Man, the 2022 NBA Playoffs are getting interesting! The Bucks really surprised me last night, winning in Boston without Khris Middleton in a massive game. That series has been tough to figure for me, but we’ll try to get back in the groove tonight.
Below I’ll take you through our NBA Best Bets for each game along with today’s entire schedule, the betting odds for each game, and some stats and picks that we think should help you not only prepare to enjoy the game but also think about which way you want to want to bet the game if that’s something you want to do.
New to betting? Read our Beginner’s Guide to Betting with a glossary of terms
NBA Odds and Schedule, May 12
#1 Miami Heat (53-29) @ #4 Philadelphia 76ers (51-31), 7:30 p.m. ET
Miami leads series 3-2
Watch on ESPN
Even without Kyle Lowry, the Heat throttled the 76ers in Miami in Game 5, winning 120-85. It was a butt-kicking from the start, led primarily by Miami’s suffocating defense. The 76ers shot just 36.5% from the field and 28.1% from behind the arc while turning the ball over 15 times.
Joel Embiid was efficient from the field, but Miami made the rest of the 76ers squad beat them, and Tyrese Maxey responded by going 2-10 from the field, while James Harden shot just 5-13 from the field and 2-6 from three.
Embiid is also clearly hampered by both the torn ligaments in his thumb and his fractured orbital bone. He went down in the 2nd quarter of the last game after being hit during a battle for a rebound and was in clear pain. With his teammates unable to pick him up on offense, the 76ers didn’t stand a chance.
On the season, Miami is the 4th-best team in the NBA against the spread at 52-39-1, while Philadelphia is middle-of-the-pack at 44-48-1, which is 18th. At home, Philadelphia is a poor 22-25 ATS (20th), while Miami is good on the road at 26-18-1 ATS, which is 5th in the NBA.
Miami trended more towards the Over during the season, currently sitting at 50-41-1 (6th) while Philadelphia is 43-48-2 (23rd). In the playoffs, Miami has gone under in eight of their ten games, while Philadelphia has gone under in seven of their 11 total games.
Miami has gone just 6-4 against the spread in the 2022 NBA Playoffs, while Philadelphia has gone 6-5.
For a more detailed breakdown, Click here to read the full series preview
NBA Best Bet:
#1 Phoenix Suns (64-18) @ #4 Dallas Mavericks (53-30), 9:30 p.m. ET
Suns lead series 3-2
Watch on ESPN
Similar to the Heat-76ers game, Game 5 in this series wasn’t particularly close with the Suns winning 110-80 in Phoenix.
Dallas got nothing apart from 49 combined points from Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson. The team shot just 38% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc. Dorian Finney-Smith, who was electric in Game 4, came back down to earth, and Dallas continues to get nothing from Dwight Powell, who starts but barely plays (it’s such a confusing situation).
The Suns played essentially a seven-man rotation, but they avoided the turnover issues that plagued them earlier in the series and were effective inside the three-point line, taking advantage of Dallas’ defensive mismatches.
On the season, Phoenix is 51-42 against the spread (9th), and the Mavericks are an even better 54-37-2 ATS (3rd). Phoenix is better on the road, going 27-19 ATS (6th) as the road team, but Dallas is great at home, with a 27-17-2 record ATS (2nd).
Neither of these teams is consistent at hitting the over. Phoenix is better, coming in at 47-46 in the O/U, good for 12th, while the Mavericks are dead last in the NBA in the O/U at 35-56-2.
Those trends have only partially carried over into the playoffs as Phoenix is 6-5 in the O/U but Dallas is 4-7. Each of the last three games have gone under, and Dallas is 12-33-1 in the O/U at home on the season, while Phoenix is 22-24 in the O/U on the road on the season.
In the 2022 NBA Playoffs, both teams are 7-4 against the spread, with the home team covering the spread in every game of this series
For a more detailed breakdown, Click here to read the full series preview
NBA Best Bet:
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