2 Parlays May 7: 76ers and Nuggets Bounce Back
Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 3:30 p.m. ET at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia
What Happened in Game 3?
Boston won Game 3, although there were certainly occasions where it looked like Philadelphia could have turned the tide in its favor.
Down 74-72, James Harden attempted a three-pointer to bring the 76ers into the lead but missed.
After that miss, Boston made a three and quickly made the score 80-72.
When Philadelphia would make the game close, it missed crucial shots while the Celtics were able to pull out daggers to keep the 76ers at bay and run away with the game.
With the 76ers at home, one can't expect these sort of momentum moments to constantly play out in Boston's favor.
More Support for Embiid
In Game 3, 76er star Joel Embiid dominated offensively to the tune of 30 points on 9-of-19 shooting.
Embiid's output can be counted on because he consistently thrives against the Celtics.
He averages 36.8 points per game, so one may even expect more from him on Sunday.
What Philadelphia missed was support for Embiid.
Stretch-four Tobias Harris was a no-show with seven points while guards Tyrese Maxey and James Harden were both awfully inefficient as they combined for 29 points on 30 field goal attempts.
There's just no excuse for these performances from Embiid's teammates.
Harden dropped 45 points in Game 1, so he is capable of helping the 76ers to win even without Embiid.
His 25.5 points-per-game average against Boston indicates that is easily capable of scoring 30 in a given game, so one must expect him to do the most to support Embiid by bouncing back.
Moreover, Maxey last year had superb, 30-point performances, so it's not like he can't show up in the playoffs in a big way.
Harris could add a lot via the spacing he proves with his efficient three-point shooting.
Match-Up Details
Looking at this matchup as a whole, the 76ers should be stronger in this series.
Boston employs a switch-heavy scheme that opens it up to a higher frequency of isolation plays.
Iso plays are a significant part of Philly's offense.
They will hunt for the right one-on-one matchups and take advantage.
Total
Philadelphia's stronger shot efficiency in Game 4 will advance its ability to establish its preferred slower tempo.
The 76ers will make shots and get back on defense, playing more effective defense in a pace of play that suits them more.
In liking the 76ers, one should also like the "under."
Best Bet: Parlay 76ers +2.5 at -110 & Under 214.5 at -110 at +264 odds with BetOnline
Denver Nuggets vs. Phoenix Suns
Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 8 p.m. ET at Footprint Center in Phoenix
What Happened in Game 3?
Knowing that it is basically impossible to come back from a 0-3 deficit, Phoenix won on the back of superstar Devin Booker who was shockingly efficient as part of his 47-point output.
While Booker makes things look easy, we need to appreciate how difficult it is -- even for him -- to do what he did in Game 3.
For example, he scored 47 points in Game 5 against the Clippers. In the game after, which was Game 1 against Phoenix, he could only manage 27 points.
Before, he scored 45 points in Game 3 against the Clippers and then scored 30 points in Game 4 against them.
It is unlikely for Booker -- and any player -- to manage consecutive 40-point outings. This unlikelihood makes such outings special.
Booker's performance also came under special circumstances: the Suns had enjoyed a four-day rest period.
As a result, he was completely fresh.
Rest and Depth
The importance of rest for team is that it does a lot to nullify a team's lack of depth.
Depth is valuable because a team's stars need support as a result of the fact that they are not superhumans -- their endurance isn't perfect; they get worn down and tire.
With the four-day rest period, Phoenix's stars could carry the workload by themselves.
But Game 4 is already on Sunday, so the Suns' stars will need more support in the form of depth.
However, Phoenix doesn't have depth.
This is especially true with Chris Paul injured -- the Suns' seasoned point guard, who is a vital game manager and distributor, missed Game 3 and could also miss Game 4.
Even with Paul playing, though, Phoenix's depth issue is tremendous -- this issue already helps explain their losses in Games 1 and 2.
Denver's Depth Advantage
In addition to being able to match Phoenix superstar for superstar -- both teams have two superstars -- Denver has a big advantage in depth.
This advantage is created in part by the departures of multiple top Sun scorers, which needed to happen so that Phoenix could acquire Kevin Durant.
The Nuggets can still count on additional key scorers such as Michael Porter Jr., who is a threat from deep but should also use his size advantage to drive inside more.
With fewer points from Booker, Phoenix will have fewer means of pushing Denver to a higher offensive output, and so we'll get a lower-scoring game.
Best Bet: Parlay Nuggets +3 at -113 & Under 228 at -110 at +260 odds with BetOnline
Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 3:30 p.m. ET at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia
- Joel Embiid regularly scores 30+ against the Celtics
- Philadelphia can count on more momentum-changing plays and stronger support for Embiid
- In making more shots, the 76ers will do a better job of getting back on defense and controlling the game's tempo
What Happened in Game 3?
