The Celtics have consistently been favoured by 4-5 points in this series and now the line has gone up all the way to 8.
The market assumption is that Boston will decimate Philly en route to a sweep, but I don’t exactly see it playing out that way.
While Boston have a very capable starting five, they’re getting next to nothing from a rather poor bench.
The starters have performed well thus far, but even a slight drop off in performance could lead to some offensive struggles here.
I’m also not sure if Philly’s better players can play worse than they have in this series so far.
Embiid has put up numbers but been inefficient, while Tobias Harris and Al Horford have been overpaid non-factors.
Each of these 3 is capable of more than they’ve shown thus far and I think the law of averages is in their favour here.
Moreover, no team wants to get blown out in what could be their last game of the season.
I’m expecting Philly to play hard in this one, while complacency could set in for Boston.
This has all the makings of a clash that is close late, meaning 8 points is good value for the underdog Sixers.
I don’t like how much this line has changed from game 3 to game 4, but I’m still bullish on Utah’s chances here.
They’ve been the better side in all 3 games this series, especially in the last two blowouts.
The injuries to Will Barton and Gary Harris have clearly been undervalued in the market, with Denver struggling mightily on the perimeter.
I’d expect the trio of Mitchell, Conley, and Ingles to have a field day here and really control the tempo of the game.
While Jokic has put up numbers through three games, I’d have to say that Gobert has got the best of that matchup thus far.
He’s patrolled the paint with incredible effectiveness and forced some of Denver’s shaky shooters to bomb from three.
Realistically, the Jazz have a much better starting five and coach in this matchup, with the chance to grab a commanding lead here.
With current lines ranging from 3 to 3.5, I like them to win and cover for the third straight time.