@KeepTheJuice21 NBA Playoff Picks - 5/8

The Mavs played a tough defensive game in Game 3 and it led to the Suns scoring a very uncharacteristically low total of 94 points. This is a great opportunity to hit the team total as it adjusted down for what was an unsustainable game plan. This series is playing out like a chess match, with two very smart teams and coaches doing their best to anticipate the other. This one will swing back to the Suns as they dissect what went wrong in Game 3. Devin Booker will be shooting more, Chris Paul will be shooting more and the team as a whole should do better than hitting 45% from the field. Defensively, they haven’t figured out an answer for the Doncic/Brunson which makes me nervous about the spread, but the Suns offense should definitely bounce back tonight.

With the return of Embiid, Philly had a spark of energy that resulted in a dominant defensive performance, only allowing 79 points from the Heat. If there is a major flaw to this Heat team, they can be stagnant on offense. The team is so complete that this can be overlooked, but they don’t have a true scoring star to get them out of ruts. Jimmy Butler can be that guy, but that’s not where his real talents are. All this is to say that the team can rely on defense heavily. And regardless of the offensive efficiency, they will bounce back with what they do best. Embiid has vastly improved the Philly offense with his presence alone, but he is being affected by the mask/injury. There’s a slight hesitation and Miami is too good to not be 100% against. The 76ers haven’t scored 104 yet in this series and that won’t change tonight.