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Well, the Los Angeles Clippers have some work to do. And the Milwaukee Bucks have even MORE work to do.
The Clippers blew a big lead and lost to the Utah Jazz in Game 1 of their Western Conference series, as they let Donovan Mitchell score 45 points. Over in the Eastern Conference, the Bucks have tanked form the three-point line in losing their first two games to a Brooklyn Nets team that is without James Harden.
So Game 2 of the Clippers-Jazz series goes off at 10 PM ET on Thursday, while the Nets and Bucks go first with Game 3 at 7:30 PM ET.
And we have some NBA player props for sports bettors to cash on in those games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Under 51.5 Points+Rebounds+Assists (-114)
Nets vs. Bucks Game 3 Betting Preview
One of the strange stories that has come out of this series is that not only has Giannis Antetokounmpo has made just two of ten free throw attempts, but that it’s happened because he’s been distracted by the presence of a timer counting down the ten seconds he gets to attempt a free throw. Well, the NBA has eliminated that now, and the arena officials in Milwaukee wouldn’t have that turned on anyway, so we might expect him to be more productive at the line.
Still, we see this as a rather inflated number. While Giannis is a guy who can contribute in every possible way, his numbers in this series are at 41 combined, and they are just over 45 in the regular season, against the full range of opponents. Sure, if his teammates shoot better, they’ll be a distraction, but they’ll also take some of the shots and points form him. And none of the Bucks have exactly been living at the line (28 FTA’s total thus far).
Joe Harris Over 3.5 Three-Pointers (+114)
I don’t think it’s out of line for the Nets to move ahead with what they do best, in the absence of James Harden. And keep in mind, that doesn’t just include Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but also Joe Harris, who happens to be the best in the league at shooting from beyond the three-point arc.
He’s shot 50% on the season, and he is 50% in this series. He has, in fact, taken 20% of Brooklyn’s three-point attempts in these first two games. And with people like Bruce Brown and Mike James grabbing more playing time, he’ll continue to get shots, as they won’t take nearly as many as Harden would have.
Donovan Mitchell Under 31.5 Points (-120)
Clippers vs. Jazz Game 2 Betting Preview
Mitchell has been in 28 career playoff games. In only eleven of those games has he been held to less than 25 points. But in only 25% of those games has he topped this posted number.
What we absolutely know about Mitchell is that he has the ability to take over a game. And he did so in Game 1 against the Clippers, tallying 45 in spite of the fact that, as he explained it, he felt “nauseous.”
Sure, we can expect that the Clippers will pay extra attention to him. And we also wonder how much good that will do. Did you see the way he cut through double-teams and exploited the weakest Clipper defenders? Still, Ty Lue can put three frequent members of the All-Defensive team out there against him. And you know that adjustments will be made.
The key guy here is Patrick Beverley, who’s been on that All-Defensive team three times. Lue has already indicated that he is going to see more playing time in Game 2. And that means Beverley’s principal assignment will be to make life a lot more difficult for Mitchell. Lue may be sacrificing some offense with this move, but he will make some other Utah player beat him. Not that the Jazz don’t have the horses, but it may take someone other than Mitchell to light things on fire from three-point territory.
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