NBA Picks Today: Targeting Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers in Thursday's Game 3 Matchups
The NBA playoffs continue tonight. Krabs shares his best NBA picks today. He's targeting the Orlando Magic and the Philadelphia 76ers in their respective Game 3 matchups on Thursday.
Krabs - April 25, 2024, 3:57 PM EDT
5 minNBA Picks Today: Targeting Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers in Thursday's Game 3 Matchups
With the NBA Playoffs starting to heat up, there are a few teams who are looking to dig themselves out of 0-2 series holes on Thursday. Let’s jump right into my favorite two plays for tonight’s NBA slate…
NBA Picks Today
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Orlando Magic Prediction
The Magic have not looked great in this series, but with this young team heading home for game three, I like their chances getting in the win column against Cleveland on Thursday. Paolo Banchero has played relatively well in this series already. Banchero will have a chance to cement himself as the Magic’s next young star with a win against Cleveland, keeping their season alive.
Was anyone else a little shocked to see the Magic open up as -2.5 favorites after losing by a combined 24 points in the first two games? That is some series respect for this young Magic team. It seems like oddsmakers are expecting Orlando to win this game considering they are the betting favorite after not looking competitive in the first two games of the series…
The Magic were very public underdogs in the first two games in Cleveland. After crushing bettors hopes and dreams, nobody wants to go back to the Magic for a third straight game. Only 30% of the bets are currently backing Orlando in Game 3 tonight, but more than 55% of the handle is currently backing the Magic on the moneyline. There aren’t a lot of bets on Orlando, but the ones that have been placed are large wagers. This is a good sign for the Magic, as big bets typically correlate with the sharp side. Back the Magic on the spread just one more time, they finally come through for bettors tonight.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Orlando Magic Pick
ORL -2.5 (-110) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers Prediction
Before the Knicks and 76ers series began, the oddsmakers were giving Philly some serious respect on their series price against New York. After losing the first two games on the roads, Joel Embiid and the 76ers are once again getting some line respect as they are now -5.5 favorites against the 2-0 Knicks. There are some injury concerns for the Knicks, as Mitchell Robinson might be unavailable down-low. If he's out, Joel Embiid has a great matchup against Isaiah Hartenstein on Thursday night…
I’m willing to bet that the respect oddsmakers gave Philly on their series price wasn’t for nothing. I think they win game three in a big fashion, covering with ease against the 2-0 Knicks. I didn’t like now New York was trending heading into the playoffs, and let’s not forget how red-hot the 76ers were at the end of the regular season.
The public is overreacting to the first two games of this series with a ton of recency bias, and they aren’t factoring in how these two teams finished the season. Even with a banged-up Embiid, I’ll take my chances with the 76ers on the spread to cover a big-looking number that nobody wants to touch after losing the first two games of the series. This is the Embiid get-right game that 76ers fans have been waiting for…
New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers Pick
PHI -5.5 (-110) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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