Ricky Dimon
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It’s another busy schedule for the NBA playoffs on Wednesday, when Game 2s are wrapping up and Game 3s are beginning. Brooklyn and Chicago are looking to pull even in their respective series against Boston and Milwaukee, while the Philadelphia-Toronto best-of-7 set changes locations by moving north of the border.
Let’s take a look at our next mega parlay for the playoffs.
Nets ML (+140)
Raptors ML (+110)
Bulls +7.5 alternate spread (+125)
Parlay odds: +1034
For this parlay, we are going with three underdogs – two on the money line and one against an alternate spread. Let’s break down each of the three legs one by one.
Check out all our NBA previews and picks for Wednesday’s playoff games
Brooklyn Nets ML over Boston Celtics (+140)
Game 1 between the Celtics and Nets provided all the excitement that we needed. Game 2 should not disappoint, either. In a contest that was marred by fouls early on, both teams picked up the scoring in the second half and Boston prevailed 115-114 on a last-second shot by Jayson Tatum. There were some irregularities in the box score for both these teams that I wouldn’t assume are going to be consistent factors in the series. For Boston, it was Al Horford scoring 20 points and grabbing 15 rebounds; for the Nets it was Goran Dragic chipping in 14 points – including 11 in the first half.
Despite Kevin Durant’s performance (he finished with 23 points on just 9-for-24 shooting), the Nets were still able to stay in the game the whole way. It took 4 Celtics starters scoring 20 points each for the Celtics to keep pace. At +140, Brooklyn has great value as a considerable underdog.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Brooklyn Nets vs Boston Celtics
Toronto Raptors ML over Philadelphia 76ers (+110)
After a slow opening to the series, Joel Embiid woke up in Game 2 and carried the 76ers to a 112-97 win with 31 points and 11 rebounds. Philly now leads 2-0, but James Harden is averaging just 18 points per game and the Sixers will need him to be better if they are going to win on the road. Nothing about Harden’s postseason history suggests that will be the case. Matisse Thybulle is ineligible to play in Canada because he is unvaccinated, so that significantly adds to the Raptors’ home-court advantage. Toronto beat Philadelphia at home a couple of weeks ago. In fact, the Raptors are 17-3 SU in the last 20 head-to-head meetings inside Scotiabank Arena.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Philadelphia 76ers vs Toronto Raptors
Check out our 76ers vs Raptors preview
Chicago Bulls +7.5 alternate spread over Milwaukee Bucks (+125)
The Bucks scraped out a 7-point victory in Game 1. Chicago hung tough throughout the series opener and even held a lead with 5 minutes remaining. That should give the Bulls some confidence heading into Game 2; even though they came up short, they have the ability to be competitive. A few specific aspects of that game should give them hope moving forward in this series. One positive takeaway is their stingy defense, which held the NBA’s 3rd-highest scoring offense to just 93 points – limiting key scorers Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday to a combined 26 points.
The Bucks play at the 3rd-fastest pace in the league but the Bulls were able to force them into 21 turnovers. The visitors did a fantastic job of capitalizing on the Bucks’ sloppy transition passes DeMar DeRozan was cold from the floor and Chicago was still right there at the end. Don’t be afraid to bet this number down from Bulls +10.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Chicago Bulls vs Milwaukee Bucks
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