BEN BURNS
L.A. Clippers vs. Golden State – May 1, 2014 – 10:30 PM
10* Pick: @ Under 210.5 -110
I’m playing on LA and Golden State to finish UNDER the total. These teams have seen four of five games, including each of the last two, finish above the total. Those results have helped cause the O/U line to slowly creep back up. I believe it will prove to be a little too high.
I played on the UNDER in Game 3 of this series, the only game which actually did stay below the total. That game and this one have some similarities. In both cases, the Warriors were playing at home. In both cases, the previous game had been at LA. In both cases, the Clippers had won the previous game by double-digits.
Game 3, which had the highest O/U line of the series, would finish with only 194 combined points, as the Warriors bounced back with a MUCH better defensive effort.
Including that result, the Warriors have seen the UNDER go 18-9 after allowing 105 or more points in their previous game and 7-3 after a double-digit loss. I look for those stats to improve as this one also proves much lower-scoring than most will be expecting. 10*
L.A. Clippers vs. Golden State – May 1, 2014 – 10:30 PM
10* Pick: @ Under 210.5 -110
I’m playing on LA and Golden State to finish UNDER the total. These teams have seen four of five games, including each of the last two, finish above the total. Those results have helped cause the O/U line to slowly creep back up. I believe it will prove to be a little too high.
I played on the UNDER in Game 3 of this series, the only game which actually did stay below the total. That game and this one have some similarities. In both cases, the Warriors were playing at home. In both cases, the previous game had been at LA. In both cases, the Clippers had won the previous game by double-digits.
Game 3, which had the highest O/U line of the series, would finish with only 194 combined points, as the Warriors bounced back with a MUCH better defensive effort.
Including that result, the Warriors have seen the UNDER go 18-9 after allowing 105 or more points in their previous game and 7-3 after a double-digit loss. I look for those stats to improve as this one also proves much lower-scoring than most will be expecting. 10*
ART ARONSON
Oklahoma City vs. Memphis – May 1, 2014 – 8:00 PM
Pick: @ 2.5 -106 Memphis
This is an 8* “BLOCKBUSTER” on the Memphis Grizzlies.
With a chance to dispatch Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder on their home floor, I look for the Memphis Grizzlies to keep this one close enough to at the very least sneak away with the ATS cover. Memphis gutted out a 100-99 OT win in Game 5 Tuesday night in OKC. The Grizzlies can become only the second No. 7 to take down a No. 2 in a best of seven series. “Still a race to four,” Memphis’ Mike Miller said yesterday. “We like where we are, but we have a lot of stuff we have to accomplish yet.” Four games so far have gone to overtime in this series and Memphis has blown big leads in each contest that has seen the extra frame: “I’m getting tired of it,” Grizzlies’ guard Tony Allen remarked. “Hopefully, we do the things we need to do to try to avoid that, and that’s taking care of the ball down the stretch.” Durant and Russell Westbrook have been simply shut down in this series, and I don’t see that changing tonight; Memphis has held the Thunder to below 40 percent shooting in four straight games. Memphis is the deeper team and I look for its hard-nosed defensive play to once again be the difference tonight; while the outright win isn’t out of the question, as mentioned above, I’ll recommend grabbing as many points as you can.
Oklahoma City vs. Memphis – May 1, 2014 – 8:00 PM
Pick: @ 2.5 -106 Memphis
This is an 8* “BLOCKBUSTER” on the Memphis Grizzlies.
With a chance to dispatch Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder on their home floor, I look for the Memphis Grizzlies to keep this one close enough to at the very least sneak away with the ATS cover. Memphis gutted out a 100-99 OT win in Game 5 Tuesday night in OKC. The Grizzlies can become only the second No. 7 to take down a No. 2 in a best of seven series. “Still a race to four,” Memphis’ Mike Miller said yesterday. “We like where we are, but we have a lot of stuff we have to accomplish yet.” Four games so far have gone to overtime in this series and Memphis has blown big leads in each contest that has seen the extra frame: “I’m getting tired of it,” Grizzlies’ guard Tony Allen remarked. “Hopefully, we do the things we need to do to try to avoid that, and that’s taking care of the ball down the stretch.” Durant and Russell Westbrook have been simply shut down in this series, and I don’t see that changing tonight; Memphis has held the Thunder to below 40 percent shooting in four straight games. Memphis is the deeper team and I look for its hard-nosed defensive play to once again be the difference tonight; while the outright win isn’t out of the question, as mentioned above, I’ll recommend grabbing as many points as you can.
