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OKC Thunder vs. Houston Rockets Game 4 NBA Preview & Free Pick

Thunder vs Rockets NBA Handicapping

Ok, maybe someone in the Houston Rockets camp can explain how a team can fall behind by 26 points in an important playoff game. At home. Against an opponent still trying to figure things out two days after losing its second-best player.

Western Conference
Oklahoma City Thunder (3-0) at Houston Rockets (0-3)
Monday, April 29
Toyota Center, Houston
9:30 p.m. EST
Spread – Thunder -1.5 at TopBet

O/U – 206.5

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Maybe the Rockets’ fold in Game 3 had something to do with Jeremy Lin not being at 100 percent and Houston not being to take full advantage of the Thunder missing Russell Westbrook.

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Maybe not. But Lin, who has not been shy about this season about his team not always putting its pedal to the metal, put up his third straight bowser of a game (he has 13 total points of 5-for-20 shooting over three games) on Saturday night and the Rockets are on the fast track to elimination in these playoffs.

Houston is going down. The only question is whether it will be tonight in Texas in Game 4 or later on this week. But go down the Rockets will. Forty-one points by Kevin Durant on Saturday night and a stunningly lackluster effort by Houston in the first two periods guaranteed that this series will not go deep.

Houston’s job right now is to figure out a way to get off the blocks faster tonight than it did on Saturday. Then again, any change would be an improvement after Houston gave up 39 points in the opening 12 minutes and carried a 20-point deficit of an anvil into the final three periods. [ad-6571516]

OKC is hoping to get this thing over with in a hurry so coach Scott Brooks can buy some practice time before the start of the next series and work Reggie Jackson and Derek Fisher into the equation after Westbrook went down for the season.

Early returns are promising – Jackson and Fisher combined for 23 points, and Fisher had zero turnovers in 24-plus minutes. That’s important, because Job 1 in the Thunder offense is to keep possession of the ball and work it until Durant gets an open look.

The Westbrook injury and Houston’s nearly swiping of Game 2 in OKC appeared to have opened the door wide open and portend a 6- or 7-game series.

But the Rockets’ F-for-effort first quarter put an end to that talk, and now it’s a matter of time before the Thunder get it over with.

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Houston is desperate to find another offensive threat to make life easier on James Harden, and the Rockets may have found him in Francisco Garcia, who had 18 points in 24 minutes in Game 3.

Looking for Houston to avoid a slow start this time and break through, though an under play makes more sense than a bet on the side since fatigue has to be setting in as all the key offensive players have played huge minutes the entire series.

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OKC Thunder vs. Houston Rockets Game 3 NBA Preview & Free Pick

Thunder vs Rockets NBA Handicapping

In the snap of a finger, this series has changed from RFOFLMAO to OMG.

No one knows when or if Russell Westbrook will return to the court as he deals with the aftermath of surgery to repair the damage caused by injury suffered in Game 2.

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Indiana Pacers vs. Atlanta Hawks Game 3 NBA Preview & Free Pick

Pacers vs. Hawks NBA Handicapping

Even the most ardent Hawks fans – assuming that such a species exists – know that the Hawks’ chances of playing any basketball beyond the end of this week are melting fast, and with Atlanta trailing 2-0 in its Eastern Conference quarterfinals playoff series against the Pacers, if there is a stand to be made, it has to be made tonight in Game 3.

Eastern Conference
Indiana Pacers (2-0) at Atlanta Hawks (0-2)
Saturday, April 27
Philips Arena, Atlanta
7 p.m. EST
Spread – Hawks -2.5 at TopBet
O/U – 190

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Over the last decade the Hawks have made a living lurking around for a round or two in the playoffs before compliantly heading home, and this season doesn’t look a lot different. Atlanta didn’t put up much of a fight in Indianapolis in either of the first two games of the series, losing by an average score of 110-94.

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The Hawks had vowed to bring a more physical approach to Game 2 after getting bended, folded and mutilated in Game 1, but Atlanta was beaten by Indy in all phases of the game, with pretty much the same result.

