Pretty much every night of the 2020-21 NBA Playoffs has been a thrill, including last night’s action. Now, another triple threat of postseason games is scheduled for Wednesday night as three series will hit the Game 2 mark. The Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers will start the action at 7:00 p.m. EST, while the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks aren’t that far behind at 7:30. Meanwhile, the Memphis Grizzlies and Utah Jazz will play their second game at 10:00.
Bovada has the odds for tonight’s action, so continue reading on to see which teams could possibly take one step closer to advancing to the second round of the NBA Playoffs.
NBA Odds: Washington Wizards (No. 8) vs Philadelphia 76ers (No. 1) Game 2
Odds via Bovada as of Wednesday, May 26
- Series: PHI leads 1-0
- Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
- Moneyline: Wizards (+285) vs 76ers (-370)
- Point Spread: Wizards +8.0 (-110), 76ers -8.0 (-110)
- Total: 230.5 — Over (-105), Under (-115)
The 76ers took the 1-0 series lead after a high-scoring affair during Sunday night’s NBA action, defeating the Wizards by a 125-118 score. It was Philadelphia’s ‘Big 3’ that got it done for them, as Tobias Harris led the way with a 37-point effort. Joel Embiid wasn’t that too far behind, registering 30 points in 29 minutes of action. And even though Ben Simmons only had 6 points, he still had 15 rebounds and 15 assists for a double-double.
Despite the Wizards being such underdogs, it’s not like they got destroyed in Game 1. Statistically speaking, they were close to the 76ers in most categories, however, things fell apart in the paint as Philadelphia outscored Washington there 76-58. Figuring out how to control Embiid would help in that department. Although, something else that would be helpful is if Russell Westbrook has a better showing tonight. While he had 14 assists in Game 1, he only had 16 points, which isn’t enough from a player of his caliber in the NBA Playoffs.
Atlanta Hawks (No. 5) vs New York Knicks (No. 4) Game 2 Odds
Odds via Bovada as of Wednesday, May 26
- Series: ATL leads 1-0
- Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
- Moneyline: Hawks (+110) vs Knicks (-130)
- Point Spread: Hawks +2.0 (-105), Knicks -2.0 (-115)
- Total: 212.5 — Over (-110), Under (-110)
After the Hawks 107-105 victory over the Knicks in Game 1, Bovada is projecting that this game will also be pretty close. If the Hawks want to get one step closer to an NBA Championship, they’re going to need another outstanding game from Trae Young. The 22-year-old dropped a 32-point, 10-assist double-double in the opening game and he’ll need more of that to overcome the Knicks again. He’s the straw that stirs the drink in Atlanta and if he goes silent, the team is in trouble.
On the other hand, the Knicks could use a better performance from most of their top players, specifically Julius Randle. The NBA’s Most Improved Player was dreadful from the field, hitting just 6 of his 23 attempts. He finished the night with a 15/12/4 stat line, which is far from ideal in a playoff scenario. R.J. Barrett wasn’t much better, going 6-for-15 (including 1-for-6 from the 3-point line). If they want to win Game 2, the Knicks need their players to be a lot more accurate.
NBA Odds: Memphis Grizzlies (No. 8) vs Utah Jazz (No. 1) Game 2
Odds via Bovada as of Wednesday, May 26
- Series: MEM leads 1-0
- Time: 10:00 p.m. EST
- Moneyline: Grizzlies (+310) vs Jazz (-420)
- Point Spread: Grizzlies +8.5 (-105), Jazz -8.5 (-115)
- Total: 219.0 — Over (-110), Under (-110)
The Grizzlies had to grind out the upset 112-109 Game 1 victory over the Jazz with a lot of help from Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks. The duo had 26 and 31 points respectively and look to continue the team’s Cinderella run in Game 2. A good way of doing that is by forcing Utah to turn the ball over a lot again. The Jazz had 14 turnovers to the Grizzlies’ 9, which also led to Memphis recording 12 steals.
Meanwhile, the Jazz will be getting a big boost in Game 2 in the form of Donovan Mitchell. Utah’s best scorer missed Game 1, but he’ll be back and looking to make up for lost time tonight. After all, Mitchell averaged 35.0 points per game against the Grizzlies this season. Assuming he can do that again, the Jazz will be in better shape Wednesday night.
