"Last Gasp for Glory: Which Play-In Underdogs Will Upset the NBA Powerhouses?"

Here’s a casual, engaging, thought-provoking intro:

NBA Play-In Games; is it the stretch that can magically turn a second-tier team into an unexpected champion? Now, usually I’m not one to pen down NBA narratives, sticking mostly to 280 characters on a screen somewhere. But, seeing as the NBA playoffs’ curtain drops on this day, I figured we could take a delightful detour together. Let’s craft a parlay that could pad our pockets a bit.

Hawks vs Heat; where the tension’s as thick as humidity in Atlanta. There’s real rancor here, folks. A gritty contest, where the atmosphere could chill your glass of ice-tea. Dry your palms, I’ve plotted a couple of bets just on the edges, sure to keep you on the tender hooks. Here’s my smorgasbord of plays for this one:

– Kel'el Ware over 8+ points, can he go double digits?
– Kel'el Ware, do the dirty work, grab 7+ rebounds
– Trae Young, shh, under 3.5 threes made – can he keep quiet?

Kel’el, that kid… he’s like a firecracker, bouncing around the court like he’s got springs in his sneakers. Despite his sporadic minutes, he’s nailed these numbers before vs. this exact opponent. And Young? Yes, his threes are a tad too high for my liking, especially at home.

Moving onto the Mavs and Grizzlies… Dallas danced past the Kings like it was their final rehearsal. Memphis put up a fight against the resilient Warriors, but they couldn’t close the deal. This scenario’s got me penning a parlay with:

– Zach Edey, that giant of a man, over 10+ rebounds, might hit double digits often – a no-brainer.
– Anthony Davis under 1.5 threes, yeah, he’s consistent… but not at his 3-point game!

Considering Edey’s recent rebounding spree, 94 boards in April alone, he’s like a magnet on that glass. Davis… he’s got this uncanny Stretch of hot shooting recently, but let’s bet on cooler heads under the pressure.

So, the combo play looks pretty sweet at +475 or better, let’s play it safe on these… less risky options.

For those itching to make some bucks – or just to have a bet that hits like Edey on the boards, follow the wizardry on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024.

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NBA Play-In Games

I don’t write about the NBA often. Most of the time when I do it, the content is in a tweet or something else. But, for the most part, I don’t publish much about basketball on Outkick. It is the one sport that I sell picks for, and I can understand if you have a problem for that, but we all are trying to make money one way or another. But, considering this is a one-day thing for the NBA playoffs, let’s put together a nice parlay to try and cash for the Friday slate that finalizes the playoffs. 

Hawks and Heat

There are a lot of reasons to think this will be a good game. The two teams know each other well, being from the same division, they have history against each other, seemingly don’t really like each other, and split their season series.  Atlanta did win three more games than Miami this season, so they get the opportunity to host this game. The game is essentailly a pick’em and there is no question that the Heat looked like a playoff team in their first game while the Hawks looked awful. Here are the legs I’m playing for this game:

Kel’el Ware 8+ points
Kel’el Ware 7+ rebounds 
Trae Young under 3.5 threes made

When you talk about players with a motor, Ware is one of those guys. He is high energy, flies around the court, and looks for ways to be involved in plays despite not getting a ton of run. In two of the three games that he had real playing time against the Hawks, he hit these numbers easily. I think he can get there again and wouldn’t be shocked if he got a double-double. Trae Young’s line is just too high. He has hit just 2.6 threes per game at home this season, and only has one game where he had over three threes made against the Heat. They just caused Coby White to shoot 5-for-20 against them, the Heat are going to make someone else beat them. 
 

Mavs and Grizzlies

The Mavericks made light work of the Kings who basically became the Western Conference version of the Bulls. It was clear, Dallas was the better team. The Grizzlies were competitive against the Warriors, but just couldn’t get it done. I’m a little surprised about the line here, but Memphis is really good at home, so I also somewhat understand it. Here are the legs that I will add for this one: 

Zach Edey 10+ rebounds
Anthony Davis under 1.5 threes 

If you’ve watched Edey since Taylor Jenkins has left the team, you’d notice just how involved he has been on the glass. It is almost like someone told him “Hey, you’re freaking huge, go grab the ball.” Novel concept. His rebounding total in April: 94 in six games, plus another 17 against the Warriors in the last game. He had fewer in more or equal games in each month outside of March and February where he had 105, and 101, respectively, in at least five more games. You could probably take over 11.5 or 12.5 if you want and still hit this leg. I’m just being a bit more conservative. Davis hit three of six three-point attempts which I think is the reason this line is offered, normally it is over/under 0.5 makes. For the season, he has made two or more threes in 12 total games. They do tend to come in stretches together, but I prefer the under here.

The total parlay comes out ot +475 or better depending on where you play it. Let’s take a shot on some of these less risky plays. 

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024