An absolutely brutal day for Fantasy Alarm NBA Best Bets yesterday, as we came close but could not get the player props to cash. Tyrese Maxey had his worst game of the series, Bobby Portis had his best game of the series, and Pascal Siakam had a good game, not a great game.

 

 

 

The New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers both advanced and will play each other in the second round of the playoffs. There are two games today and two teams have an opportunity to advance to the next round. 

The Orlando Magic host the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Los Angeles Clippers travel to Texas to take on the Dallas Mavericks. If Cleveland wins, they advance to play the Boston Celtics, and if Dallas wins, they are playing the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

NBA Picks & Predictions: Friday, 5/3

There are a couple NBA props and one Same Game Parlay on deck. There are two wagers in the Cleveland vs. Orlando game, including the Bet of the Night, which is first up.

 

 

 

Cavaliers vs. Magic Prediction: Orlando ML + Jalen Suggs O1.5 Threes Made (+140 on DraftKings)

The Orlando Magic are in a must-win situation after a one-point loss at Rocket Mortgage Field House in Game 5, and they’ll start my NBA picks today. Tonight’s game is at the Kia Center, where Orlando has a much greater advantage. 

The Magic are the worst road team in the playoffs, and that is expected with such a young team. They do have the second most home wins of the remaining Eastern Conference Playoff teams, 31 thus far. Only Boston has a better home record in the conference, and the Magic will be a tough team for the Cavaliers to beat on the road. 

The spread is four points, but with the most recent game going to the wire (104-103), the moneyline is being placed on the parlay. Jalen Suggs is making his first appearance in this column, and we only need two successful three-point attempts for him to do his part. 

Suggs has only made two or more three-point attempts twice in this series. It just so happens that both of those games were at the Kia Center. His points and three-point percentage are both down in the playoffs, but he is still playing around 30 minutes a game. 

In this series, Suggs has made just one of 15 three-point attempts at Rocket Mortgage Field House, however, at the Kia Center, he has made five of 10. Orlando will need his point production to avoid elimination, as Paolo Banchero may see several double teams tonight.

This has been a back-and-forth series and neither team has won on the road. Suggs needs to score early and build his confidence in the biggest game of his young NBA career. He had a 24 point night in Game 3, and could repeat that performance. Put a unit on the parlay to return almost 1.5 units

 

 

 

NBA Props & Best Bets Today, 5/3

Adding on to that, the Kia Center is a tough place to play, with passionate and loud fans. Donovan Mitchell has combined for 31 points in two games there this series. He made just 11 of 31 field goals in those games as Floridia continues to be a tough playoff spot for Mitchell.

We also have NBA best bets in the Western Conference matchup tonight. P.J. Washington has been a major contributor to the Dallas Mavericks new found success. He has been one of the better mid-season trades of this decade, and now has a chance to help the Mavericks advance to the second round. 

 

 

 

Cavaliers vs. Magic Prediction: Donovan Mitchell U24.5 Points (+100 on DraftKings)

The Cleveland Cavaliers do have a winning road record this season, but with a loss will be at .500 for the year. A loss also means a Game 7, which the Cavaliers will look to avoid. The truth is Mitchell is not a clutch player. Or put better, he has not shown the ability to put away a playoff series. 

He has not won a playoff series since his rookie season, the 2018 Playoffs with the Utah Jazz. He has been part of a #1 ranked team, the 2020-2021 Jazz, but did not play in the playoffs in their sweep against the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies. He was up three-one against the division rival Denver Nuggets in the 2019-2020 playoffs, but he ran into the playoff assassin known as Jamal Murray.

In addition, Mitchell has made just three of his last 17 three-point attempts. He was injured late in the season, and it doesn’t look like he’s back to 100% health. It takes several minutes, a high field goal percentage, and free throws for a player to get to 25 points with just one three made.

Trust Orlando to keep playing great defense and force someone besides Mitchell to make the plays tonight. Regarding this portion of today’s NBA predictions, place one unit to get two units back.

 

 

 

Clippers vs. Mavericks Prediction: P.J. Washington U5.5 Rebounds (-105 on Bet365)

Washington has played 30 or more minutes in every game of this series, and that will not change tonight unless there is a blowout. He has been right around his average of five rebounds per game, and has made his impact with his defense. He has seven steals and seven blocks in this series, including a block in every game. 

Ivica Zubac, the starting center for the Los Angeles Clippers, is a big man to navigate around, and Luka Doncic has had three double-digit rebounding games. Washington has not recorded over five rebounds in his last three games, and has yet to earn six rebounds at home in this series.

In a close-out game, his aggressive defensive play could get him in foul trouble against the wise James Harden and Paul George. If that happens, his minutes will undoubtedly go down, helping this wager in the process. 

While I believe this with almost all of my NBA picks, I truly don’t see this bet failing. There are several scenarios that this bet is successful, and a unit should be placed on Washington's under 5.5 rebounds tonight. 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading my top NBA predictions for today! Remember to visit Fantasy Alarm for all your fantasy sports and betting needs.

Bet Smart, Be Lucky - Iggy

*All odds accurate at time of writing and NBA bets to be placed at 1 unit unless specified otherwise