With a pair of Game 6’s on ESPN tonight, we should be in for a terrific night of action. The first of the games will see the New York Knicks take on the Miami Heat on the road. The visitors looked almost hopeless through 4 games of the series but now have a chance to force a Game 7. That will be followed by the Los Angeles Lakers trying to close out the Golden State Warriors at home. Considering they suffered a 15-point loss the last time out, it should be no easy task.
Check out my first basket scorer picks for these games below. And do not forget to check out our NBA predictions on the sides and totals for the action too.
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Knicks vs Heat first basket best bet: Julius Randle (+500)
Bam Adebayo was able to win the opening tip for the Miami Heat in Game 5. However, he still trails 3-2 against Mitchell Robinson in the season series. With the Knicks center enjoying a size and length advantage, he should gain his team the first possession tonight. The Knicks have put the ball in the hands of Julius Randle in 3 straight games now. In Game 5, he opened the scoring for the them. If the visitors get the ball first tonight, he should have a great chance of opening the scoring overall. He has improved his efficiency of late, making above 50% from the field in 2 straight games. Going up against Kevin Love who has the worst defensive rating of all Heat starters should help keep him playing aggressive tonight. Look for the Knicks to go to him early once more.
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Warriors vs Lakers first basket best bet: Anthony Davis (+420)
Anthony Davis is yet to lose the opening tip against Draymond Green so far in this playoff series. With the Warriors small ball center not being an explosive leaper, it is hard to see that change tonight. After his performance in the 1st quarter in Game 5, do not be surprised to see the Lakers go to Davis once more. In that outing he made the first 3 shots for the Lakers, opening the scoring in the game overall. He has now made the opening basket in 2 straight games and has proven himself to be a reliable early target. If he can be aggressive in the paint and potentially get Green into early foul trouble, it could go a long way to disturbing the Warriors game plan. Expect him to feature early as a result. After all, no other Laker has opened the scoring for his team on more occasions than the center.
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