Friday night`s NBA playoff action features the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers facing the Indiana Pacers on the road, attempting to recover from an 0-2 series deficit. Following that, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets compete to take a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference semifinal matchup.
Here are some notable betting opportunities for tonight`s games.
Aaron Nesmith over 17.5 points and rebounds (-120). Returning home with a dominant 2-0 lead, the Pacers face a Cavaliers team impacted by injuries to Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and De`Andre Hunter. Nesmith has performed strongly in the playoffs, exceeding this combined points and rebounds line in six of seven games. In games where he plays at least 27 minutes (five times this postseason), he`s cleared this mark 65% of the time (15 of 23). Nesmith appears well-positioned to surpass this total tonight.
Donovan Mitchell over 29.5 points (-120). With several key teammates injured, Mitchell has shouldered a significant scoring burden. He`s been in excellent scoring form, totaling 81 points in the first two games of the series. Mitchell has reached or exceeded 30 points in four of his six playoff games this season, missing the mark only in blowout victories where his minutes were limited. Looking back to the regular season, he has scored 31 or more points in his last three contests against the Pacers.
Russell Westbrook over 17.5 total points and rebounds (-125). Although this prop line increased by one point from the initial games (16.5 P+R), Westbrook`s consistent performance makes it appealing. He has recorded at least 18 combined points and rebounds in all seven playoff games where he played 10 or more minutes. Over his last five games, his average is 17.6 points and 3.8 rebounds (21.4 P+R), reaching at least 20 combined in each. In his last five matchups against the Thunder (playoffs and regular season included), he averaged 17.2 points and 5.0 rebounds (22.2 P+R), exceeding 20 combined in four of those five contests.
Game Information: Projections and Injury Reports
Cleveland Cavaliers at Indiana Pacers
- Line: Cavaliers -4.5 (-112) | Pacers +4.5 (-102)
- Money line: Cavaliers -195 | Pacers +165
- Total: 229.5 (-104 O, -110 U)
- Projection: Pacers by 1, straight up 53%, 232.7 total points.
Injury Report:
- Cavaliers: Darius Garland, (GTD – Toe); De`Andre Hunter, (GTD – Thumb); Evan Mobley, (GTD – Ankle)
- Pacers: Isaiah Jackson, (OFS – Achilles)
Oklahoma City Thunder at Denver Nuggets
- Line: Thunder -5.5 (-110) | Nuggets +5.5 (-104)
- Money line: Thunder -230 | Nuggets +195
- Total: 232.5 (-107 O, -107 U)
- Projection: Thunder by 4.4, straight up 64%, 231.4 total points.
Injury Report:
- Thunder: Nikola Topic, (OFS – Knee)
- Nuggets: DaRon Holmes II, (OFS – Achilles)
