NBA Picks – Rundown For Wednesday, April 21st
Charlotte Bobcats @ Orlando Magic
Online betting odds should favor the Magic in the second game of their series with Charlotte after a 98-89 win in Game 1, powered offensively by 32 points from Jameer Nelson. Dwight Howard didn’t do much on that end of the floor, except score five points and snatch four offensive rebounds, but he grabbed seven boards in total along with nine blocked shots, including eight in the first half and in the second half, you could tell that he had gotten into Charlotte’s head. The Bobcats got 25 points and 17 boards from Gerald Wallace in the first playoff game in their franchise history, and Stephen Jackson added 18 points, but he had to miss the last eight minutes of the fourth quarter as he collided with Wallace, bruising his knee. Jackson is expected to start in Game 2, and he’ll have to help the Bobcats get out on Orlando’s three-point shooters, who were 13-of-30 in Game 1.
The Bobcats did fight back from a 22-point deficit as they managed to get Howard in foul trouble, but they may need him out from the start of the game to get control of Game 2. Have we mentioned that the Bobcats have now dropped nine of their last 10 in Orlando? That’s why the Magic should get your sportsbook pick to take a two-game lead in this matchup.
Pick: OrlandoSan Antonio Spurs @ Dallas Mavericks
NBA betting odds should back the Mavericks for a 2-0 lead after their 100-94 win in the first game, and Dirk Nowitzki was out of his mind, lighting up the Spurs for 36 points on 12-of-14 shooting, and he hit all 12 of his free-throw attempts. Tim Duncan countered with 27 points in this battle of future Hall of Famers, but the Spurs also turned the ball over 17 times to 15 for Dallas, and they were outrebounded 45-37. Jason Kidd did a fantastic job dictating the pace for the Mavericks with 11 assists to go with 13 points and eight boards, and he was also 3-of-6 from the three-point line. In all honesty, this game was probably won at the foul line, where the Mavericks were 25-of-34, while the Spurs were only 12-of-14. The Mavericks were aggressive from the opening tip, and the Spurs must match that if they want to even up the series heading back to San Antonio. They’ll be happy to leave Dallas as the Spurs have dropped their last six in “Big D”, and they’ll probably start Tony Parker from the beginning after he scored 18 points in 34 minutes. Remember, Parker missed a month late in the season with a hand injury, but he looks none the worse for wear.
Nowitzki isn’t going to shoot like he did in Game 1, but the Mavericks have more weapons like Caron Butler, who had 22 points, and Jason Terry didn’t even have a good game. The Spurs just have their trio of Duncan, Parker and Manu Ginobili, and they may be able to pull off sports betting wins at home when only they are productive, but not on the road.
Pick: Dallas
