Talk about irony — the Milwaukee Bucks lose three in a row to the Miami Heat with Giannis Antetokounmpo in the lineup, but then when the defending MVP goes down with an ankle injury in Game 4, Khris Middleton goes off for 36 points, and the Bucks avoid the sweep. All four of the conference semifinal series have plenty of intrigue, with Miami one win away from pulling off what would be a sensational upset, and the other three series all tied, either 1-1 or 2-2.
Let’s take a look at where each series stands heading into Monday and start getting NBA betting thoughts going.
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The Latest Rundown on the 2020 NBA Playoffs
Boston vs Toronto
Series: Tied 2-2
Next game: Monday, September 7, 6:30 pm ET, TNT
Boston rolled out to a 2-0 lead in this series and, at that point, had beaten Toronto five times in six tries this season, the only team in the NBA to have beaten the Raptors more than twice in the entire 2019-20 season. The series may have turned on O.G. Anunoby’s buzzer-beating three-ball to win Game 3 for the Raptors, as Toronto seems to have found their rhythm. On defense, they found a way to shut down Jaylen Brown and the Boston perimeter shooters.
In Game 4, Toronto looked as together as they have looked in the postseason. Pascal Siakam put up 23 points and 11 boards, and Kyle Lowry had almost identical numbers with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Serge Ibaka came off the bench to go 7 for 9 for 18 points, and Fred VanVleet put up 17 points, six board and six assists. Boston did get 24 points and 10 rebounds out of Jayson Tatum and 15 points and eight assists out of Kemba Walker, but the Celtics missed 28 of their 35 shots from downtown. Tatum, Walker and Marcus Smart all clanked five of their six three-point shots. Can the Celtics take back momentum in this series? They were a split second away from taking a 3-0 lead, and now they’re a game away from a 3-2 deficit.
Celtics vs Raptors | Check the Odds
LA Clippers vs Denver
Series: Tied 1-1
Next game: Monday, September 7, 9:00 pm ET, TNT
The Clippers opened the West semifinals with a win over Denver, but the Nuggets fought back to tie the series in a 110-101 win on Saturday. The Clippers had delivered a rout in Game 1, but Denver had had to fight through a seventh game in the first round, while the Clippers had been able to rest after eliminating Dallas in six games. Denver showed physicality on both ends of the floor in Game 2 and were able to get the looks they wanted on offense as well.
Jamal Murray put up 27 points for the Nuggets, and Nikola Jokic posted 26 points and 18 boards. Paul Millsap and Gary Harris put up 13 points apiece. Murray and Jokic combined to shoot 20 for 38, including 7 for 13 from behind the arc. On the Clippers’ side of the sheet, Paul George put up 22 points, and Ivica Zubac added 15. However, Kawhi Leonard had an off night, shooting just 4 for 17. He did pull down 10 boards and dish out eight assists, but he only had 13 points on the night, his fewest points since a game against Memphis when he was still with the Spurs.
Which team will come out swinging on Monday night?
Clippers vs Nuggets | Check the Odds
Miami vs Milwaukee
Series: Miami leads 3-1
Next game: Tuesday, September 8, 6:30 pm ET, TNT
It showed a lot of moxie for the Bucks to fight back in Game 4 and force overtime, and it was Khris Middleton who led the way, not only putting up 36 points but nailing an immense three-pointer in the waning seconds of overtime. Middleton played 48 of the 53 minutes of the game. Giannis had scored 19 points in 11 minutes before going down. Brook Lopez and Eric Bledsoe each scored 14, and George Hill added a dozen.
Even so, the Heat almost pulled it out. Despite scoring just two points in the first 4:30 of overtime, they closed within a point with a Tyler Herro three-ball — and he made another one with 3.0 seconds left in overtime, but Middleton made two free throws to seal the win. The Heat got 26 points, 12 boards and eight assists from Bam Adebayo, 20 points from Duncan Robinson, 18 from Jae Crowder and 17 apiece from Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic.
Antetokounmpo has no current timetable for a return, and it’s hard to see the Bucks making this more than a six-game series at this point.
Heat vs Bucks | Check the Odds
LA Lakers vs Houston
Series: Tied 1-1
Next game: Tuesday, September 8, 9:00 pm ET, TNT
Once again, the Lakers followed up a bad loss in a series opener with a Game 2 win. Against Portland, the Lakers won Games 2-5 to end the series, and they seem to have figured out how to beat the “small ball” Rockets. LeBron James had 28 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, and Anthony Davis scored 34 while grabbing 10 boards. The Lakers led by as many as 21 points in the first half — but then permitted 41 points in the third quarter, so that the Rockets led by two going into the fourth, but then the Lakers took control.
The problem with the Rockets’ offense is that when they don’t move the ball and when they don’t make their outside shots, there’s no reason to respect their drives to the lane. That’s what happened in the early going and in the fourth quarter, and the Lakers were able to use James and Davis to get the ball into the paint and get points. The Rockets don’t have a credible rim defender. Yes, P.J. Tucker was active inside in Game 1, but he’s not enough to stop either of those two scorers.
The Rockets might push this to six, but I think that’s as far as they get.
Lakers vs Rockets | Check the Odds
