MENU
The end came for the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night, while the Clippers couldn’t finish at home against the Spurs. We’re one step closer to all of the teams being in the second round, as Memphis can finish off the Blazers in five games at home tonight and either the Nets or Hawks can inch closer to winning their first round series.
Just like that Clippers/Spurs battle from last night, we may be in for a pretty heated showdown between Brooklyn and Atlanta. On the flip side, we can probably expect less resistance from the depleted Blazers. Tonight’s NBA picks shouldn’t be rocket science, just last Tuesday night’s weren’t (we went 2-0). Roll with us and our stout 26-7 playoff picks record as we aim for another 2-0 run:
Brooklyn Nets (8) @ Atlanta Hawks (1)
Atlanta was naturally the heavy favorite in their opening round series, as they’re the top seed in the East and hosted a Nets team that won less than 42 games during the regular season. This series started as it should have with ATL going up 2-0, but the Nets have battled back to tie it up, 2-2. That’s bad news for the Hawks, who could see all of their momentum completely slip away with a loss tonight. Brooklyn is obviously going to be taken more serious than ever in this one, but it’s hard to imagine the Hawks dropping a third straight game. Not only are they the better team, but they’re also at home, where they rarely lose. The Hawks haven’t looked quite like themselves throughout this series, but logic suggests they’ll figure out what ails them in game five.
Pick: Hawks 106, Nets 102
Portland Trail Blazers (5) @ Memphis Grizzlies (4)
This game isn’t likely to be overly close or exciting, as Portland hasn’t had much success in Memphis in this series and appears to be on their last leg in a number of ways. The Grizz should still be without star point guard Mike Conley and that could make that come off a little vulnerable, but they’ve been the better team by far and have the opportunity to close out this series at home. Portland got it’s pride win to prevent a sweep in game four, but their playoff run sadly ends here tonight.
Pick: Grizz 105, Blazers 96
