Our free NBA picks are out for Wednesday, May 11th, 2022! Make sure you check our expert NBA picks before the action kicks off.
Look below to find our free NBA picks for the two Conference Semifinal games on today’s schedule!
Milwaukee Bucks @ Boston Celtics – 7pm ET
This Wednesday night clash between the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics will be Game 5 for their series. It has been an interesting series so far, and no team has been able to string back-to-back wins in this series, with things all tied up at 2-2.
Jeffery Thomas
The Boston Celtics got a huge win in Game 4 on the road to tie their series with the Milwaukee Bucks at 2 a piece. The unexpected hero in that game for Boston was Al Horford who went off for a postseason career-high 30 points in the 116-108 victory. The two teams so far have alternated wins and losses, with no team really being able to grab momentum in the series. The Celtics will hope to be the first team in this matchup to win consecutive games when they host Game 5, but it will not be an easy feat against the defending champs.
I’ve been a Boston believer for months and even when they fell behind in this series twice I didn’t waver in my opinion. Game 5 is the prime opportunity for them to get a win at home to take a stranglehold on the series and put the Bucks’ backs against the wall. That’s exactly what I see happening and it will be another tight game for sure, but the home Celtics will get the win and come within a game of moving on to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Boston Celtics (-230)
Noah Dunlap
The Boston Celtics finally got a great game from virtually everyone in Game 4 on the road, as they were able to level the series up at 2 games each. Now they head back home for Game 5, in a contest that I think is virtually a must-win. The two teams have alternated wins all throughout this series so far, but with the momentum from Game 4, and getting back to Boston, this feels like a game the C’s need. To do that, they’re obviously going to have to get another great game from Jayson Tatum, but they’re also going to have to watch Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart be effective as well, which I think does happen.
For Milwaukee, you can almost pencil in Giannis to have a monster game and be extremely effective, but the biggest key is Jrue Holiday. Without Khris Middleton in the lineup, Holiday has to be much more effective than he has been so far, if the Bucks want to have a chance. They also need production from guys like Brook Lopez and Grayson Allen, and I’m not sure I like the chances for that to happen here. Give me a close one, but I think Boston manages to come out on top at home.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Boston Celtics (-230)
Tony Battalio
It’s been four straight games of teams exchanging victory’s in this fantastic second round series between one of the most storied franchises in the history of the National Basketball Association and the defending NBA champions. As the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks will meet in Game 5 in Milwaukee with their Eastern Conference Semifinals series tied at two games a piece. It was Milwaukee who won Game 1 and 3, and Boston responded both times with wins in Game 2 and 4.
The Milwaukee Bucks are looking good despite the fact that this series is tied at two games a piece. They still have the best player on the planet on their roster in my opinion. As Giannis Antetokounmpo has been great throughout the first four games of this series, and as long as he is on the court the Bucks will always be a serious NBA championship contender. As for the result of this game, I am going with the Boston Celtics to get the win and take a 3-2 lead.
Tony’s NBA Pick: Boston Celtics (-230)
Golden State Warriors @ Memphis Grizzlies – 9.30pm ET
The Golden State Warriors have their first chance to move into the Conference Finals tonight, as they have a 3-1 lead over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Warriors went up 3-1 last time out, as they won 101-98, but this time they will have the challenge of playing on the road.
Jeffery Thomas
The Golden State Warriors moved to within a game of winning this second round series with the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday with their narrow 101-98 win in Game 4. The Grizzlies were without Ja Morant but much like the regular season, the Grizz played hard and stayed competitive without their best player. This matchup with the Warriors proved to be too much though, even with Golden State not having Steve Kerr coaching in this one. Kerr was out after testing positive for COVID a few hours before tip-off. Mike Brown took his place and Steph Curry’s 32 points led the way in the victory. It’s not the first time Brown successfully stepped in for Kerr, as he did the same in the 2017 playoffs, stepping in and leading the Warriors to eleven straight victories on their road to the title.
Now the Warriors will look to end the Grizzlies season in Memphis and get some rest ahead of a matchup with either the Dallas Mavericks or Phoenix Suns. Golden State failed to close out the Nuggets in the first round when they had the chance in Game 4, but turned around and got it done in Game 5 and I think they won’t want to extend this series like they did then. This team has a lot of veterans who need rest days and what better way to get rest than closing out your series and watching your next opponents continue to battle it out. Memphis has had a great season and has a bright future but this is where the story ends for them.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors (-176)
Noah Dunlap
This has been a wildly entertaining, tight series, even though it currently sits at Golden State leading 3-1, heading back to Memphis for Game 5. Apart from a Game 3 blowout that saw the Warriors shoot nearly historically well, the Memphis defense seems to be playing some fits with Golden State’s offense, and that’s exactly what the Grizz want to do. Now, with Ja Morant out for this one, and likely out for the rest of the postseason, if they are able to extend things, I think we can expect them to try to slow the game down once again. They will look to run more of a half-court set, with Steven Adams playing a huge part of the more traditional look. They led for all of Game 4, up until the last minute, which for the Grizz, should be an optimistic sign. The biggest issue was Dillon Brooks shooting the ball poorly, and Kyle Anderson missing too many free throws, and I like that to get fixed in this one.
On the other side, the Warriors are going to need Klay Thompson and Draymond Green to step up a little more. Neither guy has played all that well so far, and while Steph Curry and Jordan Poole have been able to lead the way, that continues to put a lot of pressure on those two. They snuck past Memphis in San Francisco in Game 4, due to too many self-inflicted problems from the Grizz late, but I don’t think the same thing happens at home with their season on the line, so I’m still rolling with Memphis in this one. Even without Ja, I like the Grizz to extend things for one more game, as they sneak away with the close win at home.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Memphis Grizzlies (+148)
Tony Battalio
The Golden State Warriors didn’t exactly shoot the lights out in Game 4 of their second round series, but they still found a way to get the victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Now they will look to close out the series in Game 5 as they currently hold a 3-1 lead, which still likely gives Warriors fans nightmares after the 2016 finals. Hopefully the Warriors have put that behind them for their own sake and can get the win in Game 5, and wrap up this series and return to the Western Conference Finals.
The Memphis Grizzlies now have their backs against the wall as they happened to run into the Golden State Warriors at their hottest. They will also be without Ja Morant for the rest of the series and will only get him back if they put up an incredible comeback and win three games straight. They have been great throughout the regular season without him but the NBA playoffs are a whole different level of play. As for the result of this one, I still think the Grizzlies will steal one to keep their season alive for another game.
Tony’s NBA Pick: Memphis Grizzlies (+148)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
