On Sunday night, the Philadelphia 76ers locked up a playoff spot with a 112-108 win in Cleveland over the Cavaliers. Joel Embiid had 44 points and 17 rebounds, and he got to take 20 free throws, which drew the ire of Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff. James Harden added 21 points, 10 boards and 10 assists to earn his second triple-double in a Sixers uniform. Sunday also saw the Los Angeles Lakers drop their sixth in a row, losing, 129-118, to Denver at home. The Lakers are now two games behind San Antonio for the 10th spot in the West – the final slot in the play-in tournament – with four games to play. The Spurs hold the tiebreaker by winning the season series, so the Lakers have to pick up three games on the Spurs in their last four games to get that last slot – and their opponents are Phoenix and Golden State on the road, Oklahoma City at home, and Denver on the road to finish the regular season, so things are looking grim for Lakers fans. As we start the week, take a look at our two NBA betting picks.
NBA News: Top Betting Games of the Week
Tuesday, April 5
→ Philadelphia 76ers at Indiana Pacers (7:00 pm ET)
Philadelphia had dropped three games in a row, including a 102-94 embarrassment in Detroit on Thursday, but then they bounced back to win both games of a weekend back-to-back, routing Charlotte at home by 30 on Saturday and winning in Cleveland on Sunday. In that win over the Cavaliers, Embiid made 17 of his 20 free throws and also contributed five blocks and three assists. Three of his field goals came from behind the three-point arc. If Kevin Love had not made a sloppy inbounds pass that Matisse Thybulle stole and then dished to Tobias Harris for a dunk that sealed the game with 7.2 seconds remaining in regulation.
The Pacers come in on a seven-game losing streak, including a 121-117 loss at Detroit on Sunday. Oshae Brissett put up 20 points and nine rebounds, and Tyrese Haliburton had 19 points, 17 assists and nine rebounds, becoming the first Pacer ever to put up at least 17 assists without turning the ball over, and the first player in the NBA to do it since LeBron James pulled it off on March 21, 2018. Isaiah Jackson and Buddy Hield each scored 19, and Hield set a season high with nine boards. Going into next year, consistency is a value that the Pacers will need to embrace more regularly.
Final Score Prediction: Philadelphia 120, Indiana 112
→ Memphis Grizzlies at Utah Jazz (9:00 pm ET)
The Grizzlies ride a seven-game winning streak into their Tuesday date with the Utah Jazz, and the three days of rest they will have heading in should counteract the difficulties of playing at altitude. The Grizzlies last played on Friday, when they beat Phoenix at home, 122-114. In that game, Dillon Brooks put up 30 points, converting a three-point play with 32 seconds remaining to stake the Grizzlies to an eight-point lead. Ziaire Williams chipped in 19 points, and De’Anthony Melton scored 17, including a 6-for-6 performance from the free-throw line in the last 20 seconds.
The Jazz have lost five out of seven, with their lone win in that stretch coming on Thursday against the Lakers. They went to Golden State on Saturday and lost a game that they led by 16 in the fourth quarter. Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 36 points, while the top scorers for Utah were Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell had 26 apiece. The Jazz also gave away a 25-point lead on Tuesday in a loss to the Clippers. The Jazz led, 103-87, with fewer than eight minutes remaining, but Golden State went on an 18-0 run, knocking down six three-pointers, and led by two with 2:10 left. Will the Jazz bounce back against a Memphis team that’s 20-2 without Ja Morant?
Final Score Prediction: Memphis 125, Utah 116
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