Los Angeles Lakers (41-25, 26-7 home) and Oklahoma City Thunder (47-19, 21-12 away) clash in Game 3 (10:30 PM ET, May 18, 2012) at Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA. Oklahoma City leads series 2-0. The Lakers will find plenty of reasons in the first 46 minutes to be encouraged about their chances this weekend.
The third-seeded Lakers’ fate will be decided rapidly at Staples Center, with back-to-back games Friday and Saturday, after blowing a seven-point lead and the chance to steal home-court advantage from the powerful Thunder on Wednesday night. Oklahoma City could earn its second straight trip to the Western Conference finals Saturday night and leads the series 2-0.
The Lakers imposed their favored style on Game 2 until their late collapse, although they have now lost four of their last five playoff games since taking a 3-1 lead in the first round against Denver. Holding Oklahoma City to its lowest scoring total of the entire season, Los Angeles locked down Russell Westbrook, limited Kevin Durant with double-teams and thwarted the Thunder’s transition game.
Oklahoma City improved to 6-0 in the postseason, and Coach Scott Brooks emerged from the thriller excited about the resilience of his young team. The Thunder has figured out how to keep their cool when their opponents are losing it in their third playoff run together.
In the final 6:43, the Lakers managed just four points, all on baskets by Bynum. Final five shots were missed by Bryant. Multiple mistakes were made by Metta World Peace. Steve Blake missed the biggest one of all, while Pau Gasol did not even take a shot. Overconfidence would appear to be Oklahoma City’s toughest opponent so far in the playoffs, if not for the Lakers’ game effort in Game 2.
Bryant has been unable to assert control against Oklahoma City’s defense, although the Thunder’s offense was less than impressive in Game 2. In Brooks’ plan to keep Kobe uncomfortable by throwing multiple defensive looks at him, sometimes on each possession, Durant, James Harden and Thabo Sefolosha have taken turns. In each of the first two games on 16-for-43 shooting, the NBA’s second-leading scorer behind Durant has managed just 20 points, and Bryant is a dismal 1 for 9 on 3-pointers, not be the best player to win some money on in NBA Playoff prop betting.
Culminating in a lifeless loss to the Nuggets in Game 5 last round, the Lakers were among the NBA’s best home teams for the first three months of the shortened season, but stumbled late. Los Angeles also lost two second-round home games last season against Dallas, although the Lakers and their crowd rebounded for an energetic victory in Game 7.
Charlotte Bobcats and Washington Wizards face each other at Verizon Center, Washington D.C. (7:00 PM ET, April 23, 2012) in Game 4 of the four game series. The Wizards lead the series by 3-0. The Bobcats have a 7-56, 3-28 away record while the Wizards have a 17-46, 9-22 home record. in league history, the Bobcats continue to inch closer to finishing with the lowest winning percentage. The best betting odds have Bobcats (31/10) and Wizards (1/4).
the Washington Wizards suddenly find themselves on a bit of roll, while Monday night’s matchup in the nation’s capital appears to be their best chance to avoid that embarrassing feat and snap their franchise-worst losing streak.
the Bobcats try to avoid a 21st consecutive loss and a four-game season sweep at the hands of a Wizards team seeking a fourth straight win for the first time in four seasons in the second game of a back-to-back.
falling 114-88 at home to Pacific Division cellar dweller Sacramento, Charlotte (7-56) suffered yet another defeat Sunday. The Bobcats have been outscored by an average of 15.6 points during their skid. They have allowed the Kings to shoot 55.2 percent from the floor and they gave up 78 points in the paint.
Following this contest, on Wednesday, the Bobcats visit Orlando before closing their schedule at home against New York the following night. They need to avoid the NBA’s all-time worst winning percentage and this can be done by winning one of their final three games.
The Wizards have had their way with Charlotte of late, taking four straight in the series and all three matchups this season by an average of 16.0 points, while they sit second from the bottom of the league with a 17-46 record.
the Wizards are playing better these days with winners of five of seven overall that includes a 113-85 victory at Charlotte on April 9. Washington prevailed 86-84 at Miami on Saturday thanks to Nene’s game-winning bucket with 0.5 seconds remaining, after posting victories at Chicago and over Milwaukee.
