Filip Tomic
Show Bio
And then there were four. The NBA In-Season Tournament has reached its pinnacle as we head into Las Vegas for the semifinals. The Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks get us started at 5:00 pm ET, live on TNT. I’ve prepared a Pacers vs Bucks Same Game Parlay to spice things up a little, but you can also read our NBA predictions for side and total picks on both of tonight’s matchups.
Let’s dive into my SGP bet now!
Damian Lillard over 27.5 points (-108)
Buddy Hield over 14.5 points (-113)
Brook Lopez over 1.5 threes (-136)
Same Game Parlay odds: +454
Damian Lillard over 27.5 points (-108)
Damian Lillard has been cooking offensively in his last 10 games and his efficiency is off the charts. He’s shooting almost 48% from the field, 41.5% from three-point land and over 90% from the charity stripe. He just had 28 points in the blowout win over the Knicks on just 13 shots from the field. Clearing this line hasn’t been a problem for him lately, as he’s done it 4 times in his last 6 outings. If we get anywhere close to the projected total of 254.5 points here, there’s no doubt in my mind that Lillard will clear the 30-point mark. As good as Tyrese Haliburton has been this year, he and his team put in very little effort on defense, and an experienced player like Lillard should be able to take advantage of that. I don’t think there’s anyone on either of the 4 remaining teams that wants to win this tournament more badly than Lillard, so I’m expecting a big night from him here.
Buddy Hield over 14.5 points (-113)
There’s something about Buddy Hield playing the Milwaukee Bucks. He seems to go off on them way more than other opponents. Even when he was with the Sacramento Kings, he gave them buckets. In the last 10 games against Giannis and co., he’s averaging 17.6 points per game and has successfully cleared this line in 7 of those. He’s shooting a very solid 47% from the floor in those games, but even more impressively he’s at 43% from downtown on a staggering 8.6 attempts per game. Hield has been putting up similar numbers over his last 10 games and against the Celtics he put up 21 points on 63% shooting, coming up big when it mattered the most. I think Indiana will rely on him quite a lot on offense here, since he has the size advantage over Lillard and will be able to put up numbers.
Brook Lopez over 1.5 threes (-136)
Although Brook Lopez has gone just 2-for-8 from distance in his last 2 games, prior to that he had a really good performance against the Bulls where he went 6-for-10. He’s cleared this line in 4 of his last 7 games and for the season he’s averaging close to 36% from three, which is solid for a player of his size. Everyone seems to get to their numbers when playing against the Pacers – Indy allows opponents to shoot 39.1% from downtown for the season, which is the 2nd-worst mark in the NBA. With the Bucks ranking 6th in efficiency from deep, it’s quite clear that most of their points will come from there. Lopez is up to 17.2 points per game in his last 10 outings, which is a significant improvement compared to the 13.2 per game he’s averaging this season. If he can score one early, it’s going to be a long night for the likes of Myles Turner trying to slow him down.
Read our full New Orleans Pelicans vs LA Lakers predictions
