Both of the Eastern Conference semifinal series remain in play, as the Philadelphia 76ers take on the Atlanta Hawks in Game 4 of their series down in Georgia on Monday night, looking to take a 3-1 series lead. On Tuesday night, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets are back in Gotham, tied at two games apiece after the Bucks came back from a 2-0 deficit — and the Nets may have lost Kyrie Irving (ankle) in the process, joining James Harden (hamstring) on the bench.
Let’s take a look at both of these games as you consider your online NBA betting for the early part of the week.
NBA News: Eastern Conference Games (June 14-15)
Monday, June 14
Philadelphia 76ers at Atlanta Hawks
Game 4 (7:30 pm ET, TNT) | 76ers lead, 2-1
The Hawks won Game 1 in Philadelphia, 128-124, but it’s been all 76ers since then, including a 127-111 romp for the top seed in the East on Friday night. Joel Embiid had 27 points, nine boards, eight assists and three blocks, playing 34 minutes in spite of a hard fall on his back and a rolled ankle — in addition to the meniscus tear he has in one knee. Tobias Harris scored 22 points, and Ben Simmons added 18. Simmons has also been the defender spending the most time on Trae Young in the two Philadelphia wins in the series. With Embiid getting double-teamed over and over again, Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers challenged Simmons to take on more of an offensive role with Embiid getting so much attention, and he did well. After halftime, the 76ers built their lead up as high as 22 points and keeping it in double figures most of the rest of the way.
Young led the Hawks with 28 points. John Collins scored 23, and Bogdan Bogdanovic added 19. The 76ers have some mismatches that they can exploit, with Embiid standing 7’ tall and Simmons (6’9”) quick enough to keep up with Young (6’1”). The problems that the Hawks have with Philadelphia include the size advantage that the 76ers have in the frontcourt and the backcourt and the versatility of their bench. Shake Milton came off the bench to score 14 in Game 2, and it was Furkan Korkmaz who came in to provide a spark, scoring 11 points in the first quarter of Game 3, adding a three-ball late to score 14 on the night.
Final Prediction:
76ers 118, Hawks 113
Tuesday, June 15
Milwaukee Bucks at Brooklyn Nets
Game 5 (8:30 pm ET, TNT) | Series tied, 2-2
After winning a bizarre defensive struggle in Game 3, 86-83, Milwaukee saw their offense click back on in a 107-96 win in Game 4 to equalize the series. Giannis Antetokounmpo went off for 34 points, but the biggest news was Kyrie Irving’s sprained ankle. James Harden (hamstring) has not played since the first minute of the series opener, which means that the onus of the offense falls squarely on Kevin Durant. He had 28 points and 13 boards on Sunday, but the only other player for Brooklyn to hit double figures was Irving, who had put up 11 points before he had to leave.
X-rays on Irving’s ankle came back negative, and he remains questionable for Game 5, and the offensive balance that the Bucks showed in Game 4 could bode trouble for the Nets. In Game 4, Khris Middleton scored 19 points. Jrue Holiday added 14, P.J. Tucker scored 13, and Bryn Forbes added 10. Holiday and Middleton combined to dish out 17 assists. The key run was a 21-4 Milwaukee onslaught in the second quarter. If the Nets only have KD out of their Big Three playing, it could be a quick end to this series, which would be shocking after the Nets basically ran the Bucks out of Barclays Center in both Games 1 and 2.
Final Prediction:
Bucks 108, Nets 106
NBA Betting Odds
Love betting NBA basketball? | Xbet Sportsbook offers up to date NBA lines
