All four of the Western Conference quarterfinal series are still in play. On Tuesday, the Denver Nuggets overcame a monster night from Damian Lillard to win Game 5 of their series against the Portland Trail Blazers, 147-140, in double overtime. The Los Angeles Lakers fell in Phoenix in Game 5 of their series against the Suns, 115-85, as Anthony Davis had to sit with a groin injury and the rest of the team could not compensate. On Wednesday, the Utah Jazz, who have won three straight since dropping the series opener, host the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 5, looking to end the Grizzlies’ run. The Dallas Mavericks visit the Los Angeles Clippers for Game 5 in a series in which the road team has won all four games so far.
Take a look at the game previews as well as our online NBA betting picks.
NBA News: Western Conference Games (June 2)
Memphis Grizzlies at Utah Jazz
Game 5 (9:30 pm ET, NBA TV)
Jazz lead, 3-1
The Utah Jazz are up, three games to one, in the first round of the playoffs for the second consecutive year. Last season, in the bubble, they ended up losing that series in seven games, so they have the chance to exorcise that experience from their memory. In Game 4, the Jazz routed the Memphis Grizzlies down in Tennessee, 120-113. With Bojan Bogdanovic available to play and Derrick Favors back with the team, the Jazz have some advantages they lacked a year ago. It also helps that Mike Conley is more comfortable this time around in the system. In the Utah win, Rudy Gobert had 17 points, 13 in the third period. Donovan Mitchell led all scorers with 30 points. Jordan Clarkson, who won Sixth Man of the Year this season, added 24. Bogdanovic (13) and Conley (11) also hit double figures.
For the Grizzlies, Ja Morant scored 23 points and dished out a dozen assists. Jaren Jackson Jr and Dillon Brooks each scored 21, and De’Anthony Melton had 15 points — all in the last period. Jonas Valanciunas had a great night inside, putting up 14 points and grabbing a dozen boards. Memphis started the fourth with a 12-2 run, while Utah started the period going 0 of 9 from the floor. Melton went 5 of 7 in the period, including three makes from downtown. Once the Grizzlies had trimmed the lead to 106-104, the Jazz got going, as Conley nailed a three-ball, blocked a Ja Morant jumper, and drained another one from behind the arc. The Jazz ended up going just 3 of 16 in the fourth from the floor, but they made 11 of 12 at the free-throw line. Do the Grizzlies have any more tricks in their bag?
Final Prediction:
Jazz 118, Grizzlies 110
Dallas Mavericks at L.A. Clippers
(10:00 pm ET, TNT)
Series tied, 2-2
The Clippers took advantage of a sad effort from Dallas in Game 4, as L.A. used their size advantage to dominate the paint and roll to a 106-81 win in Texas. Kawhi Leonard put up 29 points and 10 boards, and Paul George chipped in 20 points. Reggie Jackson contributed 15 points.
For Dallas, Luka Doncic had averaged 38 points in each of the first three games, but he only put up 19. He was playing with a cervical strain that caused him to play in medical strips and wear a pad when he was on the bench. He went just 9 of 24 from the floor, and he only had six rebounds and six assists, series lows for him. He spent much of the game grabbing his neck and grimacing in pain, with obvious difficulty when it was time to turn his neck to the left, let alone go to his left. Kristaps Porzingis had 18 points, but it didn’t do much. The problem for Dallas is that they don’t have a gritty defender to put on Kawhi Leonard or Paul George. Without a high-octane offense, the Mavericks will not last long in this series, and Tim Hardaway Jr and Dorian Finney-Smith, two important secondary scorers, combined to go 4 of 17 on the night.
Final Prediction:
Clippers 104, Mavericks 96
NBA Betting Odds
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