“It’s natural for us,” said Indy’s Paul George of the Hawks’ new-found toughness. “We naturally play physical. It wasn’t like, ‘They’re playing physical, let’s retaliate.’

That’s how we approach the game — in a physical way. We’re not interested in retaliating or injuring players; we’re going to play tough, but (we’re) not interested in all the other stuff.”

George laid 27 points on the Hawks’ heads in Game 2 after a triple-double in Game 1, and it’s clear that putting an end to his MVP-type play is Atlanta top priority if the Hawks have any intention of taking this series back to the heartland for a Game 5. [ad-6571516]

The Pacers, meanwhile, are content to enjoy their recent offensive success and let the Hawks figure out things. Only Golden State and Oklahoma City are scoring at a higher rate than Indiana in the playoffs, and the Pacers own the largest margin of victory (11 ppg).

Of course, Atlanta’s lackadaisical defensive play has something to do with that, and the Hawks aren’t doing themselves any favors by shooting a high school-like 18 for 34 from the free throw line in the series.

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The Hawks’ starters were abused by Indiana in Game 2. In the first and third periods, when most of the minutes were logged by Jeff Teague, Al Horford and Josh Smith, Atlanta was outscored by a whopping 60-47.

That has to change tonight, and the first period could go a long way toward determining in there will be any bite at all in this series or Indiana can coast.

The Hawks have never been a circle-the-wagons type of club, and Atlanta has far more questions than answers.

Indiana is just playing too well. Pacers to cover the 2.5. Suggest a money line play on Indiana to bump up the profit a bit.

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Brooklyn Nets vs. Chicago Bulls Game 4 NBA Preview & Free Pick

Nets vs Bulls NBA Handicapping

If the Nets made any mistake in the leadup to their Eastern Conference quarterfinal playoff series against the Bulls, it may have been in assuming that things were going to pretty much play out the way the regular season did.

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San Antonio Spurs vs. L.A. Lakers Game 3 NBA Preview & Free Pick

Spurs vs Lakers NBA Handicapping

Do you know Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock?

No?

Well, tune in tonight because they figure to be in Lakers uniforms and perhaps will comprise LAL’s starting backcourt when Gang Purple tries to keep alive its flickering playoff hopes against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the Western Conference quarterfinal series.

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N.Y. Knicks vs. Boston Celtics NBA Game 3 Preview & Free Pick

Knicks vs Celtics NBA Handicapping

It’s possible that we are seeing the final few games of Kevin Garnett’s career.

Garnett and the Celtics take on the Knicks tonight in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference playoff quarterfinals, and the blood and guts of Boston’s defense is hardly at 100 percent in the most important few games of the season.

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Miami Heat vs. Milwaukee Bucks NBA Game 3 Preview & Free Pick

Heat vs Bucks NBA Handicapping

Unless the letters A, C and L are prominent in upcoming stories about the Miami Heat, LeBron James and the supporting cast will soon take care of the Milwaukee Bucks on their way toward a probable berth in the NBA Finals.

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Brooklyn Nets vs. Chicago Bulls Game 3 NBA Preview & Free Pick

Nets vs Bulls NBA Handicapping

After a dominating performance at home in Game 1, Brooklyn came out flat in Game 2 and ceded home-court advantage to the Bulls with a Game 2 effort that could only be compared to a noontime YMCA pickup game.

Eastern Conference
Brooklyn Nets (1-1) at Chicago Bulls (1-1)
Thursday, April 25
United Center, Chicago
8:30 p.m. EST
Spread – Bulls -3.5 at Bovada
O/U – 181

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We were waiting to see which team would be the first to blink in the playoffs, and in the Eastern Conference it was the Nets.

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With Joe Johnson (who laid a 6-for-18 egg) leading the way, the Nets shot 35 percent from the field and 4 for 21 from 3-point turf, and now find themselves in the uncomfortable position of having to find a way to win in Chicago in order to advance to the conference semis.

