BASKETBALL NBA ARTICLES

The Atlanta Hawks blew their chance to steal a game against the Washington Wizards on the road. Now their backs are against the wall when the teams face off in Game 3 of their first round Eastern Conference playoff showdown.... 

The Thunder were much better at home than on the road during the regular season, while Houston’s success dipped away from home. That should be enough to make Oklahoma City a slight favorite in this one, although the Rockets are certainly more talented and may be able to grab this one to take complete control.Westbrook will need some help if Oklahoma City has plans to push the Rockets in this series.... 

Durant’s availability is up in the air again for Game 3, and if he is absent in that one, it is a bigger deal as Portland will return home and have a better chance at winning. The Blazers have no legitimate shot to win this series now that they are down 2-0, but this could be the best opportunity for them to steal one game.While Golden State should still be the favorite, Portland could make a run at the upset, especially if Durant remains on the shelf.... 

So much for being named the City of Champions. The Boston Celtics grasped the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference after a late-season letdown from the Cavaliers, but have been a huge disappointment after such an inspiring performance to end the regular season. The series is heading to the Windy City now and the Chicago Bulls are looking to become just the fifth No. 8 seed ever to knock off a No. 1 in the first round of the postseason. A win in Game 3 would put the Bulls in line to become the first No. 8 to sweep a No. 1 seed.... 

The Utah Jazz accomplished what they wanted to in Los Angeles, splitting the pair of games with the Clippers to return home with a chance to get a leg up in their first-round matchup. This is a pivotal game for both sides, and it figures to be a competitive showdown.... 

The Toronto Raptors clawed one back on Tuesday night to even the series with the Milwaukee Bucks. After some struggles in Game 1, their great backcourt of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry stepped it up in Game 2. DeRozan and Lowry both hit 50 percent from the floor and ended their nights with over 20 points to lead the way for Canada’s team in the win. They will now put their talents to the test in a pivotal Game 3 in Milwaukee.... 

For the second straight game, the Cleveland Cavaliers had to hold off the hard-charging Indiana Pacers in the fourth quarter. Indiana may not have come as close as it did in Game 1, but there is still some trepidation in Cleveland as the Cavs let a 15-point lead midway through the fourth frame get whittled down to five with two minutes remaining. The Pacers have not capitalized on the Cavaliers late-game struggles yet, but now the venue switches from Cleveland to Indianapolis.At 7 p.m. EDT tune into TNT for live television coverage of this NBA playoff basketball game on Thursday, April 20, 2017 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA playoff schedule.... 

Defense wins championships. That’s one of the main reasons why Gregg Popovich has five rings and his unit has put on a clinic against the Memphis Grizzlies for the second straight postseason. Last season it was no surprise to see Memphis struggle on offense with both Marc Gasol and Mike Conley Jr. out for the season with injuries, but both are healthy this season and have just been swallowed up by the San Antonio Spurs. It’s do or die time for the Grizzlies with the next two games in Memphis.At 9:30 p.m. EDT tune into TNT and Fox Sports Southwest for live television coverage of this NBA playoff basketball game on Thursday, April 20, 2017 at FedEx Forum. We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA playoff schedule.... 

Golden State has the deeper team and the home court advantage once again, which is why it is a heavy favorite to move ahead 2-0 in this series when it is over. Not surprisingly, an entertaining back-and-forth affair is expected as Portland desperately tries to figure out a way to stay within striking distance of the Warriors’ elite offense.This war on the floor will go down Wednesday, April 19, 2017, at 7:30 p.m. ET Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. The game will be televised live on TNT.... 

The Celtics are still the superior team and have the home court advantage, so they will be favored despite the recent loss. Chicago has shown a penchant for playing the top teams tough this season and showed it once again in Game 1 by pulling out the win.Jimmy Butler led the way in the upset and the Celtics must do a better job containing him this time around.... 