Cartier Martin led the way with a career-high 22 points for Washington. He is playing in just his 14th game after spending time in the D-league, while Wall added 13 points and 13 assists for his team-leading 14th double-double.
The Milwaukee Bucks facing tough opponents has not been their strong suit, although their four-game winning streak against suspect competition has aided their quest for one of the Eastern Conference’s final playoff berths. They will face Oklahoma City Thunder at Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI (8:00 PM ET, April 9, 2012). The best NBA betting odds as per various sportsbook have Oklahoma City Thunder (4/6) and for Milwaukee Bucks (23/17).
In the East, the Milwaukee (28-28) sits in ninth place that is one game behind deadlocked New York and Philadelphia with 10 games remaining. On Saturday, the Bucks beat Portland 116-94 for their fourth consecutive win, all against teams below .500. For Milwaukee, Beno Udrih and Brandon Jennings each scored 21 points. They outscored the Trail Blazers 62-31 in the second half. Coach Scott Skiles said that they needed to take advantage of struggling Portland and also reminded the team of its dismal 9-24 record against teams above .500.
The Bucks are 19-4 against teams below .500. Jennings said that his team struggled with teams over .500 and this is a place where they have to make their stand, if they want to make playoffs. In the fourth quarter, the big lead allowed Skiles to give his starters a break.
With Oklahoma City (41-15) coming to town, Jennings said Milwaukee needs to carry over the solid effort. With the Bucks winning two, each of the last three matchups has been close. Jennings scored a team-high 16 points in a 110-106 overtime road victory April 13, 2011, though both teams relied heavily on their benches in that regular-season finale.
Winner of 11 straight, atop the West by snapping a season-high three-game skid with Oklahoma City remained tied with San Antonio. The Thunder bounced back with a 91-75 win over lowly Toronto on Sunday, although those losses came against opponents that are a combined 46 games above .500. The Thunder used a 24-0 second-half run to pull a, therefore Kevin Durant scored a game-high 23 points.
Oklahoma City improved to 12-5 against the East; therefore, Russell Westbrook added 15 points on only 12 shots, which was well below his average of 19.5 attempts. Unless Milwakee makes a run to the NBA finals, it will be the last team it faces from the opposing conference.
The New Jersey Nets (15-32, 10-15 away) will battle against the Atlanta Hawks (26-20, 13-7 home) for the sake of pride, after losing three games to the Hawks. The game will be staged at Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA (7:30 PM ET, March 23, 2012). Betting odds for the NBA game have Nets (31/10) and Hawks (1/4).
The Nets are in a fix. They have not fared at all against the Hawks. The Nets keep finding ways to lose while the Hawks find newer ways to score wins. Since starting center Brook Lopez’s latest injuries the Nets have had a rough time.
When Atlanta goes for a fifth straight victory in this series and seventh in a row at home over crashing New Jersey, two Hawks could be back on Friday night. during each of the last three games, the Hawks (27-20) had just 10 available players, but, in dramatic fashion, the club capped off a 2-1 homestand Wednesday. Atlanta defeated Cleveland 103-102 by rallying from 16 points down, and from six back in overtime.
After missing 10 games with a hamstring injury, Willie Green returned Wednesday and Atlanta could get another lift Friday with Williams possibly playing for the first time in six games and Johnson likely to be back.
With a key contributor out, the Nets haven’t fared nearly as well, as they’re facing an 11th consecutive game without Lopez. Sprained right ankle has kept Lopez out. with a broken foot suffered in the preseason, the center missed the first 32 games of the season, including the three matchups with Atlanta.
the resulting frustration seems to be boiling over for soon-to-be free agent Deron Williams, the Nets have lost seven times during Lopez’s latest absence. the All-Star point guard was ejected in a 108-89 loss to Washington on Wednesday for arguing a non-call on his drive to the basket, after picking up a technical in a 105-100 loss to the Cavaliers on Monday.
since a season-high eight-game skid Feb. 3-16, the Nets are looking to avoid their first five-game losing streak. They could also benefit from better shooting. They made 38.6 percent from the field since their last win and they have scored 88.3 points per game.
