NBA Playoffs 2015: Updated Odds, Bracket Predictions for Tuesday's Matchups
The most exciting moments of the 2015 NBA playoffs may be reserved for the latter stages, but there's no time like the first round for those looking to hit the sportsbook.
A plethora of matchups—some thrilling and enticing, others not so much—have made way for interesting bets in a bevy of different directions. Whether it's banking on an unheralded team to keep the spread close or assuming a favorite will distance themselves, real coin can be had during the opening round of postseason play.
Three games on tap for Tuesday means even more opportunities to cash in, so let's take a look below at the lines for each game and a closer look at the featured matchup.
Tuesday, April 21: NBA Playoff Odds and Predictions
| 7 p.m. | Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers (-11) | BOS 23-4, CLE 2-15 | Cavaliers 108-93 |
| 8 p.m. | Washington Wizards at Toronto Raptors (-5) | WSH 9-5, TOR 10-21 | Raptors 94-91 |
| 9:30 p.m. | Dallas Mavericks at Houston Rockets (-5.5) | DAL 2-1, HOU 5-12 | Rockets 112-103 |
Featured Game: Mavericks at Rockets (Game 2)
Entering a postseason in which the Houston Rockets are a vaunted No. 2 seed and hoping to take that next step, much has been made of James Harden's inevitable carrying of his team and the worry of whether his team could step up to the task with him when the postseason began.
Game 1 is never an end-all to a single issue, but a convincing early statement has been made that the Dallas Mavericks are going to have to beat more than just Harden. In the series opener, seven Rockets players scored in double figures, while Harden led the way with 24 points and a playoff career high of 11 assists in a 118-108 win.
Seven combined three-pointers from Jason Terry and Corey Brewer proved to be the biggest boosts, but 30 combined points from Terrence Jones and Josh Smith were also needed to hold off a high-scoring Mavericks unit. More of the same may be needed as the series goes along, but doing it once should give Houston mounds of confidence, as Hardwood Paroxysm noted:
"Biggest lesson from Game 1 for Houston should be that they don’t need Harden to cook to win. That’s a huge confidence boost.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) April 20, 2015"
Count Magic Johnson along with those impressed with the Rockets' surprising balance put on display in the series opener:
A big reason for the Rockets' team-wide outburst seems to be maturity on Harden's part to make the right play as Mavericks bodies swarm at him—it was obvious that Dallas made it a five-man effort to limit him. But while he probably would have forced up too many shots in similar situations over the last couple of years, he simply made the right play and opened up a bevy of wide-open shots for teammates.
With that said, the Mavericks have gotten in their way plenty, even throughout just 48 minutes of this series. Despite putting up 108 points, they were far from themselves offensively with Monta Ellis and Chandler Parsons shooting a combined 10-for-31.
While it can't be expected that Dallas' duo will shoot like that again, it's also hard to envision another outing from Harden in which he only makes four field goals. He's bound to go off as the Rockets look to hold onto their home-court advantage in Game 2 while continuing to feed the streaky shooters by his side.
Prediction: Rockets win, 112-103
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