The Bulls are hardly a lock at the United Center, where they found a way to lose 17 games this season. But Chicago will never go down for lack of effort, and the Nets know they have to tighten things up considerably when they take the court tonight.

Nets fans are still trying to figure out what’s going on with Gerald Wallace. In Game 1 Wallace played rock solid defense on Luol Deng and scored 14 points. In the 36-plus minutes he was on the court, the Nets outscored the Bulls by 22 points. But Wallace disappeared in Game 2, going 1 for 7 from the field in 19 unproductive minutes while Brooklyn was outscored by 16 points. [ad-6571516]

Of course, Chicago’s choke-hold defense had a lot to do with the Nets’ troubles. Deng, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah all had double-digit rebound totals, taking turns checking Nets board machine Reggie Evans. Evans usually has 10 rebounds before lunch, but was held to just 8 in Game 2.

Things can change on a dime in the playoffs, but with the Bulls coming home, Brooklyn has its hands full. The key for the Nets is putting Game 2 behind them and concentrating on the task at hand, namely figuring out a way to steal back home-court advantage.

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Chicago’s less-than-dominating 24-17 record at home and Brooklyn’s solid 23-18 road record would seem to indicate that the Nets have a shot at turning things around, but we like Brooklyn’s chances better in a Game 4 in Chicago. Home teams tend to dominate in emotion-changed first home games, and the Bulls seem to have found something that disrupts the Nets offense.

Looking for Chicago to make it two in a row with a cover in this one, with the winner of Game 4 taking control of the series.

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L.A. Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs Game 2 NBA Preview & Free Pick

Lakers vs Spurs NBA Handicapping

Oh, what this series could have been. Just imagine a healthy Kobe Bryant, eyes piercing. A focused Dwight Howard itching to be recognized as the best big man in the league.

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Atlanta Hawks vs. Indiana Pacers Game 2 NBA Preview & Free Pick

Hawks vs Pacers NBA Handicapping

Minutes don’t matter a lot in the playoffs. Adrenaline is flowing, the games finally mean something and there is usually ample rest between battles.

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Houston Rockets vs. OKC Thunder Game 2 NBA Preview & Free Pick

Rockets vs Thunder NBA Handicapping

Oklahoma City playing at home in the playoffs is about as close to a lock as there is in the NBA.

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Boston Celtics vs. N.Y. Knicks Game 2 NBA Preview & Free Pick

Celtics vs Knicks NBA Handicapping

So much for prevailing thought. The Celtics went into this series feeling that they had a pretty good shot at taking out the No. 2-seed Knicks.

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Milwaukee Bucks vs. Miami Heat Game 2 NBA Preview & Free Pick

Bulls vs Nets NBA Handicapping

Besides and Act of Congress, an Act of God or the Stanford band marching onto the court whenever the Heat have the ball, what will it take for the Milwaukee Bucks to make this series even remotely competitive?

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Chicago Bulls vs. Brooklyn Nets Game 2 NBA Preview & Free Pick

Bulls vs Nets NBA Handicapping

So much for the playoffs providing the Bulls with a fresh start. The 17-point beatdown that the Brooklyn Nets applied to Chicago on Saturday night in Game 1 of their playoff series was just a continuation of the struggles that the Bulls experienced over the final few weeks of the regular season.

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Utah Jazz vs. Memphis Grizzlies Wednesday NBA Preview & Free Pick

Jazz vs Grizz NBA Handicapping

How did it come to this?

How did the Utah Jazz have a playoff spot pretty much in hand less than two months ago, win 8 of their last 10 games, and still find themselves in must-win pickle tonight on the road against a good team that has also plenty of incentive?

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Houston Rockets vs. L.A. Lakers Wednesday NBA Preview & Free Pick

Rockets vs Lakers NBA Handicapping

Is Wednesday, April 17 the day that Dwight Howard finally grows up?