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In this episode, Santiago and Ryan preview the #NBAPlayin final games between #Bulls vs #Heat and Thunder vs T-Wolves.
Contributors
Santiago Leon – @sleon
Ryan Christa – @maddawgreport
Bulls vs Heat
Teams looking to earn the right to face the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the NBA playoffs clash on Friday in a 2023 NBA Play-in Tournament game when the Chicago Bulls battle the Miami Heat. The Bulls (41-42), who defeated the Toronto Raptors 109-105 on Wednesday in a play-in matchup, won all three regular-season matchups with Miami by double figures. The Heat (44-39), who dropped a 116-105 decision to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, would be the first team with the seventh-best record in their conference during the play-in tournament era to not make the postseason if they lose to Chicago.
Bulls vs. Heat spread: Heat -5.5
Small forward Jimmy Butler, who has missed some practice time due to personal reasons, is expected back on Friday. He is averaging a team-high 22.9 points per game, and is averaging 5.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.8 steals in 64 games, all starts. Butler has reached double-figure scoring in 63 games, including 43 with 20 or more points, and 10 with 30 or more. He has also registered 11 double-doubles. In two games against the Bulls this season, Butler averaged 24 points, 7.5 rebounds and two assists.
Center Bam Adebayo has also had a solid season. In 75 games, all starts, he is averaging 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals. He has reached double-digit scoring in 73 games, including 37 in which he had 20 or more points. Adebayo scored 30 or more 10 times, and registered 11 double-doubles. In three games against Chicago, he averaged 20.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and four assists.
Shooting guard Zach LaVine is coming off a monster game against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. In that game, he poured in 39 points, grabbed six rebounds and had three assists as Chicago wiped out a double-digit first-half deficit to defeat Toronto. In 77 games, all starts, LaVine averaged 24.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 35.9 minutes. In two games against Miami this year, he is averaging 19.5 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
Small forward DeMar DeRozan. He scored 23 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out three assists and blocked two shots against Toronto on Wednesday. For the season, he is averaging 24.5 points, 5.1 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 74 games, all starts. He has scored 20 or more points 53 times on the year, and has five double-doubles. In three games against the Heat this year, he averaged 28.3 points, eight assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals.
Thunder at Timberwolves Preview
The Oklahoma City Thunder go on the road to play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night in the 2023 NBA Play-In Tournament as they fight to secure the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference NBA playoff bracket. The Thunder traveled and beat the New Orleans Pelicans 123-118 on Wednesday night, advancing to this game. Meanwhile, Minnesota lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 108-102 in an overtime bout on Tuesday. The winner will play the No. 1 seed Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs. Rudy Gobert (back) and Karl-Anthony Towns (calf) are questionable for Minnesota, while Jaden McDaniels (hand) is out.
Tipoff is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET at Target Center
Minnesota as the 5.5-point favorite in the latest Timberwolves vs. Thunder odds. The over/under for total points is set at 228.5. Before making any Thunder vs. Timberwolves picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from the proven computer simulation model at SportsLine.
Thunder vs. Timberwolves: Minnesota -5.5
Thunder key players
Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is am elite scorer. Gilgeous-Alexander knows how to break down the defense with ease and uses his length to his advantage. The Kentucky product is constantly in passing lanes and generates turnovers. Gilgeous-Alexander was fourth in the league in points (31.4) with 5.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game. In the win over New Orleans on Wednesday, he finished with 32 points, five boards, and three assists.
Guard Josh Giddey has outstanding court vision and utilizes his speed to get past defenders. The 20-year-old runs at a calming pace and owns a smooth perimeter jumper. Giddey averaged 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game. In his last outing, he amassed 31 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists.
Youngest team in NBA
Timberwolved key player(s)
Karl-Anthony Towns is a two-way force in the frontcourt. Towns has a knack for pulling down boards and swatting away shots in the lane. The three-time All-Star also owns a reliable jump shot. He averaged 20.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game during the regular season. In Tuesday’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Towns finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.
PREDICTIONS
CHI-MIA, 7pm
RC: MIA
OKC-MIN
RC: MIN
Saturday:
Nets at 76ers (1pm, ESPN)
RC: 76ers
Hawks at Celtics (3:30pm, ESPN)
RC: Celtics
Knicks at Cavaliers (6pm, ESPN)
RC: Knicks
Warriors at Kings (8:30pm, ABC)
RC: Kings
Sunday:
Lakers at Grizzlies (3pm, ABC)
RC: MEM
Clippers at Suns (8pm, TNT)
RC: Suns