Thursday's slate brings another day of exciting NBA playoff hoops after the Detroit Pistons went on an electric 30-3 run against the Orlando Magic, tying the series and re-asserting their status as the No. 1 squad in the Eastern Conference. Out West, the Oklahoma City Thunder handled business against the Phoenix Suns once again, increasing their series lead to 2-0. In the NHL, the Los Angeles Kings sit at a 2-0 deficit against Colorado while the Anaheim Ducks tied their series against the Edmonton Oilers after a 6-4 victory on Wednesday. With that, here are tonight's best bets brought to you by BetOnline.org. Click here to join. All new players get a 50% welcome bonus and up to $250 in free bets.
First Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves +2.5
Rundown: Following a 30-point masterclass by Anthony Edwards, the Minnesota Timberwolves return to Minneapolis for Game 3 against the Denver Nuggets, tied 1-1.
Down by 19 points, Minnesota refused to give in on Monday as Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo complemented Edwards' firepower, scoring 24 and 16 points respectively. After being outscored by Denver by 14 in the first quarter, the Timberwolves went on to outshoot Denver both from the field and beyond the arc. Minnesota also overwhelmed their opponent defensively with six steals and two blocks.
As for the Nuggets, Jamaal Murray scored 30 points of his own, backed by star Nikola Jokić's 24 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists. Nonetheless, their efforts were not enough as a late missed Christian Braun free throw swung the momentum in favor of Minnesota. With both teams having excellent rosters, the decisive factor in either of them winning is who can make their buckets when it comes down to the wire.
With Minnesota having the howls of the Target Center-faithful by their side, bettors can expect them to sustain their energy.
Second Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers -2.5
Rundown: The Cleveland Cavaliers head on the road for Game 3 against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena.
Cleveland enters Thursday looking to build on what it started, a 2-0 series lead fueled by dominance on both ends of the court. On Monday, Donovan Mitchell and James Harden logged a respective 30 and 28 points. Harden also had himself a night on defense, collecting five steals. Meanwhile, Evan Mobley scored 25 points and contributed on the glass with eight rebounds.
For the Raptors, Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett commanded the offense with 26 and 22 points apiece. However, Toronto lost the turnover battle, coughing up the ball a season-high 22 times. On the contrary, Cleveland only had 12 turnovers, proving to be the difference maker in Game 2. For Toronto to turn this series around, not only do they have to work on taking care of the ball, but also hitting on their 3-pointers after shooting 27%.
With the Cavaliers' postseason track record against Toronto of 12 consecutive wins, count on them to keep executing.