The Hawks will get to see Gerald Wallace in a Nets uniform. the veteran forward has averaged 17.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in three games since being acquired from Portland.
The young and athletic Oklahoma City Thunder hopes for a 2-2 tie when they play host to the visiting veteran laden Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 of their National Basketball Association Western Conference Finals match-up.The home-team Oklahoma City Thunder is tagged as the favorite to win Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday evening despite losing Game 3 in Oklahoma City since the the team had not lost two straight at home.
The Oklahoma City Thunder is also viewed as favorite to win Game 4 since since they will be playing in-front of its fans for the second straight game against the Dallas Mavericks.Playing in-front of its fans, the Oklahoma City Thunder wants to retain some pride and give them something to cheer about before the game shifts to Dallas in Game 5 by winning over the Mavericks.
To defeat the power-house Mavericks team, the Thunder need to play with 110 percent energy and dictate the pace of this game from start to finish.The Thunder need to start strong in this game and not allow the Mavericks to take-off until the end of the game for them to win.
The superstars of the Thunder lead by NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant and high-flying point-guard Russell Westbrook also need to take charge in scoring for their team to defeat the Mavericks.Durant and Westbrook must exert more efforts to score big in this game and rise above their dismal performance in Game 3 that lead to their loss against the Mavericks.
The Thunder must also play consistently solid defense in this game and not allow Mavericks superstar power-forward Dirk Nowitzki to take-off and score big for his team for them to win.Aside from Nowitzki, the Thunder must also stop the rest of the Mavericks in their fastbreak plays and inside penetrations to win Game 4 and their series 2-2.
The Thunder front-line lead by Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins and Nick Collison must also score and rebound big for their team for them to win.The Thunder are poised to take Game 4 from the Mavericks all they need to do is play with their hearts out and execute their game-plan well come game-time.
The visiting Mavericks for its part will be in for a tight game against the Thunder in Game 4.To beat the Thunder and take a commanding 3-1 lead in this series, the Mavericks must play tough defense in the entire game and not allow both Durant and Westbrook from scoring big in this game.
Nowitzki must also score and rebound big for his team in this game for them to win over the Thunder.The rest of the Mavericks lead by veterans Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and Shawn Marion also need to score big in this game for them to prevail over the Thunder.
The big-boys of the Mavericks lead by Tyson Chandler and Brendan Haywood also need to score and rebound big for their team for them to win over the Mavericks.The Mavericks might be the underdog in this game but the team can still win over the Thunder if they play with their A-game come game-time against the Thunder.
Miami Heat host Chicago Bulls in Game 3
The Miami Heat shoots for a 2-1 lead when they host to the visiting Chicago Bulls in Game 3 of their National Basketball Association Eastern Conference Finals match-up.The Miami Heat is tagged as favorite to win over the Chicago Bulls in Game 3 due to their superior roster and their recent Game 2 win over the Bulls in Chicago.
Playing in-front of their fans, the Miami Heat are also very motivated to win Game 3 and take the lead their series against the top-seeded Chicago Bulls.To bring down the visiting Bulls, the Heat need to play 110 percent energy and give it their all come game-time.
To defeat the Bulls, the Heat need to play tough defense in 48 minutes particularly on Bulls superstar point-guard and NBA most valuable player Derrick Rose.If the Heat can slow-down Rose in this game they have a strong chance of taking Game 3 and take the lead in their series.
To topple the mighty Bulls, the Heat big-three consisting of superstars Lebron “King” James, Dwayne “Flash” Wade, and Chris Bosh need to score big for their team in this game.Aside from the big-three, the other role players of the Heat like point-guards Mike Bibby, Mario Chalmers, forwards Mike Miller, James Jones and Udonis Haslem also need to play big for the team in this game.
