2017 NBA Playoffs: Saturday, May 6th Betting Tips
The NBA Playoffs continue this Saturday, the 6th of May and we have you covered with a preview and tips for both games. The Cavaliers head to Toronto with a 2-0 lead after holding firm at home while the series between the Rockets and San Antonio will shift down the road to Houston after the teams split the first two games in San Antonio.
Cleveland Cavaliers at Toronto Raptors (9am AEST)
We took the Raptors to keep it close in both of the opening games in Cleveland and both times they let us down getting blown out by 11 in the first game and 22 in the second. After last years fairly close series between the two teams we expected the Raptors to put up more of a fight than this, but their offence has been non-existent, with DeMar DeRozan in particularly having an absolute shocker.
DeRozan went 2-11 from the field in game two for just 5 points while backcourt teammates Kyle Lowry and Corey Joseph carried what load they could, going for 20 and 22 points respectively. Both Lowry and DeRozan have to be firing if the Raptors intend on putting up some sort of fight at home, but the defence Iman Shumpert has been playing on DeRozan has been some of the best of the playoffs so far.
We are off the Raptors now, after two disappointing games, even with the home court advantage we can’t find a reason to back them in here. LeBron James has been unstoppable to the point where DeRozan has publicly offered anybody who can stop him $100.
TIP: Cleveland Cavaliers -2 – $1.95 at Sportsbet
San Antonio Spurs at Houston Rockets (11.30am AEST)
Even if they did suffer a disappointing 25-point loss in game two, the Rockets did what they needed to do in san Antonio by pinching one game and the home court advantage with it. They’ll just need to win at home from here out to advance to the Western Conference finals, a job that’s easier said than done.
Kawhi Leonard went off in game two for 34pts, 8ast and 7reb as the Spurs decimated the Rockets. While James Harden did a decent job of facilitating for his teammates, when it came to crunch time, he had no offence of his own as Leonard proved too good for him on the defensive end.
Really tough game to pick here as the Spurs seem to have found their feet in the series, however, with Tony Parker suffering a season ending knee injury late in game two, there’s some cause for concern. Ultimately, I think the loss won’t make too much of a difference as Aussie Patty Mills can comfortably step into Parker’s shoes. We like the Spurs here.
