Filip Tomic
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It all comes down to this – the final day of the NBA play-in tournament. Tonight we find out the first-round opponents of the Milwaukee Bucks and the Denver Nuggets. Will the Bulls finish off the miserable Heat? And can the young Thunder eliminate the dysfunctional Timberwolves? Check out our NBA predictions with picks on the side and total for both games, as well as all upcoming NBA Playoff matchups. But for now, let’s dive into my NBA mega parlay.
Bulls +5.5 (-110)
Bulls vs Heat Over 208.5 (-110)
Thunder ML (+180)
NBA parlay odds: +845
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Chicago Bulls +5.5 over Miami Heat (-110)
The Bulls were down by as many as 19 points in the 3rd quarter, but they still prevailed over the Raptors on Wednesday night. Zach LaVine scored 39, while DeMar DeRozan added 23 against his former team. Now, Chicago will look to beat the Heat for the 4th time this season. That’s right; the Bulls swept the regular-season series 3-0 and won both meetings in South Beach by 8 and 10 points. Miami now finds itself in a tough spot after that disappointing showing on Tuesday against the Hawks, during which Jimmy Butler had a horrible game — going just 6-for-19 from the field.
Momentum is definitely on Chicago’s side. The Bulls could have easily waived the white flag after going down by 19 against Toronto, but instead they turned it around in what was an improbable comeback. With the Bulls going 3-0 SU against the Heat in the 3 meetings this season and covering the spread in 8 of their last 11 visits to South Beach, I’m going to back them to cover.
Don’t forget to check our Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat picks.
Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat Over 208.5 (-110)
At first glance the projected total of 208.5 sounds really low, even if we have the 5th and 9th-ranked teams in terms of defensive efficiency squaring off. That number has been surpassed in the last 8 regular-season meetings between these teams, including all 3 in 2022-23. Of course, the game will slow down as their seasons are on the line — but there should be enough talent on both rosters to score at least 209 points. Head-to-head stats are also in favor of an over, with 8 of the last 12 cashing on that bet.
Miami managed 105 points in its game against Atlanta, despite shooting worse than 43% from the field, while Chicago put up 109 in its win at Toronto despite making only 7 three-pointers on less than 27% efficiency. The 2 teams have combined to go over in 13 of their last 17 games. I expect this game to go down the wire, so there’s also a chance we go into OT, which would also benefit all of us backing the over.
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Oklahoma City Thunder ML over Minnesota Timberwolves (+180)
When the Oklahoma City Thunder meet with the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight, it’ll be a battle between a young, up-and-coming team out of OKC and a team at the center of dysfunction and disruption in Minnesota. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 of his 32 points in the 2nd half while Lu Dort added 27 of his own as the Thunder beat the Pelicans to set up a winner takes all meeting with the Wolves.
The Timberwolves held a 7-point lead heading into the 4th quarter before going completely stagnant offensively against the Lakers and it cost them the game. There are concerns leading scorer Anthony Edwards has a much bigger shoulder injury than what’s being said, and without him, they’ll have a hard time keeping up with the Thunder in this game. Oklahoma City didn’t expect to make it into the postseason this year, and honestly if they were to win on Friday night, even they know they’re not primed to make a deep run. However, they have a group of young, talented players who have great chemistry on the court together and I think they have every right to hope for an upset here.
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