NBA Best Bets: Friday, April 15th

It’s win or go home for the Cavaliers, Hawks, Clippers and Pelicans in Friday’s final round of Play-In games. Cleveland host Atlanta and the Clips welcome the Pels – we’ve picked our best bets from the two games below.

NBA Best Bets Friday, April 15th

• Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks: Hawks -2.5 at 1.96
• Los Angeles Clippers vs New Orleans Pelicans: Pelicans to win at 2.60

Odds as at 3 pm April 14th 2022. Odds may now differ.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks Best Bet

Sat, Apr 16. 00:30 (UK)

Atlanta is favoured by 2.5 points on the road against Cleveland. The Hawks blew out the Hornets on Wednesday night with Trae Young at his majestic best. Atlanta shot 50% from deep on the night, taking full advantage of a sloppy Hornets defence. Cleveland is bound to hustle harder on the defensive end, and there is reportedly a 50-50 chance that Jarrett Allen makes his return here.

The Cavs won the last three regular season meetings, scoring 121 or more in each of the wins. Following the loss to Brooklyn, however, they have lost nine of their last 12, and the defence has cratered in Allen’s absence.

While the Hawks got big performances from De’Andre Hunter and Clint Capela to complement Young on Wednesday, Cleveland is overly dependent on Darius Garland. The Most Improved candidate is capable of doing the heavy lifting and dropped 34 against the Nets, but the Cavs desperately need more from their role players if they are to keep pace with his high-powered Atlanta offence.

Caris LeVert needs to get hot. Isaac Okoro must be on the court for his defence and cannot be a non-factor on offence. Kevin Love, Cedi Osman and Lauri Markkanen need to drain their outside shots (Atlanta was 26th in opponent three-point percentage during the regular year).

Atlanta is the trendy pick for this matchup. They have been trending upwards for a few weeks, while the Cavs have been running on fumes. We’ve seen this team do it on the road in a postseason environment already – back the Hawks to cover the small spread here.

• Selection: Hawks -2.5
• Best Odds: 1.96 (Marathonbet)
• Stakes: 8/10

More tips for Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks

Los Angeles Clippers vs New Orleans Pelicans Best Bet

Sat, Apr 16. 03:00 (UK)

The Clippers are four-point favourites for the visit of the Pelicans on Friday night. Los Angeles has a rest advantage, but the Pels are coming off an impressive performance in their win over San Antonio.

Herb Jones was everywhere defensively, clocking two steals and two blocks. The tandem of CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram were lethal on the offensive end. They shared playmaking duties, and repeatedly drained tough shots.

This Clippers’ defence ranked eighth in the regular season, but they have their work cut out to keep McCollum and Ingram under control. That’s before mentioning the reliable production of Jonas Valanciunas and the potential for bench scoring from Devonte’ Graham and Jose Alvarado, who drained three threes against the Spurs.

Los Angeles ultimately didn’t have the offence to beat the Timberwolves. Reggie Jackson was inefficient, and when Jackson is quiet, they don’t have enough around Paul George. Minnesota’s offence proved too powerful even with the Clips hitting over 45% of their threes on the night.

Having come a long way defensively, New Orleans can make it difficult for the non-George Clips. They were ninth in defensive rating in the second half, and they lean to big lineups that are good at congesting passing lanes and defending the paint.

We’ve seen what George can do in the postseason without Kawhi Leonard. He was exceptional last playoffs and scored 34 a few nights ago. Still, we like the Pelicans to take this game on the road. They are the more rounded of the two teams, and the duo of Ingram and McCollum can generate offence even against a stout Clippers defence.

• Selection: Pelicans to win
• Best Odds: 2.60 (Bet365)
• Stakes: 7/10

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