Wednesday NBA Playoff Selection
Opinion Selection
Milwaukee +12' over DETROIT
The Pistons will be looking to go up 2-0 in their Eastern Conference first-round series with the Bucks on Wednesday after winning Game 1, 92-74, on Sunday. In doing so, Detroit held Milwaukee to their lowest FG% and points this season. Michael Redd, who averaged 30 points on 55 percent shooting against the Pistons in the regular season, scored a season-low 11 on 4-for-15 shooting.
Rasheed Wallace said the Pistons' focus was on erasing the memory of last season's loss to San Antonio in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. "This is what we've been looking forward to all year," he said. Wallace scored 17 of his 22 points in the first half and Richard Hamilton had 21 before leaving with a sprained left ankle midway through the fourth quarter. Hamilton skipped Monday's practice to get treatment, but is expected to play Wednesday.
Now, Detroit must guard against a let-down. They have lost three straight Game 2s and four of their last five, dating to the 2004 NBA Finals. Before that stretch, they lost to Milwaukee two years ago in the second game of their first-round series. We certainly expect a better showing from Michael Redd. "We have to make adjustments to get everyone involved even more," Redd said. "We'll make adjustments and be ready for Wednesday." Look for the Bucks to after Richard Hamilton on defense to test his ankle and keep attacking if it shows weakness.
We expected a strong showing from Detroit in their playoff opener and got it, especially in the second half. Here, we could well see a slight drop-off in play, while Milwaukee will be even more determined. The Pistons were an awful 0-8 ATS this year as a home favorite of more than 9 points off covering the spread as a favorite, and the last 4 NBA Playoff teams favored by more than 5 points off a SU & ATS win as a favorite of 11+ points are 0-4 ATS, including Detroit's SU loss at home to Milwaukee 2 years ago.
We used Detroit as an Opinion Selection WINNER in Game 1 of this series as we liked their chances for a cover by a small margin. Here, we'll reverse course and take the ample points, looking for them to fall a few points shy this time.
PROJECTED FINAL SCORE: DETROIT 97 MILWAUKEE 89