Most of the first-round matchups in the 2022 NBA playoffs are set. In the East, we have Boston-Brooklyn, Milwaukee-Chicago and Philadelphia-Toronto. In the West, we have Memphis-Minnesota, Golden State-Denver and Dallas-Utah. Phoenix is waiting for the winner of New Orleans and the Clippers in one play-in, while Miami awaits the winner of Cleveland and Brooklyn in the other. Let’s take a look at each matchup as you consider your NBA betting choices.
NBA News: First Round Playoff Matchups
→ Brooklyn-Boston
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving combined for 59 points and 23 assists in the play-in win over Cleveland. Even so, the Nets only won by seven, and the Cavaliers did not have Jarrett Allen. Boston’s defense is better than Cleveland’s, and as long as Ben Simmons is on the shelf, Brooklyn might not have the offense to win a seven-game series against this defense. KD is capable of going off at any point, and Kyrie has had some magical moments in the playoffs. The Celtics won’t have Robert Williams III (knee), but they do have Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart, and Al Horford can hold his own in the paint.
Boston in six
→ Milwaukee-Chicago
The Bulls have gone 20-26 since January 9, and 7-15 since February 26. Lonzo Ball will miss the entire postseason. The offense still has Nikola Vucevic, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, but Lonzo was a connector on offense and a shutdown perimeter defender. The Bucks have Giannis, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday healthy, and with all three of them playing, they went 37-10 this season, a 65-win pace.
Milwaukee in five
→ Philadelphia-Toronto
With Joel Embiid and James Harden playing together, the 76ers are +15.9 points per 100 possessions. They have played together for more than 600 minutes. However, Philadelphia has lost twice to Toronto since getting Harden. Embiid shot 38.1% and Harden shot 33.3% from the flor in those losses thanks to some innovative defensive ideas from Nick Nurse. Philadelphia has more talent at the top of the lineup, but the Raptors are deeper, play better together and have better coaching. Even so, I see Philadelphia getting just enough to win.
Philadelphia in seven
→ Memphis-Minnesota
We have two young teams with a lot of confidence squaring off in what should be an exciting series. Patrick Beverley brings the drama; how will Ja MOrant deal with this? Anthony Edwards was on fire in the play-in win over the Clippers, so Dillon Brooks or Desmond bane will have to slow him down. D’Angelo Russell looks like the master of the moment. Karl-Anthony Towns did not play well in the play-in, but he has had an elite season. However, the Grizzlies are deeper, and they will win the battles of the second units.
Memphis in six
→ Golden State-Denver
The question is whether Nikola Jokic can carry this team without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. Golden State has Stephen Curry on the shelf, and they’re not saying a lot about his health. If he can play a lot of the series, then things get even tougher for the Nuggets, as Curry and Draymond Green led the Warriors to a +14.7 point rating per 100 possessions when they were playing together.
Golden State in seven
→ Dallas-Utah
Dallas is 19-6 since Spencer Dinwiddie came to town. In those games, Luka Doncic has put up 30.7 points, 9.3 boards, 8.1 assists and 3.8 three-balls per game. Dinwiddie and Jalen Brunson have combined to average 32.5 points per game. The defense has been the real story in Dallas, though, as we’ve seen Mavericks teams flame out in the postseason year after year because they can’t get stops. They get stops now. The only question is how long it will take Luka to get back in the lineup. A calf strain in the regular-season finale has the Mavericks’ top scorer out for at least Game 1, but the NBA stretches out these first-round series.
Dallas in six
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