The formidable front-line of the Heat lead by Bosh, Haslem and Joel Anthony also need to play aggressive in defense and rebounds to defeat the Bulls.The Heat are poised to take Game 3 all they need to do is play smart and avoid too many turnovers to win and avoid an upset against the Bulls.
The Bulls on the otherside of the fence will have their hands full against the home-team Heat in this game.To defeat the Heat, Rose need to once again takes charge in scoring and dishing out assist for his team.
The Bulls also need to play tough defense all game-long to defeat the Heat.The big-boys of the Bulls lead by veteran Carlos Boozer and young center Joachim Noah also need to play solid in defense and rebounds to defeat the Heat.
The role players of the Bulls lead by Kyle Korver and Luol Deng also need to play solid in both offence and defense to topple the Heat.The Bulls might be the underdog in this game but the team can still win if they play their hearts out and their A-game come game-time.
The veteran laden Dallas Mavericks aims for a 2-1 lead when they visit the young and athletic Oklahoma City Thunder team in Game 3 of their best of seven National Basketball Association Western Conference Finals match-up.Surprisingly the visiting Dallas Mavericks team is considered as favorite to win Game 3 on Saturday evening despite losing Game 2 due their stronger roster compared to the home-team.
The Dallas Mavericks is also tagged as favorite to win over the Oklahoma City Thunder since they are veteran and playoff experienced team compared to the youthful Oklahoma City Thunder team.To bring down the Thunder the Mavericks need to play honest defense all game-long against their young opponent.
Mavericks veteran power-forward Dirk Nowitzki also need to score big in this game like what he did in Game 1 to defeat the inspired Thunder team.Both the bench and starters of the Mavericks also need to score and rebound big in this game to topple the home-team Thunder.
Mavericks dependable scorers guards Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and Jose Barea need to play magnificently in this game to defeat the young Thunder team.The visiting Mavericks must also focus on defense in this game and not allow Thunder superstars NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant and young point-guard Russell Westbrook to score big in this game.
The Mavericks must also not allow the bench of the Thunder lead by James Harden to do a killing in this game for them to win.The Mavericks are poised to take Game 3 over the home-team Thunder all they need to do is play with focus and determination come game-time.
The home-team Thunder for its part can bring down the Mavericks if they can repeat and improve further their performance in their Game 2 victory.Durant, Westbrook and the bench of the Thunder need to once again score big in this game to beat the visiting Mavericks team.
The Thunder must also continue playing huge defense on Nowitzki and not allow him to score big for his team.The Thunder might be the underdog in this game but the team can rise above their status and beat the Mavericks if they can play as a team and their A-game on game day.
The Dallas Mavericks hopes to do it two in row when they play host to the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of their best of seven National Basketball Association Western Conference Finals on Thursday evening.
The Dallas Mavericks is tagged as favorite to win Game 2 over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder team due to their convincing Game 1 victory and superior roster in this match-up.The veteran laden Dallas Mavericks is picked by odd-makers as the superior team to win over the young and energetic Oklahoma City Thunder team.
To defeat the Thunder and take a commanding 2-0 lead in their playoff series, the Mavericks need to once again play solid in both defense and offence in this game.Mavericks superstar power-forward Dirk Nowitzki need to once again take the lead in scoring for his team to defeat the determined Thunder team.
If Nowitzki can once again produce a solid game for his team in this game there is no way the Mavericks will lose against the visiting Thunder team.Mavericks back-up point-guard Jose Barea who had a spectacular game in Game 1 need to once again sparkle for his team to defeat the youth laden Thunder team.
Aside from Nowitzki and Barea, the other stars of the Mavericks veteran point-guard Jason Kidd and sharpshooting guard Jason Terry also need to play big for his team in this game.The odds of winning this game is on the side of the Mavericks all they have to do to avoid an upset if play with 110 percent efforts and their A-game come game-time.
The young Thunder team will have their hands full against the home-team Mavericks team in this game.To defeat the Mavericks, the Thunder must once again get solid scoring from its superstars NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant and young point-guard Russell Westbrook.
