Parlays for potential playoff previews
The Dubs visit the Clips and the Sixers visit beautiful Cleveland. We ‘bet’ those games are great!
Monday night, Steph Curry told Chris Paul “This ain’t 2014 no more!” after fighting through him for an and-one. Maybe not, but in 2023 the Golden State Warriors are still jockeying with the Los Angeles Clippers for playoff position. LA’s roster has completely turned over, but somehow, Golden State is still battling Kawhi Leonard, Russell Westbrook, and Eric Gordon. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Well, not so much in the Eastern Conference. There, the third-seeded Philadelphia 76ers and battling the fourth-place Cleveland Cavaliers, part of a rivalry that’s basically never existed. They’ve met exactly once in the playoffs, when Hersey Hawkins and Charles Barkley took down Brad Daugherty and Mark Price in the first round in 1990. The Cavaliers are a young team that’s only getting better, while the 76ers are an older team that’s desperately hoping James Harden doesn’t leave because he’s homesick for the strip clubs of Houston.
Both games are part of an ESPN doubleheader Wednesday night with playoffs, MVP votes, bragging rights, and Westbrook’s ego on the line. Speaking of putting things on the line, we have same-game parlays.
DraftKings Odds
Philadelphia 76ers at Cleveland Cavaliers
Philly is favored by 2.5 points on the road against the Cavaliers, the team with the NBA’s No. 2 defense - and the league’s best net rating. The over-under is 222 points. All-Star Jarrett Allen looks to be out for Cleveland, while iron man Jaden McDaniels, on pace to play 84 games this year, is questionable but expected to play.
Even against this solid defensive team, betting on Joel Embiid to score is one of the most reliable wagers in the NBA this season. We like two simple parlays: Sixers on the moneyline, parlayed with Embiid scoring 30+ points and James Harden getting 10+ assists for +255, and Sixers moneyline and Embiid scoring 30+, along with Harden scoring 20+ points. We also like a mild longshot of a Mega-Embiid parlay:
- 30+ points
- 5+ assists
- 5+ rebounds
- 2+ steals
- 1+ blocks
All for a tidy +1000.
For longshot bets, let’s see Embiid really stick in his MVP rival Nikola Jokic’s face with a triple-double. Embiid triple-double + Sixers moneyline is +3000. Pad those stats, big man!
Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Clippers
The Warriors beat the Clippers by 24 points two weeks ago, but that was at home, where Golden State toys with opponents like they’re the Harlem Globetrotters. On the road, they’re a Washington Generals-like 7-26, the worst road record in the league among teams that are actually trying to win.
That’s why the Clippers are favored by 2.5 points. And why the over-under is 237 - the Warriors give up 119.3 points per 100 possessions away from home, compared to 108 at home.
It sounds crazy, but if there’s ever a place the Warriors will get over their road woes, it’s Los Angeles, against a star-laden Clippers team that doesn’t seem particularly interested in the regular season. That’s why we like a parlay of the Warriors +2.5 points, along with Steph Curry getting 30+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 5+ assists for +425.
We also believe in the Michael Jordan of Delaware, Donte DiVincenzo. Betting the Warriors +2.5, plus DiVincenzo hitting 2+ three-pointers and going over 5.5 rebounds gets you +500.
For the Clippers, we think Paul George bounces back from shooting 3-15 in the previous Warriors game. That’s right, we are riding with Regular Season P tonight. We like George to get more than 5.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds, and 3+ three-pointers. That’s +450.
Yes, we are suggesting putting your hard-earned money on the 2022-23 Warriors on the road and Paul George, at all. That’s why gambling is such a rush!
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