Ricky Dimon
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The Philadelphia 76ers are one win away from wrapping up their first-round NBA postseason series against the Washington Wizards. Joel Embiid and company have taken each of the first three contests, erasing any confidence Washington had from advancing out of the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. Only one other series continues on this Memorial Day. In the West, the Utah Jazz will try to seize a commanding lead over the Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis won Game 1 on the road, but Utah has taken two in a row since Donovan Mitchell returned from injury.
Let’s take a look at two intriguing first-basket bets for Monday’s playoff action on the professional hardwood.
Philadelphia 76ers at Washington Wizards – Tobias Harris +750
Utah Jazz at Memphis Grizzlies – Jonas Valanciunas +650
Let’s break down the two prop plays one by one.
76ers at Wizards – Harris +750
Joel Embiid is 3-0 in jump balls against Wizards center Alex Len during this series. That explains why the 76ers’ all-star center is a massive +250 favorite to score the first basket of Game 4. Philadelphia is highly fancied to gain possession right away, and Embiid is always the focal point of his team’s offense. At +250, though, there is not any value on Embiid. Instead, think about betting on Harris to get things started. He has scored less than three minutes into the game in each of the first three contests. Harris drove to the basket for a lay-up at the 10:33 mark of Game 1, drained a jumper at 10:46 of the first quarter the next time around, and sank a three-pointer one minute and 39 seconds into Game 3. With Washington surely paying a ton of attention to Embiid, look for Harris to get free for another early basket.
Jazz at Grizzlies – Valanciunas +650
The Jazz vs. Grizzlies series has been more competitive, and so too have the tip-offs. Jonas Valanciunas has given Memphis possession twice in three games, while Rudy Gobert has taken the jump once. I’m happy to roll with Valanciunas winning it again, which would give pretty much anyone on the Grizz decent value to score the first bucket. Utah has two players with lower odds to be the first-basket scorer than anyone for Memphis (Valanciunas is the shortest-priced player for his team at +650, while Mitchell is +500 and Gobert comes in at +550). If the Grizzlies’ big man controls the tip, don’t be surprised if he gets rewarded by putting up the first points. He scored the first basket in Game 1 and was the first scorer for his team in Game 2 before basically disappearing in Game 3. Memphis needs him to get back on track in what is basically a must-win situation on Monday. Count on Valanciunas being a major factor from start to finish in this one, with the emphasis here on start.
Parlay odds: +6275
Why not sprinkle a few bucks on a parlay with both of these bets? It pays out at more than +6200 odds at FanDuel. It’s the playoffs, so it’s time to go big or go home.
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