down by double digits. Ighodaro bounces back, but play this before Williams is ruled out as the extra point in the market will be a no play for me.
Lost in the shuffle of the San Antonio Spurs game one victory was their rookies performance in Dylan Harper. It was his first playoff game, and Harper contributed six points with four rebounds. Prior to the playoffs, Harper had scored double digits in eleven straight games. I look for him to shine enough tonight in the scoring department now that he has his feet wet in the playoffs. Both possible ways the game goes tonight Harper is a Spurs player thats role should not deviate. A blowout he will be on the court in the fourth, and if the Trailblazers push the Spurs tonight I expect Coach Johnson to mix it up with his bench. Play Harper’s over.
The Atlanta Hawks showed their youth in Saturday’s game one against the Knicks. New York used one strong stretch to build a double digit lead that proved to much for the Hawks to overcome. Even with that the spread stayed flat from game one, as Atlanta does have the personnel to match the Knicks. They also did a great job defending Jalen Brunson after the first quarter. All three regular season games were down to the wire, look for that here in game two. Back the Hawks.
The Chicago Cubs have won five straight, but will see the opponent they last lost to tonight in the Philadelphia Phillies. It was also the last opponent that both Colin Rea and Aaron Nola saw. Rea had his deepest outing of the season going six innings, but also gave up a season high three runs. After just eight runs over their last five games, look for the Phillies bats to respond in a big way. Tail the Phillies.
Postseason series differ drastically from the regular season. We have already seen that with the Cavaliers dominating game one over Toronto. The Raptors could be in trouble for game two again, but expect the starters to play more minutes in a desperation spot. At worst they need to find something to take back home for games three and four. Scottie Barnes averaged 20 points per game during the season against the Cavaliers, and was right at that in game one with 21 points. He clears his points prop once again in game two.
The Portland Trailblazers dealt with injuries throughout the season, including with Shaedon Sharpe. Sharpe missed over twenty games from his injury on February 6th, to returning right before the postseason. His role now will be off the bench but he has seen a minutes increase each of his last three games. For the first time since February 3rd he scored over double digits in the play-in win over Phoenix. Look for Sharpe to be ready to contribute at a high level whether it’s 20 minutes or 28 tonight against the Spurs. Play his over.
The Minnesota Timberwolves come into game one against Denver well rested. Several starters did not play to conclude the final three games of the season. That can be tough to get back into game flow in a tough road spot like Denver. Look for Ayo Dosunmu to provide a spark off the bench, as he is one of the new pieces that Denver does not have strong intel on, and is ready as he played high minutes to finish the season. Take his over.