Seven of the eight first-round series are over in the 2022 NBA playoffs. In the Western Conference, Phoenix, Dallas, and Golden State have advanced, while Memphis heads to Minnesota for Game 6 of their conference quarterfinal series on Friday night. In the Eastern Conference, Boston, Miami, Philadelphia and Milwaukee have made it to the second round. Let’s take a look at some predictions for the next round that you can incorporate in your online betting. Milwaukee plays Boston and Philadelphia plays Miami in the second round of the East bracket; Dallas faces Phoenix, and the Minnesota-Memphis winner will take on Golden State. Read on to find our NBA betting predictions about the three series that are set.
NBA News: Second Round Playoff Predictions
Boston Celtics vs Milwaukee Bucks
Boston was the only team to advance with a sweep in the conference quarterfinals, rolling over Brooklyn in a four-game set that few predicted. Because of the duo of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, this was a matchup that many teams wanted to avoid. However, Boston handled the Celtics easily. Jayson Tatum put up 29.5 points, 7.3 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game, and he also frustrated Kevin Durant on defense.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee to a five-game win over the Chicago Bulls, and the Greek Freak carried his team to the win, putting up 28.6 points and 13.4 boards per game. Khris Middleton made some contributions, and he may have to do even more if Antetokounmpo is covered by Tatum or another elite defender. The defense that Boston played has been the most impressive part of their first-round win – as well as their regular-season play since February 1. I like that Boston defense to hold again.
Final Prediction:
Boston in six
Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat
We’ve seen Philadelphia here before, at the start of the East semifinals with expectations for a much deeper run. They went up 3-0 on Toronto in the first round before the Raptors briefly awoke to win two, reminding the whole sports world that Doc Rivers has coached three of the 13 teams that have blown 3-1 leads in NBA history and could easily be the first to blow a 3-0 lead, but then the 76ers won Game 6 on the road by 35, and the contender talk has started again. Joel Embiid was dominating the paint, and Tyrese Maxey was crashing the rim with confidence, and James Harden distributed and made shots at an elite level.
Miami beat Atlanta in five games despite missing Jimmy Butler for one game and Kyle Lowry for two. The Heat defense shut down Trae Young, who dominated the postseason a year ago. The Heat focus on quickness, grit and rotations to shut down opposing offenses, and Tyler Herro and Butler can score in bunches. The key for this series will be the matchup between Embiid and Bam Adebayo. The two only met once this season, with Embiid scoring 22 points – but shooting just 4 of 15, getting the majority of his points from the charity stripe.
Final Prediction:
Philadelphia in seven
Dallas Mavericks vs Phoenix Suns
Devin Booker and Luka Doncic were out for half of their first-round series, but both came back to guide their teams to the second round. Dallas had lost six straight first-round postseason series and they get the Phoenix Suns, last year’s Western Conference champs. Both Dallas and Phoenix needed six games to get out of the first round, with Phoenix beating New Orleans by six behind 60% shooting, and Dallas edging Utah, 98-96, in their own Game 6.
The Mavericks got a 20-5-5 performance from Luka in Game 6; that makes 12 for him, the most in franchise history. Everyone is healthy coming into the second round, but Dallas saw terrific play from Jalen Brunson, who averaged 32 points per game for the series’ first three games, shooting 50.7% from the floor. In Game 6, Chris Paul shot 14 of 14 from the floor, putting up 33 points, and those 14 were the most field goals made without a miss in any postseason game ever. But can the Mavs stop the Phoenix offense?
Final Prediction:
Phoenix wins in seven
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