NBA Playoffs Betting Preview & Picks For May 2

Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers

The Spread: Heat (-7.5)

The Philadelphia 76ers will be missing Joel Embiid, as he’s currently dealing with an orbital fracture and a concussion, in addition to a torn ligament in his right thumb.

With Embiid out, the Sixers will need to rely heavily on James Harden and Tyrese Maxey to pick up the scoring load.

We know that Harden is capable of doing it, but at this point, it’s come down to a desire. He seems content with being a playmaker at this point in his career and has little to no interest in shooting the ball and getting to the rim.

Jimmy Butler had a huge first-round series for the Miami Heat, as he averaged 30.5 points on over 54 percent shooting to go along with 7.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists in four games, as he sat the game-clinching game due to a knee injury.

Bam Adebayo also had a big first-round series, as he averaged 12.4 points on over 52 percent shooting to go along with 8.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.

With the Sixers missing Embiid and the Heat being home, they should be able to take care of business with ease and cover the spread.

Phoenix Suns vs. Dallas Mavericks

The Spread: Suns (-5.5)

This is a matchup that has the potential to pre-determine who ends up in the NBA Finals, as both teams have the right personnel to go alongside their superstar players.

Devin Booker missed time due to a hamstring strain but came back for the Phoenix Suns’ series-clinching win against the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round. His stat line wasn’t the most impressive, but still encouraging to see him take the court and contribute something out there.

Chris Paul had a big-time first-round series as well, as he put up averages of 22.3 points on nearly 57 percent shooting to go along with 11.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game.

Luka Doncic missed the first three games in the Dallas Mavericks’ first-round series against the Utah Jazz, but he came back in the last three games and averaged 29.0 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game.

Jalen Brunson also came in and provided a huge boost for the Mavs, averaging 27.8 points on over 48% shooting to go along with 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.

This series will come down to which superstar player can step up when their team needs it most.

Expect the Suns to get off to a fast start in this one and cover the spread in front of their home fans.

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