The NBA playoffs are coming up and there are some teams still looking to lock in a seed in both conferences. Here’s a preview of the top 3 games on the Thursday slate. The highlight is Luka Doncic back in Dallas.<\/p>\n
The Miami Heat are coming off a solid 117-105 win against the Philadelphia 76ers at home, with Duncan Robinson scoring 21 points on an incredible 87.5% shooting and Tyler Herro adding 20 points and 5 rebounds. They\u2019re 7-3 in their last 10 games and on a one-game win streak, sitting at 10th in the conference with a 36-43 record. The Heat have already clinched a spot in the play-in tournament, and they\u2019ll be looking to keep their momentum going as they face the Bulls.<\/p>\n
The Chicago Bulls are also 7-3 in their last 10 games, but they\u2019re coming off a tough 135-113 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite the loss, Patrick Williams had a strong game with 21 points and 5 assists, while Matas Buzelis added 19 points and 5 rebounds. The Bulls have a 36-43 season record and are ranked 9th in the conference, having already clinched a spot in the play-in tournament. They\u2019ll be aiming to bounce back from their recent loss when they take on the Heat.<\/p>\n
Stadium Record<\/strong><\/p>\n Chicago are 5-12 ATS in their last 17 games when playing at home against Miami. Miami are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games when playing on the road against Chicago.<\/p>\n Head to Head Record<\/strong><\/p>\n Miami are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games against Chicago.<\/p>\n Best Bet<\/strong><\/p>\n We could be looking at play-in preview as both sides have the same record. So it should be a close game. Considering the trends, the Under is 5-2 in the Heat’s last 7 road games.<\/p>\n Under 226.5 pts = $1.87<\/a><\/p>\n Same Game Multi<\/strong><\/p>\n The Bulls as home underdogs is worth a punt. They’re 5-1 in their last 6 at home.<\/p>\n Bulls Win \/ Bulls +2.5 \/ Under 226.5 pts = $3.70<\/a><\/p>\n The Lakers are set to face the Mavericks, and while they\u2019ve yet to officially clinch a playoff spot, they\u2019re on a two-game win streak. With a solid 48-30 season record, they\u2019re ranked 3rd in the conference, but their recent form has been a bit inconsistent with a 5-5 record in the last 10 games. In their previous matchup, the Lakers took a tough loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 136-120, despite strong performances from LeBron James, who put up 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists, and Austin Reaves, who added 24 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds. The Lakers will be looking to bounce back and stay in the playoff race.<\/p>\n The Mavericks are looking to snap a two-game losing streak as they take on the Lakers. With a 38-41 season record, they\u2019re sitting just outside of the playoff picture in 10th place in the conference. In their last game, the Mavericks suffered a tough loss to the LA Clippers, 135-104, despite solid individual performances from Anthony Davis (27 points, 9 rebounds) and Kai Jones (18 points, 7 rebounds). The Mavs have been a bit inconsistent lately, with a 5-5 record in their last 10 games, and they still haven’t clinched a playoff spot. They\u2019ll need to bounce back strong if they hope to keep their playoff hopes alive.<\/p>\n Stadium Record<\/strong><\/p>\n Dallas are 1-8 ATS in their last 9 games at home. Los Angeles has lost 4 of their last 5 here.<\/p>\n Head to Head Record<\/strong><\/p>\n The Mavs have won 7 of their last 10 against LA.<\/p>\n Best Bet<\/strong><\/p>\n It’s former Mav Doncic and former Laker Davis up against each other so this should be an interesting matchup. Considering the Mavs have lost their last 2 by massive margins, I think it’s safe to say that Doncic will be keen to play well here, especially after his ejection last game.<\/p>\n Los Angeles Lakers -3.5 = $1.86<\/a><\/p>\n Same Game Multi<\/strong><\/p>\n LA are 4-2 ATS in their last 6 and Doncic will be keen to play well against his former team. The Over is also 7-2 in the Lakers last 9 road games.<\/p>\n Over 226.5 pts \/ LA Lakers -3.5 \/ Lakers Win = $3.70<\/a><\/p>\n The Houston Rockets are coming off a solid win over the Golden State Warriors, 106-96, and are riding a 3-game win streak. With a strong 52-27 season record, they\u2019ve clinched a playoff spot and are sitting comfortably at 2nd in the conference. Dillon Brooks had a standout performance with 24 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists, shooting an impressive 76.9% from the field, while Jalen Green added 21 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds. The Rockets have been in great form lately, going 8-2 in their last 10 games. But I’m not sure they’ll be playing full starter minutes as their playoff position is locked up.<\/p>\n The LA Clippers are coming off a thrilling 122-117 win, where Norman Powell led the way with 25 points, and James Harden was just one rebound shy of a triple-double with 21 points and 9 assists. Ivica Zubac also had a huge game, scoring 24 points and grabbing 20 rebounds, while Bojan Bogdanovic added 19 points off the bench. With a 47-32 season record, they\u2019re currently ranked 4th in the conference but still haven\u2019t clinched a playoff spot. The Clippers are on a strong 5-game win streak and have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games. They\u2019ll be looking to keep up their momentum as they face off against the Rockets.<\/p>\n Stadium Record<\/strong><\/p>\n LA Clippers are 12-1 in their last 13 games at home. Houston are 2-5 in their last 7 games when playing on the road at LA.<\/p>\n Head to Head Record<\/strong><\/p>\n Houston are 4-1 in their last 5 meetings.<\/p>\n Best Bet<\/strong><\/p>\n The Clippers have everything to play for if they want a home playoff series so I think they’ll get the job done against a Rockets side that doesn’t need to win.<\/p>\nLos Angeles Lakers (48-31) at Dallas Mavericks (38-41)<\/h3>\n
Houston Rockets at LA Clippers<\/h3>\n