NBA Monday Preview

NBA betting on the playoffs turns full-time to the second round on Monday night after the Atlanta Hawks finished off the Miami Heat 91-78 in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series on Sunday afternoon.

The Boston Celtics don’t get much rest after defeating the Chicago Bulls in an epic seven-game thriller on Saturday night, and they’ll face the Orlando Magic in the East semifinals.

Over in the Western Conference, the well-rested Los Angeles Lakers get started on their West semifinal series with the Houston Rockets. The Lakers last played a week ago when they took out the Utah Jazz in five games, and meet a Houston team they were extremely profitable against this season.

Orlando at Boston (-3, 189) – 8 PM ET

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Celtics and Magic will tell us if the series is as much a battle of matchups as it appears on paper.

For all the hard luck faced by Boston backers with Kevin Garnett on the sidelines because of his knee injury, the Celts certainly have the advantage in the backcourt. With All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson (shoulder) already out for the season, starting shooting guard Courtney Lee (sinus fracture) is expected to be out of the lineup until late in the series for Orlando, should it go that far.

If the duo of Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen can’t exploit Rafer Alston and J.J. Redick in the opener and throughout the series, Boston is hard pressed to win a game let alone cover the spread. The Celtics have their hands full with Dwight Howard on the inside with KG in civvies, so they’ll need Rondo and Allen to score enough points to offset Superman.

Howard dominated in the two games the Magic won (1-1 ATS) against the Celtics during the regular season. The NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year had 24 points and 21 rebounds in Orlando’s (-3.5) 84-82 home victory on March 25, and went for 18 points and 15 boards in the Magic’s 86-79 payday as 2.5-point road underdogs on March 8. Garnett was out of the lineup for the game in Boston, and played only 17 minutes in Howard’s other stellar performance.

The teams split the four-game season series, with the Celts covering three times. To continue its success at the window against Orlando, Boston needs to figure out how to slow down Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu. Paul Pierce is likely to check Turkoglu, but Lewis has the advantage in a matchup with Glen “Big Baby” Davis.

Houston at L.A. Lakers (-8, 193.5) – 10:30 PM ET

For a team well-equipped to slow down Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, the Rockets sure did a poor job of it during the regular season. With Ron Artest and Shane Battier starting on the wings, Houston has two excellent perimeter defenders it can throw at Bryant. Expect the pair to take turns in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals between the Lakers and Rockets.

Los Angeles cashed all four meetings both SU and against the number this season, and neither contest at Staples Center was particularly close. The Lakers (-5.5) stifled the Rockets 93-81 on April 3, and rolled past Houston 111-82 as 7-point chalk in a bit of a statement game on November 9.

Many handicappers thought the offseason addition of Artest to a lineup that featured Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady made the Rockets instant contenders for the Lakers’ Western Conference title. L.A. showed Houston who’s boss in their first meeting, and went on to handle the Rockets for the duration of the schedule.

Houston proved to be a much better team with McGrady (knee) on the shelf and Alston in Orlando, and they showed why in dispatching the Portland Trail Blazers in six games. Artest and Battier give Rockets bettors two premier defenders as advertised; and both are much more committed to getting Yao the ball in the halfcourt. Starting point guard Aaron Brooks is of the same mentality, preferring to run the offense instead of freelancing like Alston often did.

The Lakers come into the series with their second unit depleted. Luke Walton (ankle) is listed as doubtful for the opener, meaning starting small forward Trevor Ariza will see more minutes. Also handicap Kobe and Lamar Odom to get some time at the three depending on the situation.


This information is provided in partnership with BetUs Sportsbook

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