Boston won Game 3, although there were certainly occasions where it looked like Philadelphia could have turned the tide in its favor.
Down 74-72, James Harden attempted a three-pointer to bring the 76ers into the lead but missed.
After that miss, Boston made a three and quickly made the score 80-72.
When Philadelphia would make the game close, it missed crucial shots while the Celtics were able to pull out daggers to keep the 76ers at bay and run away with the game.
With the 76ers at home, one can't expect these sort of momentum moments to constantly play out in Boston's favor.
More Support for Embiid
In Game 3, 76er star Joel Embiid dominated offensively to the tune of 30 points on 9-of-19 shooting.
Embiid's output can be counted on because he consistently thrives against the Celtics.
He averages 36.8 points per game, so one may even expect more from him on Sunday.
What Philadelphia missed was support for Embiid.
Stretch-four Tobias Harris was a no-show with seven points while guards Tyrese Maxey and James Harden were both awfully inefficient as they combined for 29 points on 30 field goal attempts.
There's just no excuse for these performances from Embiid's teammates.
Harden dropped 45 points in Game 1, so he is capable of helping the 76ers to win even without Embiid.
His 25.5 points-per-game average against Boston indicates that is easily capable of scoring 30 in a given game, so one must expect him to do the most to support Embiid by bouncing back.
Moreover, Maxey last year had superb, 30-point performances, so it's not like he can't show up in the playoffs in a big way.
Harris could add a lot via the spacing he proves with his efficient three-point shooting.
Match-Up Details
Looking at this matchup as a whole, the 76ers should be stronger in this series.
Boston employs a switch-heavy scheme that opens it up to a higher frequency of isolation plays.
Iso plays are a significant part of Philly's offense.
They will hunt for the right one-on-one matchups and take advantage.
Total
Philadelphia's stronger shot efficiency in Game 4 will advance its ability to establish its preferred slower tempo.
The 76ers will make shots and get back on defense, playing more effective defense in a pace of play that suits them more.
In liking the 76ers, one should also like the "under."
Best Bet: Parlay 76ers +2.5 at -110 & Under 214.5 at -110 at +264 odds with BetOnline
Denver Nuggets vs. Phoenix Suns
Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 8 p.m. ET at Footprint Center in Phoenix
- Devin Booker will fall back to Earth
- The shorter rest period for Game 4 will make depth more of a factor
- Denver has a tremendous advantage in terms of depth
What Happened in Game 3?
Knowing that it is basically impossible to come back from a 0-3 deficit, Phoenix won on the back of superstar Devin Booker who was shockingly efficient as part of his 47-point output.
While Booker makes things look easy, we need to appreciate how difficult it is -- even for him -- to do what he did in Game 3.
For example, he scored 47 points in Game 5 against the Clippers. In the game after, which was Game 1 against Phoenix, he could only manage 27 points.
Before, he scored 45 points in Game 3 against the Clippers and then scored 30 points in Game 4 against them.
It is unlikely for Booker -- and any player -- to manage consecutive 40-point outings. This unlikelihood makes such outings special.
Booker's performance also came under special circumstances: the Suns had enjoyed a four-day rest period.
As a result, he was completely fresh.
Rest and Depth
The importance of rest for team is that it does a lot to nullify a team's lack of depth.
Depth is valuable because a team's stars need support as a result of the fact that they are not superhumans -- their endurance isn't perfect; they get worn down and tire.
With the four-day rest period, Phoenix's stars could carry the workload by themselves.
But Game 4 is already on Sunday, so the Suns' stars will need more support in the form of depth.
However, Phoenix doesn't have depth.
This is especially true with Chris Paul injured -- the Suns' seasoned point guard, who is a vital game manager and distributor, missed Game 3 and could also miss Game 4.
Even with Paul playing, though, Phoenix's depth issue is tremendous -- this issue already helps explain their losses in Games 1 and 2.
Denver's Depth Advantage
In addition to being able to match Phoenix superstar for superstar -- both teams have two superstars -- Denver has a big advantage in depth.
This advantage is created in part by the departures of multiple top Sun scorers, which needed to happen so that Phoenix could acquire Kevin Durant.
The Nuggets can still count on additional key scorers such as Michael Porter Jr., who is a threat from deep but should also use his size advantage to drive inside more.
With fewer points from Booker, Phoenix will have fewer means of pushing Denver to a higher offensive output, and so we'll get a lower-scoring game.
Best Bet: Parlay Nuggets +3 at -113 & Under 228 at -110 at +260 odds with BetOnline
