Monthly Archive 30 April 2024

A pivotal Game 3 gets underway on Friday as the No. 4 seed Los Angeles Clippers go on the road to play the No. 5 seed Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs. Games 3 and 4 will be in Dallas after the first two games were split 1-1. These clubs squared off three times during the regular season and the Clippers won the season series 2-1. Kawhi Leonard (knee) is questionable for Los Angeles.

Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET at American Airlines Center in Dallas. The Mavericks are 4.5-point favorites in the latest Clippers vs. Mavericks odds via SportsLine consensus. The over/under for total points is 212.5. Before making any Mavericks vs. Clippers picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters the second week of the 2024 NBA playoffs on a sizzling 90-58 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning more than $2,800. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Mavs vs. Clippers and just locked in its picks and NBA playoff predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Clippers vs. Mavs:

Mavericks vs. Clippers spread: Dallas -4.5
Mavericks vs. Clippers over/under: 212.5 points
Mavericks vs. Clippers money line: Dallas -185, Los Angeles +153
DAL: 34-19 ATS this season at home
LAC: 3-2 ATS this season against the Mavs
Mavericks vs. Clippers picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Mavericks can cover
Guard Luka Doncic continues to show why he’s one of the best players in the NBA. The 25-year-old threads the needle as a passer while scoring from all three levels with consistency. Through two games in this series, he leads the team in scoring (32.5), rebounds (9.5) and assists (7.5). In the Game 2 win, Doncic had 32 points, six rebounds and nine assists.

Guard Kyrie Irving is one of the best ball handlers in the league. Irving can get past any defender due to his speed and quickness with the ball. The former Duke product is acrobatic in the lane while owning a pure jumper. In this series, he’s averaging 27 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per contest. In Game 1, Irving dropped 31 points, seven rebounds and four assists. See which team to pick here.

Why the Clippers can cover
Center Ivica Zubac sets strong screens, is a solid rebounder on both ends and owns a soft touch around the rim. In this series, he leads the team in rebounds (13.5) with 16.5 points per game. The 27-year-old recorded back-to-back double-doubles. In Game 1, Zubac had 20 points and 15 boards.

Leonard would provide a huge boost for Los Angeles if he can go. Leonard can score from all three levels on the court with the instincts to be disruptive in the passing lane. The 32-year-old missed Game 1, but in Game 2 he racked up 15 points, seven rebounds and four steals. In 34 career games against the Mavericks, Leonard averages 18.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists. See which team to pick here.

How to make Clippers vs. Mavericks picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 225 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits 60% of the time. You can only see the model’s pick and analysis at SportsLine.

So who wins Mavericks vs. Clippers, and which side of the spread hits 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Clippers vs. Mavericks spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has returned more than $2,800 on its NBA picks this season, and find out.

The Los Angeles Lakers are facing elimination as they prepare for Game 4 Saturday night against the Denver Nuggets. In each of L.A.’s three losses against the Nuggets, they’ve held leads entering halftime but haven’t managed to hold onto those leads at the end of the game, allowing the defending champions to exert their dominance every time. Lakers coach Darvin Ham said during Friday’s film session guys were “irritated, frustrated, fed up and ready to make a change” ahead of Game 4, but when asked if that change would include moving struggling point guard D’Angelo Russell to the bench, he said no.

Russell struggled heavily in Game 3, going 0 for 7 from the floor, including 0-6 from deep. Across the series, he’s averaging just 12.0 points on 32.6% from the floor and 30.8% from deep. At the tail end of L.A.’s loss Thursday night, there was a video showing Russell looking disconnected from the rest of the Lakers group during a timeout.

D’Angelo Russell was seen eating on the bench late in last night’s Lakers loss to the Nuggets 🤔pic.twitter.com/nr6AjCrhgq

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 26, 2024
Since Ham isn’t considering bringing Russell off the bench, that means he’ll need to significantly improve his performance on Saturday. The Lakers need his production on offense and to replicate what he was able to do during the regular season, where he was averaging 18 points, 6.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds on 45.6% from the field. Without his scoring, more responsibility has fallen on the shoulders of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. While both are doing their best, it hasn’t been enough, especially in the second half against Denver.

We’ll have to see what adjustments Ham and the Lakers make for Game 4 because if things don’t improve in some capacity, whether that’s Russell suddenly finding his rhythm or a role player stepping up, L.A.’s season could end Saturday night.

Just a day after announcing that Jordi Fernandez would be the next head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, another hiring announcement has been made. Fernandez is reportedly adding former University of Michigan head coach Juwan Howard as an assistant, per ESPN.

