A massive Tuesday of hoops across the country and our NBA picks have the winners of all three game fives tonight!
Brooklyn has a chance to close the door on Boston’s season while Denver and Phoenix host the Blazers and Lakers, respectively, with a 3-2 series lead on the line.
Our NBA picks analyse the markets, form and injury lists to ensure you have all of the information you need before placing tonights bets with confidence. So read on below to find out who tonight’s winners are!
Boston Celtics @ Brooklyn Nets (Game 5) – 7:30pm EDT
The Brooklyn Nets return home this evening with the opportunity to close out the Boston Celtics in game five of their 2 v 7 series. With Kemba Walker and Robert Williams sitting out game four, the Nets took advantage and put up an offensive onslaught that the Celtics couldn’t keep up with.
The Big Three combined for 104 of Brooklyn’s massive 141 points on the night, each having their moment to thrive, and do so efficiently as well. Kevin Durant led all scorers with 42 points, shooting 14/20 (70%) from the field, 3/3 from deep and 11/11 from the line. Kyrie Irving also shot a perfect 11/11 from the charity stripe, finishing the game with 39 overall. James Harden may not have scored as much as his superstar teammates, but only took 12 shots for the game, making eight of them for 23 points, also adding 18 assists, three blocks and two steals.
Went out and made some Nets history in Game 4 📈📈📈 pic.twitter.com/pESIx1te4y
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) May 31, 2021
With the Nets playing the way they did on Sunday, it is hard to see any team being able to match them, especially Boston. The Celtics are already missing Jaylen Brown, but to be without both Walker and Williams in a must win game four at home makes things extremely tough.
That meant that Jayson Tatum had to shoulder the load once again. Following his 50 point night in game three, Tatum was on fire again. Being buoyed by a 17/17 night at the line, the two time All Star finished with 40 points, with no other teammate scoring over 16 for the game. With Walker and Williams both doubtful for tonight’s elimination game, Tatum will have to be incredible once again, but is it too much to ask.
With Milwaukee already waiting for the winner of this series, Brooklyn will want to advance sooner rather than later. Many thought that they would need time on the court together to get their stars on the same page, and while they aren’t perfect, their offensive display in this series has been spectacular. Brooklyn has been 27-5 as home favorites in both the regular season and playoffs so far, with tonight being the perfect opportunity to put an end to this series.
NBA Pick – Brooklyn Nets (-950)
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Portland Trail Blazers @ Denver Nuggets (Game 5) – 9pm EDT
The Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets head back to the Mile High City tied at two wins each. Each side has won and lost in Denver, with home court advantage not having as big of an impact in this series as it may in others.
Bringing two straight losses into game four, Portland couldn’t afford to go down 1-3 heading back to Denver tonight and that was the intensity that they played with throughout. With Damian Lillard unable to find his shot, going just 1/10 for the game, Norman Powell stepped up to have a game high 29 points, his second best total since joining the Blazers halfway through the season. CJ McCollum chipped in with 21 points and eight assists while Carmelo Anthony, on his 37th birthday, hit timely shots off the bench to finish with 12.
Denver on the other hand played scared and timid throughout, having just four players in double figures and none scoring more than 16. The Nuggets finished the regular season fifth in offensive rating and scored the seventh most points per game in the league, but the 95 points they put up in game four was their lowest over their last 11 games and second lowest in over 6.5 weeks.
Before today, the last time the Blazers won a game with Lillard scoring 10 points or fewer was…
vs the Nuggets in 2015.
(Submitted by @KohlhuberN) pic.twitter.com/bI58WvLBhP
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 30, 2021
After finishing with just 16 points, nine rebounds and a single assist, Nikola Jokic will look to be more assertive in game five in order to get his team over the line in a must win game. It isn’t just Jokic who will be bouncing back, as Denver had the third best record in the league following a loss, 18-8.
Portland won’t just roll over either, especially if Lillard has a better shooting night than his game four efforts. As a team the Blazers shot 50% from the field and had just six turnovers, allowing them to maximise their opportunities. However, their defensive showing that kept Denver to just 95 points seems to be a big outlier, as Portland was just 23rd in points allowed and 29th in defensive rating during the regular season.
There is so much on the line in this massive game five, with Denver needing to do everything to avoid being down 2-3 heading back to Portland for game six. With Mike Malone leading the way and the soon-to-be MVP on the frontline, the Nuggets should be able to turn things around and bounce back on their home floor.
NBA Pick – Denver Nuggets (-118)
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Los Angeles Lakers @ Phoenix Suns (Game 5) – 10pm EDT
This series has been filled with drama and heading back to Phoenix locked at 2-2, the story is the availability of Anthony Davis. The recipe for success has been pretty straightforward for the Los Angeles Lakers so far; get Davis going offensively and then flow off his action. He is now unlikely to play in this game, at a minimum, with a strained groin and the Phoenix Suns should be licking their lips.
With Davis limited to just six points in 19 minutes on Sunday, the Suns were able to get going offensively. Six different players scored in double figures for the game, led by Chris Paul’s 18 point, nine assist, three steal and zero turnover night. After battling through a shoulder injury during games two and three, Paul looked back to full health and his play allowed the Suns to thrive.
Anthony Davis (strained groin) is unlikely to play in Game 5 vs. Suns, per @ShamsCharania
He’s being evaluated day-to-day pic.twitter.com/QGzFOpCcWj
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 31, 2021
LeBron James was tasked with carrying more of an offensive load as the solo star in the lineup but was unable to do what was necessary for the win. While he finished with 25 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, James shot just 1/7 from three, 4/7 from the line and had six turnovers for the game. Dennis Schroder couldn’t step up to the second fiddle role either, finishing with just eight points, his first time below 10 fo the entire postseason.
Davis is obviously a massive loss for the Lakers but in the 18 games the Lakers played without him, before James went down with his ankle injury, they weren 11-7. This proves they can win without him, but going up against a fully healthy and strong Phoenix side in the playoffs is another task altogether.
Phoenix is on a roll right night and whether it is Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton or Paul leading the way for them, they have the right tools to take advantage of a weaker LA side and claim the 3-2 series lead tonight.
NBA Pick – Phoenix Suns (-215)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
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