There are two NBA and two NHL playoff games Friday night, as the second round continues in both leagues. Covers checks in on the action and odds movement, with insights from John Murray, director of The SuperBook at Westgate in Las Vegas.
NHL
Milwaukee Bucks at Boston Celtics – Open: -1.5; Move: -2; Move: -1.5
Fourth-seeded Boston got a surprising road split in the first two games of this series. The Celtics (54-34 SU, 43-43-2 ATS) shocked Milwaukee in Game 1 with a 112-90 rout as 8-point underdogs, moving to 6-0 SU and 5-0-1 ATS in the postseason. But Boston then got rolled 123-102 catching 7.5-points in Game 2 Tuesday.
Milwaukee, which had the NBA’s best SU and ATS records in the regular season, led only briefly in Game 1 and, after trailing 52-50 at halftime, got boatraced in the second half by a 60-40 count. The Bucks (65-23 SU, 52-32-4 ATS) finally got rolling in the second half of Game 2, turning a 59-55 halftime edge into a 31-point lead midway through the fourth quarter, then coasting to the finish.
“It looks like the public is backing Boston, but we’ve seen the number go from Celtics -2 to -1.5, so there’s some sharp takers on Milwaukee,” Murray said this afternoon. “We’d actually like to see Boston win this series. We’re stuck pretty good on Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference and championship futures. Both those scenarios are pretty bad.”
Tipoff is at 8 p.m. ET.
Denver Nuggets at Portland Trail Blazers – Open: -4.5; Move: -4
No. 3 seed Portland went on the road and got what it needed with a split of the first two games. The Trail Blazers (58-31 SU, 49-39-1 ATS) rebounded from a Game 1 loss by notching a 97-90 Game 2 victory as 4-point underdogs Wednesday.
No. 2 seed Denver managed to take Game 1 121-113 as 4-point home chalk, despite having just one rest day after a seven-game first-round series with San Antonio. However, the Nuggets (59-32 SU, 46-45 ATS) had little in the tank for Game 2, shooting just 34.7 percent overall and a putrid 20.7 percent from 3-point range (6-for-29).
“Really split action on this game,” Murray said of a 10:30 p.m. ET start. “You’ve gotta think Denver won’t ever possibly shoot that bad again in an organized basketball game. The parlays are on Portland moneyline, which you’d expect, but the straight bets are exactly the same on both teams.”
NHL
New York Islanders at Carolina Hurricanes – Open: -135; Move: -130; Move: -125; Move: -130
Carolina was the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference, widely expected to get knocked out in the first round by defending Stanley Cup champion Washington. But the Hurricanes (53-31-6-2) won that series in seven games and are now on the brink of sweeping New York. In Game 3 Wednesday, the so-called Bunch of Jerks nabbed a 5-2 victory as -129 favorites, bolstered by two last-minute empty-net goals.
New York had an excellent regular season in landing the East’s No. 3 seed, then flattened perennial Cup contender Pittsburgh in four games. Now it’s the Islanders (52-29-3-5) who find themselves in a 3-0 hole, with just three goals in the first three games, after piling up 14 goals in the sweep of the Penguins.
“The public is definitely on the Hurricanes. It’s about 3/1 ticket count on Carolina,” Murray of this 7 p.m. ET puck drop. “The assumption is that the Islanders are down 3-0 and are finished, and the public certainly believes that.”
Dallas Stars at St. Louis Blues – Open: -140; Move: -150; Move: -145
No. 5 seed St. Louis gave away home-ice advantage by losing Game 2, but got it back with a 4-3 Game 3 road win. Then the Blues (51-31-7-3) got the first goal of Game 4, but followed by giving up four straight goals in a 4-2 loss as +102 pups Wednesday.
No. 7 seed Dallas, which ousted No. 2 seed Nashville in the opening round, now needs at least one more road win to advance. In Game 4, the Stars (49-35-6-2) tied it at 1 midway through the first period and led 3-1 by midway through the second frame, then added another goal late in that period.
“Most of the money is on St. Louis at home,” Murray said of a 9:30 p.m. ET faceoff. “It’s a 2/1 ticket count in favor of the Blues, but mostly smaller bets on this game. We’d prefer to see Dallas come out of this series.”
Patrick Everson is a Las Vegas-based senior writer for Covers. Follow him on Twitter: @Covers_Vegas.
