NBA playoffs: West first round game one previews, series picks and best bets
The NBA’s Western Conference playoff series are full of old rivalries, former teammates and plenty of bad blood: who do the odds like?
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NBA - WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND PLAYOFF PICKS & PREVIEWS
The NBA playoffs tip-off this weekend and each of the first round matchups are tastier than a fresh bachelor’s handbag.
There’s even a couple of underdogs that will be looking to make their higher-seeded opponents look like BBQ chicken too, with the Warriors and Lakers threatening big upsets.
1- DENVER NUGGETS
8 - MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
- Game One: Monday 12.30pm
- Game Two: Thursday: 12pm
- Game Three: Saturday April 22
- Game Four: Monday April 24
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If there’s one team that has enough size to bother a reigning back-to-back MVP centre from Serbia, it’s the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In Karl-Anthony Towns and the Stifle Tower (s/o NBA Straya) Rudy Gobert, Minnesota have a pair of big men to make Nikola Jokic work, and the Wolves have won five of the past seven games between the pair.
Unfortunately for the Wolves, outside of ‘Ant Man’ Anthony Edwards and Mike Conley, it’s the rest of the roster that’s the worry.
Because Denver don’t need Jokic to score to dominate - they’ve still got Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr and Aaron ‘Air’ Gordon to help in that regard - and with the Wolves missing the injured Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels, the Nuggets will be able to wear down the Wolves over the course of games and the series.
This Denver offence has been in the top five in terms of offensive rating all season and while the Wolves defence has stuck in the top 10, without Reid and McDaniels – two of their seven best players – it means Edwards will have to turn into a legit two-way superstar to keep the Wolves in the series.
The Nuggets were 34-7 – second best in the NBA – in the altitude of their home city and with the Wolves still recovering from the grind of two play-in games, look for Denver to steamroll them in games one and two, then take out the series in a gentleman’s sweep.
GAME ONE: Denver -9 - $1.91 (via TopSport)
THE SERIES: Denver 4-1 - $3.25 (via Ladbrokes)
2 - MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
7 - LA LAKERS
- Game One: Monday 5am
- Game Two: Thursday 9.30am
- Game Three: Sunday April 23
- Game Four: Tuesday April 25
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The Shannon Sharpe Bowl!
There’s plenty of bad-blood between these two teams after some bitter battles this season – including the one where talking-head Sharpe seemingly tried to fight the entire Grizzlies team from courtside while attired in one of his nana’s sweater-vests – but the Lakers did manage to win two of the three matchups between the pair.
It’s a fascinating set up too: on one hand, the Grizzlies have almost zero size on their roster with both Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke out for the season and will have to rely on defensive menace but foul-prone Jaren Jackson Jr and unproven Xavier Tillman to match human pterodactyl Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
That size difference will be tough to cover up and if JJJ is in any hint of foul trouble, the Lakers will feast.
On the flipside, there is no one on the Lakers with a hope of covering Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant: in transition he’s basically as if a fighter jet was a person.
DAngelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Malik Beasley will try and fail to contain Ja, who will also be looking to exploit LA’s ‘okay, shoot it then’ defensive schemes with sharpshooters Desmond ‘Baaaaane’ Bane and Luke ‘The Duckman’ Kennard.
This series should come down to the wire: Dillon Brooks will be wildly important for the Grizzlies defence but is just as likely to shoot them out of two games, while the foul trouble LeBron and AD should be able to ping on the Grizzlies will tip the eventual advantage to LA.
The Grizzlies were the NBA’s best home team this season, so look for them to win Game One in Tennessee, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see this locked at 2-2 after four game and go the seven-game distance.
GAME ONE: Memphis -3.5 - $1.93 (via TopSport)
THE SERIES: LA Lakers 4-3 - $6.50 (via Ladbrokes)
3 - SACRAMENTO KINGS
6 - GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
- Game One: Sunday 10.30am
- Game Two: Tuesday 12pm
- Game Three: Friday 12pm
- Game Four: Monday April 24 5.30am
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The Western Conference’s 3-6 matchup between the nascent Sacramento Kings - benefiting from the sage knowledge of King Delly, First of His Name (s/o NBA Straya) Matthew Dellavedova to make its first playoff appearance since 2006 - and the reigning champion Golden State Warriors promises to be a clash for the ages.
It pits the NBA’s top two scoring teams against each other and will see Kings rising star point guard De’Aaron Fox take on an all-time great in Stephen Curry, while Domantas Sabonis - aka the Souvlaki King - looking to control the paint against Golden State motormouth Draymond Green.
The Warriors were one of the worst road teams (11-30) in the NBA this year, but look for the championship experience of the Warriors - and their improved defence, up to seventh in the NBA since the all-star break - to sneak out a surprise win in the opening game.
From there, with home-court advantage wrested back, the Warriors should be able to win their own home games and get across the line in six games. The Kings are the best story in the NBA this season, but the quality of the two teams‘ defences will be the difference.
GAME ONE: Golden State Warriors +1 $1.92 (via TopSport)
THE SERIES: Golden State Warriors 4-2 - $3.50 (via Ladbrokes)
4 - PHOENIX SUNS
5 - LA CLIPPERS
- Game One - Monday 10am
- Game Two: Wednesday 12pm
- Game Three: Friday April 21 12.30pm
- Game Four: Sunday April 23 5.30am
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What. A. Series. Kevin Durant versus his old teammate Russell Westbrook. Chris Paul against his old team. Kawhi Leonard somehow stuck carrying a veteran-laden squad by himself, due to Paul George’s knee injury. Devin Booker launching himself into the league’s superstar stratosphere. It’s an amazing set up.
If both teams were healthy, this could’ve been a Western Conference Finals, but as it stands it’s a fascinating first round clash that Phoenix – coming into this as the favourites to win the West even as the 4-seed – should dominate.
The Suns, after all, are 8-0 with KD in the lineup, and between Durant, Booker, CP3 and Deandre Ayton, they have top end talent that the Clippers sans George can’t hope to match.
Clippers coach Ty Lue will still have some tricks up his sleeve, but Durant is basically impervious to tricks and without George, Booker should absolutely feast on a Clippers defence that finished the season ranked 17th in the NBA.
Despite the Clippers making them work – LA was 21-20 against the spread on the road –the Suns should roll in game one after going 28-13 at home this season, and deal with the Clippers in six.
GAME ONE: LA Clippers +7.5 - $1.86 (via TopSport)
THE SERIES: Phoenix 4-2 - $4.50 (via Ladbrokes)
[all odds as of April 15]
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Originally published as NBA playoffs: West first round game one previews, series picks and best bets
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