Great basketball action will be coming your way tonight as the NBA has served up two blockbuster playoff games that will definitely tickle your hoops fancy. Kicking things off tonight is the Game 3 showdown between the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Then, the San Antonio Spurs lock horns with the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of their much-anticipated Western Conference series. Read on below for a quick breakdown of these two important games and while you’re at it, you can check out our NHL previews of Tampa Bay vs. NY Islanders and Pittsburgh vs. Washington.
The Cleveland Cavaliers preserved their unbeaten start to the playoffs with a stunning 123-98 victory over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference second round series on Wednesday. LeBron James scored 27 points for the red-hot Cavs who grabbed a commanding 2-0 series lead.
Outside shooting was the difference in this ballgame with the Cavs draining an NBA-record 25 3-pointers. Cleveland shot 55.6 percent from beyond the arc and had 10 players make at least one 3. The Hawks, on the other hand, struggled from deep, burying just 11 of their 27 three-point attempts.
It’s back to the drawing board for the Hawks who have now lost 10 straight postseason games to the Cavs. The onus is on the Atlanta starters to step up their play tonight. They combined for just 52 points on a woeful 14-of-39 shooting from the field on Wednesday. That kind of offensive performance simply won’t do against a high-octane Cleveland attack that’s averaging 106.8 points per game this postseason, third-best in the NBA.
The Cavs are 3-2 SU and 4-1 ATS in their last five road games against the Hawks. They are pegged at +275to win this year’s NBA championship.
Click here for an in-depth breakdown of this game.
There’s still some life left with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder bounced back from their humiliating 32-point loss in the series opener, beating the highly-favored San Antonio Spurs, 98-97, in Game 2 on Monday night. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined for 57 points for the Thunder who evened their series with the Spurs at one game apiece.
Game 3 is set later tonight with San Antonio looking to reclaim its home court advantage. For the Spurs to accomplish that feat, they will need to get more production from Kawhi Leonard. The 2014 Finals MVP struggled mightily in Game 2, scoring just 14 points on 7-of-18 shooting from the field. That’s quite disappointing for Leonard who’s averaging 20.8 points per game this postseason.
The Thunder are 8-2 SU and ATS in their last 10 home games against the Spurs. They are priced at +900to win the NBA title this year.
