NBA Playoff Picks and Predictions for Saturday
Our team of writers and handicappers hand out their NBA picks and predictions for Saturday, April 25.
San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks, 4:05PM ET
Rick Carlisle remembers one of the most infamous NBA playoff blowouts - and what happened after it.
Within minutes of Dallas taking a 2-1 series lead against San Antonio with a surprisingly lopsided victory, the Mavericks coach and former Boston backup guard invoked the 1985 NBA finals in which the Celtics opened with a rout of the Lakers but lost the series in six games.
Carlisle's message was the same in practice Friday, a day after Dallas led by as many as 36 points and held San Antonio to a franchise playoff scoring low in an 88-67 victory.
``I don't think you need to tell stories, but the point has got to be made that it's sitting there staring both teams in the face,'' Carlisle said. ``When either team has won, their next game has been abysmal. That's the challenge for us because we know what kind of game they're going to bring.''
The Spurs conceded a game, not the series.
NBA Free Pick: Dallas | Best Line: -4.5 Sports Interaction
Atlanta Hawks at Miami Heat, 6:35PM ET
Dwyane Wade needed only a millisecond to explain how much the home-court edge means in the NBA playoffs.
``Easy. It's huge,'' Wade said.
Especially when Atlanta Hawks are visiting, it seems.
Few teams are more woebegone on the postseason road than the Hawks, who haven't won a playoff game outside of Atlanta since May 8, 1997 - so long ago that Wade hadn't played a varsity high school game.
Atlanta is 0-11 in road playoff games since, blown out in 10 of those. Miami will aim to extend that drought Saturday, when it hosts the Hawks in Game 3 of an Eastern Conference first-round series tied at one win apiece.
NBA Free Pick: Miami | Best Line: -4.5 Sports Interaction
Los Angeles Lakers at Utah Jazz, 9:05PM ET
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Instead of tapering off, the Los Angeles Lakers' shooting plummeted.
The defense and rebounding seemed to follow, and instead of being on the verge of a sweep, the Lakers hold only a 2-1 lead in their first-round series against Utah.
The Jazz rallied from a 13-point deficit and won 88-86 on Thursday, taking advantage of the first shooting woes the Lakers have had this postseason. Game 4 is Saturday night in Utah, where the Lakers are just 2-10 all-time in playoff games.
``It's a chance for us to come into this building and win a game after playing very bad in that last one,'' Lakers guard Kobe Bryant said after practice Friday.
Bryant went just 5-for-24 on Thursday, never really recovering after missing his first six shots. It was that kind of night for the Lakers, who made just 32 of 87 attempts.
The Lakers didn't expect to maintain their 58 percent shooting from the first two games, but did little to compensate when they finally went cold. The Jazz were then quickest to the ball for the many bounces off the rim.
NBA Free Pick: Utah | Best Line: +4 Sports Interaction