It’s NBA playoff time, and 16 teams have a shot at the title! Today, we look at two first-round matchups, one from each conference. In the Eastern Conference, the number three seed New York Knicks host the number six seed Detroit Pistons. In the Western Conference battle, the number four seed Denver Nuggets, winners of the title two seasons ago, face the Los Angeles Clippers, entering as the number five seed.
Detroit Pistons versus New York Knicks
The Knicks enter the playoffs as the number three seed. They finished the regular season with a record of 51-31 and 27-14 at home. The Pistons are the number six seed and had a regular season record of 44-38 and 22-19 on the road. New York is “average” versus “ice cold down” on the Team Strength Oscillator and +19 versus +13 on the Power Ranks Indicator. The teams are trending in games on opposite sides of the “over/under” line with a score prediction of 115-108 in favor of the Knicks, but with a low confidence level of 39 percent. The Pistons won three of the four games between the teams during the regular season, including two on the road. The Knicks are +37 to +19 on the Team Volatility Oscillator and are one of the most stable teams in the NBA. Both teams had a positive scoring differential during the regular season. I see the series going back to Detroit in a 1-1 split. Therefore, the pick depends on what happened in the first game. Take the Knicks if Detroit won the first game, and vice versa if the Knicks won the opener. In either event, I will avoid the “over/under” bet.
Los Angeles Clippers versus Denver Nuggets
The Western Conference was very tight during the regular season, with only three games separating the number two through six seeds. In this matchup, both teams finished with a regular season record of 50-32. Denver was 26-15 at home, and the Clippers were a game under .500 on the road at 20-21. Both teams come into the playoffs “burning hot” and the Clippers are 9-1 over the last ten games. The teams are nearly identical in point differential at +4.7 to +3.9 in favor of the Clippers. The teams split during the regular season, with Denver winning the final two at home by an average of 23.5 points. The teams are trending in games “over” the line with a score prediction of 120-110 in favor of Denver with 69 percent confidence. The Nuggets have had their way with the Clippers at home, and I see that trend continue. Go with Denver in a game “over” the line.
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