NBA Picks – Celtics and Suns Face Elimination on Thursday

Milwaukee’s shock upset at the hands of Miami made the Celtics the overall favorites once again and gave Boston a homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. However, the expected cakewalk to the 2023 NBA Finals has been anything but. In the second round, the Celtics fight for their lives against the Philadelphia 76ers. Philadelphia leads Boston 3-2 and can clinch the series with a home win Thursday night.

The Denver Nuggets led the Western Conference wire-to-wire in the regular season to earn the top seed. Yet many gamblers preferred the Phoenix Suns against Denver in their second round Western Conference Series. So far, the Nuggets lead the Suns 3-2 and can clinch the series with a win at Phoenix on Thursday night.

Free NBA Picks – Celtics on the Brink at Philadelphia

On Thursday, May 11, 2023, the Philadelphia 76ers will host the Boston Celtics at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. Tipoff time is at 7:30 p.m. ET with television coverage on ESPN.

The Philadelphia 76ers finished 54-28 straight up, 48-34 against the spread, and 43-38-1 over/under the NBA Picks Today total. Late on, Philadelphia has covered five out of their last eight games. At the same time, the 76ers have gone over the total in three of its previous four matchups.

Philadelphia has NBA metrics of 14^th for scoring offense, 6^th for field goal percentage, 1^st for 3-point field goal percentage, 1^st for free throw percentage, and 26^th for offensive rebounding. In comparison on defense, the 76ers have NBA metrics of 3^rd for scoring defense, 13^th for field goal percentage permitted, 5^th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 2^nd for defensive rebounding.

First among Philadelphia scorers is Joel Embiid, with 23.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per contest. James Harden averages 23.0 points and 5.9 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game. At the same time, Tyrese Maxey brings 19.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest.

The Boston Celtics finished 57-25 straight up, 45-36-1 against the spread, and 43-38 over/under the NBA Betting Picks total. Late on, Boston has covered three out of their last five games. Boston has gone over the total in seven of their previous eight games.

Boston has NBA metrics of 4^th for scoring offense, 14^th for field goal percentage, 6^th for 3-point field goal percentage, 4^th for free throw percentage, and 7^th for offensive rebounding. In comparison on defense, the Celtics have NBA metrics of 5^th for scoring defense, 5^th for field goal percentage permitted, 4^th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 18^th for defensive rebounding.

First among Boston scorers is Jayson Tatum, with 26.0 points and 10.6 rebounds per contest per game. Also, Jaylen Brown brings 25.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

Philadelphia won Game 5 at Boston 115-103 to take in the imitative. In this situation, the 76ers have the momentum, and the Celtics feel the pressure.

Betmaker Best Bet: Philadelphia 76ers

Picks for NBA – Suns Try and Maintain Home Court Advantage

On Thursday, May 11, 2023, the Phoenix Suns will host the Denver Nuggets at Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ. Tipoff time is at 10 p.m. ET with television coverage on ESPN.

The Denver Nuggets finished 53-29 straight up, 45-37 against the spread, and 37-44-1 over/under the total. Late on, Denver has covered two out of their last six games. In comparison, the Nuggets have gone over the NBA Picks Tonight total in one of its previous five matchups.

Denver has NBA metrics of 12^th for scoring offense, 1^st for field goal percentage, 4^th for 3-point field goal percentage, 26^th for free throw percentage, and 19^th for offensive rebounding. In comparison on defense, the Nuggets have NBA metrics of 8^th for scoring defense, 20^th for field goal percentage permitted, 3^rd for 3-point field goal percentage allowed and 1^st for defensive rebounding.

First among Denver scorers is Nikola Jokic, with 30.8 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 9.2 assists per game. While Jamal Murray, with 26.7 points and 5.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per contest.

The Phoenix finished 45-37 straight up, 43-38-1 against the spread, and 42-39 over/under the total. Late on, Phoenix has covered three out of their last five games. In comparison, the Suns have gone under the Free Picks for NBA total in one of its previous five matchups.

Pheonix has NBA metrics of 17^th for scoring offense, 23rd for field goal percentage, 7^th for 3-point field goal percentage, 10^th for free throw percentage, and 11^th for offensive rebounding. In comparison on defense, the Suns have NBA metrics of 6^th for scoring defense, 6^th for field goal percentage permitted, 11^th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 11^th for defensive rebounding.

First among Pheonix scorers is Devin Booker, with 36.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game. Also, Kevin Durant is averaging 30.0 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game. At the same time, Deandre Ayton brings 13.3 points and 9.8 rebounds per contest.

Denver won Game 5 at home 118-102 to take a 3-2 lead in the series. So far, the home team has won and covered all five games of this series. We’ll ride that streak.

Betmaker Best Bet: Phoenix Suns

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