John Wall was magnificent in the opener and Washington will be the favorites once again as he aims to help the Wizards take control. The Hawks’ defense fell off in the final two quarters and that must be figured out if they have the chance to pull this upset.This is a critical game, because a 2-0 lead for Washington would make it tough for the Hawks to overcome in this first round matchup.... 

The Rockets get another game at home and will be solid favorites to pick up another win. James Harden was fantastic for Houston while Westbrook struggled, and when that happens it makes for a blowout.Westbrook will need to play better in the second game for the Thunder to have a shot in this one.... 

What a response we saw from the San Antonio Spurs. After falling behind the Memphis Grizzlies in the first quarter of Game 1, San Antonio responded by holding Memphis to under 20 points for the last three quarters and secured a big first win of the series. The Spurs will look to match that result in Game 2 to take full control of the series, while the Grizzlies will look for an upset win that would snatch away home court advantage.... 

Joe Johnson pushed the Utah Jazz past the Los Angeles Clippers with a running floater in the lane that dropped in as time expired to give Utah the win in Game 1. It was a gut-punching loss for the Clippers who were down for much of the fourth quarter but kept rallying and had tied the game just 14 seconds before. With rumors of the team being totally dismantled in the offseason, it’s starting to be do or die time for the Clip Show.... 

The Toronto Raptors have to level the series before the scene shifts south for the next two games. Toronto laid an egg in the series opener against the Milwaukee Bucks with the Greek Freak lighting up the home team thanks to his impressive display of skills. Losing this one would put Toronto in a very difficult spot, while a win for Milwaukee would be the first series win for the franchise since 2000-01. Look for a much better performance for Toronto this time around.... 

The Cleveland Cavaliers just barely squeaked by the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs. CJ Miles had a chance to win the game for the visitors, but his 14-footer ended up missing as time expired. However, the win doesn’t alleviate many of the concerns that Cavaliers fans must have following a disappointing regular season. Cleveland isn’t putting away teams like it was last season and that gives Indiana a real chance heading into Game 2.... 

The Los Angeles Clippers needed to play perfectly down the stretch to wrest the No. 4 seed away from the Utah Jazz, and that’s what they did. The Clippers won their finals seven games to surge past Utah, which gives them the benefit of hosting the first game between these teams in the Western Conference playoffs.... 

James Harden and Russell Westbrook have been in the news a lot lately as fans argue over who should be the Most Valuable Player of the regular season. At this point, they are more interested in keeping their seasons alive. Harden’s Houston Rockets will host Westbrook and the Oklahoma City in the first round of what could be a very entertaining playoff series.... 

The Golden State Warriors finished with the best record in the NBA this season and will enter the postseason as the favorite to reclaim the crown. Their journey will begin in the first round against the No. 8 seed Portland Trail Blazers.... 

The San Antonio Spurs have rested various players over the past several weeks in order to be properly rested for the playoff run. Now that it’s here, they hope to peak at the right time.... 

The Washington Wizards have been dominant at home this year, and since they have the home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, continuing that trend will result in success. Washington is the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and will aim to open up the postseason with a win against the No. 5 seed Atlanta Hawks.... 

The Boston Celtics may have gotten all the publicity by beating out the Cavaliers for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, but less well known is the fact that the Toronto Raptors finished with the same record as the defending champions.... 

The Cleveland Cavaliers have sputtered into the playoffs, losing four consecutive games and dropping to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. The defending NBA champions have some work to do to repeat, and their journey will begin against the No. 7 seed Indiana Pacers.... 

The Boston Celtics surpassed the Cavaliers late in the season for the top seed in the Eastern Conference, and now will have home court advantage for every series up until the NBA Finals. They hope to get off to a fast start in the first round against the Chicago Bulls.... 

A grueling 82 game regular season schedule has mercifully come to a close. Some teams have been playing for their playoff lives for weeks, while others coasted to top finishes in their respective divisions to lock down top seeds. Regardless, the records have been reset and anything can happen. It’s tougher for lower seeds to spring upsets in seven-game series, but it’s happened before and it will happen again. With that, let’s go hunting for value on the NBA title futures odds....