Three best bets for Friday night’s NBA action

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The NBA playoffs roll on Friday night, with the Celtics traveling to the city of brotherly love to face the Sixers in Game 3 with the series tied up at one apiece, and the Suns looking to avoid going down 3-0 to the Nuggets in front of the Phoenix crowd.

The Eastern Conference semifinals tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET with the Celtics favored by 2.5 points after a huge blowout win in Game 2 at TD Garden. Joel Embiid didn’t make much of an impact in his return, but perhaps receiving the MVP trophy will motivate Philly enough to take control of the series. Or, maybe the Celtics will prove they’re the better team, as recent history has shown.

The Western Conference semifinal begins at 10 p.m. ET with the Nuggets as 4.5-point favorites. Nikola Jokic and Co. are coming off two decisive victories, and without Chris Paul for Game 3, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant will have to get a lift from others like Deandre Ayton and Cam Payne to get back into this series.

Let’s jump into my betting card for Cinco de Mayo.

Marcus Smart over 16.5 points and assists (-125)

I’m targeting Smart for Game 3 because he continues to be a thorn in the side of the Sixers. Whether flopping or drawing charges, he’s been a valuable asset against Philly all season. The former Defensive Player of the Year is averaging 18.2 points plus assists with an 80% hit rate to the over in five matchups against the Sixers this season.

He has a strong track record of performing on the road over the past two postseasons, going over 16.5 points and assists in 79% of his contests (11/14 games). Smart leads the Celtics in potential assists in the postseason with 9.4 per game and has stepped up his scoring, delivering a shade under 16 points per game through eight postseason contests. Game 2 got ugly, and he still went over this line in under 30 minutes, so I’ll run it back. Based on the way he’s been covering this line, I’d play this to 17.5 at even money.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) has been dominating Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton in their NBA second-round playoff series. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Nikola Jokic over 13.5 rebounds (-130)

Jokic has been a…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2023-05-05 18:50:23

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