Howard’s coaching career started after he retired from the NBA in 2013 following a 19-year career that included winning two championships with the Miami Heat in his final two years in the league as well as an All-Star nod and All-NBA and All-Rookie honors. He immediately joined Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra’s staff as an assistant, and following six years with the Heat, he took the head coaching job at his alma mater where he was a member of the lauded Fab Five at the University of Michigan.

Over the five years Howard was at Michigan, he compiled a 87-72 record, and coached the Wolverines to two March Madness appearances where they went as far as the Elite Eight and Sweet 16, respectively. However, following back-to-back disappointing seasons without postseason appearances, Howard was fired by Michigan in March. In his last season with the Wolverines, the team posted a 8-24 record, their worst since his hiring in 2019.

Now, though, after spending time in the collegiate ranks, Howard will return to the pro level under first time head coach Fernandez. The Nets new coach took the Brooklyn job after spending six years under Michael Malone in Denver, and most recently as an associate head coach under Mike Brown in Sacramento.

Though Howard is returning to the NBA as an assistant, teams have shown interest in him becoming a head coach in the past. The Lakers reportedly viewed him as their top option back in 2022 before they hired Darvin Ham, but Howard, turned down the opportunity as he instead opted to stay at Michigan for a chance to coach both of his sons.

With Howard is back in the NBA, he will be joining a coaching staff that has a lot of work to do in order to turn around a Nets team that went 32-50 this season, and missed the Play-In Tournament by four games.

The Phoenix Suns will attempt to get back into its first round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves when the teams square off in Game 3 on Friday at the Footprint Center in Phoenix. The Suns enter the game in an 0-2 hole in the best-of-seven series in the 2024 NBA playoffs, which is an unfamiliar spot for this team. The last two seasons they reached the Western Conference finals, and three years ago they famously made the NBA Finals, losing to the Bucks. The Timberwolves also are in an unfamiliar spot. This is just the second time in franchise history that they’ve been up 2-0 in a series.

Tipoff is at 10:30 p.m. ET. Phoenix is listed as a 5.5-point favorite in the latest Suns vs. Timberwolves odds while the over/under for total points scored is 208 Before making any Timberwolves vs. Suns picks or NBA predictions, be sure to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven computer model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters the second week of the 2024 NBA playoffs on a sizzling 90-58 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning more than $2,800. Anyone following the model has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Suns vs. Timberwolves and just locked in its picks and Game 3 predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are several NBA betting lines and trends for Timberwolves vs. Suns:

Suns vs. Timberwolves spread: Phoenix -5.5
Suns vs. Timberwolves over/under: 208 points
Suns vs. Timberwolves money line: Phoenix -254, Minnesota +204
MIN: Timberwolves led the NBA in defensive efficiency (108.4 points per 100 possessions) in the regular season
PHX: Kevin Durant ranked fifth in the league in scoring (27.1 points per game)
Suns vs. Timberwolves picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Suns can cover
Despite the results of the first two games of the series, Phoenix knows it owned Minnesota during the regular season, winning all three matchups between the teams. In those three games, the Suns’ margin of victory was 15.7 points. That includes a 19-point win in Minneapolis in the regular season finale when the Timberwolves could’ve locked up the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a victory.

In addition, Kevin Durant remains an elite scorer. The 14-time NBA All-Star ranked fifth in the league in scoring (27.1 points per game) during the regular season. Through the first two playoff games, he is averaging 24.5 points and shooting 53.1% from the field and 50.0% from beyond the 3-point arc. See which team to back at SportsLine.

Why the Timberwolves can cover
Minnesota has done an excellent job so far in this series in locking up Devin Booker. The four-time NBA All-Star ranked sixth in the NBA in scoring during the regular season (27.1 points per game). However through two games the Timberwolves have limited him to 19.0 points a game, 37.9% shooting from the field and 25.0% shooting from 3-point range.

In addition, Minnesota could face a Phoenix team that may be without one of its top contributors, Grayson Allen. Early in the third quarter of Game 2, the sharpshooting Allen aggravated an ankle injury early and was forced to miss the rest of the game. He is listed as questionable to play in Game 3. If he is unable to go, his absence would be a significant loss for the Suns as he led the NBA in 3-point percentage (46.1) during the regular season. See which team to back at SportsLine.

How to make Suns vs. Timberwolves picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 219 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits nearly 70% of the time. You can see the picks only at SportsLine.

So who wins Timberwolves vs. Suns, and which side of the spread hits nearly 70% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Suns vs. Timberwolves spread you need to jump on, all from the model on a 90-58 roll on top-rated NBA picks this season, and find out.