The Memphis Grizzlies restored order in their first-round playoff series with the Minnesota Timberwolves, winning emphatically in Game 2, and challenging the young seventh-seed team to up their game when the series heads to Minneapolis. As Friday night’s NBA playoff games approach, we have a trio of Game 3s. Miami visits Atlanta after beating the Hawks easily in Games 1 and 2. MIlwaukee heads to Chicago having had their noses bloodied at home in Game 2, and given the fact that the Bucks only managed 93 points in their Game 1 win, the second seed has some real questions to answer as the series shifts to the Windy City. Phoenix and New Orleans also split their first two games out in the desert, with the Pelicans coming home with some momentum after their Game 2 upset win. Take a look at the schedule for Friday’s games, as well as our NBA betting predictions for each.
NBA News: Playoff Previews for April 22 Games
Miami Heat (-1.5) at Atlanta Hawks, Game 3 (7:00 pm ET, ESPN)
Heat leads, 2-0
It is worth noting that the Heat had the top home record in the Eastern Conference this season. Atlanta is not a devastating team at home, but getting out of American Airlines Arena may level the playing field a bit. Atlanta has a ton of talent, and behind Trae Young, they will have plenty of momentum driving them ahead of their fans.
The Hawks do face a crisis, as only 7.1% of teams that have fallen behind in a playoff series have come back to win that series. The Hawks do have a 27-14 record at home, and the Hawks have beat the spread in five straight home games. Trae Young scores 3.7 more points per game at home than he does on the road, and he should come out shooting hot. With that said, the Heat have covered 49 times in 85 games, and this spread is small enough to mean that the straight up winner essentially covers.
Final Score Prediction: Atlanta 105, Miami 102
Milwaukee Bucks (-1.5) at Chicago Bulls, Game 3 (8:30 pm ET, ABC)
Series tied, 1-1
The Bucks won both of their games in Chicago during the regular season, but the Bulls did not have their full lineup available for either game. The first game, Chicago did not have their top defender, Alex Caruso. In the second game, top guard Zach LaVinewas out. This time, both are ready to go. Giannis Antetokounmpo will be ready for the Bucks, and will the Bulls really get 41 points from DeMar DeRozan this time around? The Bulls did get some momentum from Game 2, but remember that the Bulls only beat the top four teams in the East twice during the entire regular season.
The key will come down to shotmaking, as it so often does. When Milwaukee shoots better than 47.4% from the floor, they have a 31-2 record straight up and a 26-7 record against the spread. When the Bulls shoot better than 45.6% from the floor, they aver 34-16 straight up and 33-17 against the spread. Note the greater win occurrence on hot shooting nights for the Bucks, and I see their shooting touch returning and the Bucks grabbing home court advantage back.
Final Score Prediction: Milwaukee 110, Chicago 105
Phoenix Suns (-1) at New Orleans Pelicans, Game 3 (9:30 pm ET, ESPN)
Series tied, 1-1
New Orleans did prevail in Phoenix in Game 2, but that may have had more to do with Scott Foster officiating the game and getting in Chris Paul’s head than anything else. Devin Booker is likely to miss Games 3 and 4, at the very least, due to a hamstring injury in Game 2. However, when the Suns have had to play without Booker, they outscore the opposition by 4.9 points per 100 possessions. That’s still the fifth best in the NBA, and it’s much better than the -0.8 points per 100 possessions that the Pelicans put together for the entire season.
Phoenix has won five of their last seven games against the Pelicans straight up, so unless the Pelicans can figure out how to exploit Booker’s absence, New Orleans could still have a short postseason. New Orleans has exploited Phoenix’s defense in Game 2, but expect the Suns to make adjustments here.
Final Score Prediction: Phoenix 101, New Orleans 97
NBA Betting Odds
Love betting NBA basketball? | Xbet Sportsbook offers up to date NBA lines