The Thunder also need to play tough defense in this game particularly on Nowitzki for them to have a chance of beating the latter.The visiting Thunder also need to share the ball to their other players to make it hard for the Mavericks to guard them.
The Thunder might be the underdog in this game but the team can still above their status and beat the Mavericks if they can play as a team in this game and execute their game-plan well come game-time.
The veteran laden Dallas Mavericks aims for a victory when they play host to the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of their best of seven National Basketball Association Western Conference Finals.The home-team Dallas Mavericks is picked as the favorite to roll past the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 and the entire series due to their better record and roster.
Having beaten the favored Los Angeles Lakers via a surprising four-game sweep in the NBA second round playoff series, the Dallas Mavericks has shown that it has what it takes to win the NBA championship crown this year.The Dallas Mavericks are very confident of their chances against the Oklahoma City Thunder in this series since they have beaten the latter in two of three NBA regular season games.
To bring down the young and energetic Oklahoma City Thunder team the Dallas Mavericks need to take advantage of its playoff experience to the hilt.To defeat the Thunder, the Mavericks must play solid defense in 48 minutes against the former.
The Mavericks must do their best to neutralize the scoring of Thunder superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook for them to win this game and the entire series.Dependable and Mavericks leader superstar power-forward Dirk Nowitzki must also take the lead in scoring for his team to defeat the Thunder.
Mavericks veteran point-guard Jason Kidd also need to sparkle big in this game in both scoring and assist to help his team defeat the Thunder.Mavericks high-flying guard Jason Terry also need to score big on the outside and on fast-break play to defeat the visiting Thunder.
The Mavericks are poised to get past the Thunder in this game all they need to do is play smart and with focus and determination on game day.The Thunder for its part will be in for a tough challenge against the Mavericks in this game and the entire series.
To win over the Mavericks, Durant and Westbrook must elevate even further their game to carry their team to victory against the home-team.The Thunder must utilize its vast energy to find scoring opportunities against the aging Mavericks team.
The visiting Thunder must also do their best to play tough defense in this game and not allow Nowitzki to dominate this game and beat them.The Thunder might be the underdog in this game and the entire series but the team can still win over the Mavericks if they can come up with a good plan and execute it well on game day.
Miami Heat visit Chicago Bulls in Game 1
The Miami Heat shoot for win when they visit the Chicago Bulls in Game 1 of their best of seven National Basketball Association best of seven Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday evening.The NBA Eastern Conference second seed team seeded Miami Heat is picked as favorite to beat Chicago Bulls in Game 1 and the entire series due to their better roster.
Having beaten the former NBA champion and NBA Eastern Conference powerhouse Boston Celtics 4-1, the Miami Heat are very confident they can also get past the Chicago Bulls in this game and the entire series.The Miami Heat are very optimistic on winning against the Chicago Bulls in this series since its so called big three consisting of superstars Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh had splendid performance in the playoffs.
To defeat the the home-team Bulls, the Heat superstars need to once again take charge in scoring for their team.To prevail over the Bulls, the Heat also need to play tough defense and now allow the home-team to score big in this game and the entire series.
Heat point-guards Mario Chalmers, Mike Bibby and even Wade join forces to stop Bulls superstar point-guard Derrick Rose from scoring big in this game.If the Heat will be successful in neutralizing the offence of Rose they have a big chance of taking Game 1 since the latter is the heart and soul of his team.
Aside from Rose, the Heat must also play solid defense on the front-line of the Bulls lead by veteran power-forward Carlos Boozer and young slot-man Joachim Noah for them to win.The Heat are the odds on favorite to win this game all they have to do is play with their hearts out and execute their game-plan well on game day.
On the other-side of the coin, the Bulls can win this game if they can learn to stop the Heat superstars in this game and the entire series.To defeat the Heat, Rose need to take charge in scoring for his team.
The bench of the Bulls lead by Luol Deng and Kyle Korver also need to score big in this game to topple the Heat.The underdog Bulls can steal the thunder of this game if they play as a team and their A-game come game-time.