On Sunday, August 25, the third season of the BIG3 basketball league will enter the playoffs, set for NEw Orleans. The Triplets, behind Joe Johnson, who led the league in scoring, hold the top seed, and they will play the fourth-seeded 3 Headed Monsters. Power holds the third seed and will play the Killer 3’s (the second seed) in the other semifinal. You can catch all of the action on CBS and CBS Sports starting at 1pm Eastern time. The championship will take place one week later, on Sunday, September 1. We have some BIG3 Basketball Playoff betting insights on the two semifinal games for your consideration.
2019 BIG3 Basketball Playoff Betting Preview
3’s Company vs Bivouacs
Both of these squads finished the regular season with a 4-4 slate. If we look at a smaller sample size, Bivouac finished with wins in two of their last three contests, taking down Aliens by three and the Killer 3’s by nine. However, they lost to the basement-dwelling Ball Hogs in an upset during Week 9 by two. In that game, Bivouac led by eight at the half but then let that lead dwindle away and then lost at the end. Has Bivouac learned from that, or will they have another letdown in the playoffs?
3’s Company demolished Trilogy in Week 9, rolling to a 22-point victory. That could make them somewhat overconfident, especially after seeing their playoff rivals coming on on the heels of a loss to the league’s worst team. 3’s Company also dealt Bivouac a 50-34 shellacking in Week 3, which could lead to additional overconfidence. However, given the way in which the two teams finished their regular seasons, I like 3’s Company to win.
Killer 3’s vs Power
The Killer 3’s ended their regular season by rolling over Enemies by 14. Power fell to the 3 Headed Monsters by four points. Power has consistently held the second slot in the BIG3 standings all season long. The problem with Power has been their finish to the 2019 campaign, as they have finished three in a row.
The fact that the Killer 3’s finished so strong (although against a team that did not make the postseason) suggest that their game is more together than that of Power, which has fallen off lately. Given that late season form, I like the Killer 3’s to win.
Triplets vs 3 Headed Monsters
Triplets has made the most of their expansion seas in 2019, losing just one game all season long, back in Week 5, when they lost by three points to Power. They opened their season with two double-digit wins — but when they played the 3 Headed Monsters, things were very close, as Triplets eked out a 50-48 victory. The 3 Headed Monsters also delivered that win over Power in their Week 9 regular season finale.
If you like the 3 Headed Monsters, you see them pulling off the upset and gaining revenge for that loss in Week 5. If you like the Triplets, you see them relying on their strong performance all year long, under the leadership of coach Lisa Leslie, and putting the 3 Headed Monsters away again. Given the consistency the Triplets have shown all season long, I see them finishing in style. Give me the Triplets to win.
