Another night of NBA playoff action is in the books as we move on to three more postseason games on Thursday night. The Milwaukee Bucks will be looking to take a 3-0 stranglehold on their series with the Miami Heat at 7:30 p.m. EST. The Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns will square off the third game of their series at 10:00. Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers will play their own Game 3 at 10:30.
Once again, BetOnline has released odds for each of the games. To see who has the best shot at getting one step closer to an NBA Championship, continue reading on.
NBA Odds: Milwaukee Bucks (No. 3) vs Miami Heat (No. 6) Game 3
Odds via BetOnline as of Thursday, May 27
- Series: MIL leads 2-0
- Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
- Moneyline: Bucks (-123) vs Heat (+103)
- Point Spread: Bucks -1.5 (-110), Heat +1.5 (-110)
- Total: 226.0 — Over (-110), Under (-110)
Judging by the betting odds, Game 3 of this series is projected to be a close one. The Bucks took the two-game advantage over the Heat after winning Game 2 by a dominating 132-98 score. One of the reasons Milwaukee won was because of Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had a 31-point, 13-rebound triple-double. Another reason why was because the Bucks dominated the Heat from the 3-point line, hitting 22 shots from beyond the arc compared to Miami’s eight.
Meanwhile, the Heat are going to need their entire team to show up. When Dewayne Dedmon was your leading scorer in Game 2, you know there are problems. Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler combined for just 26 points. Tyler Herro was practically invisible, scoring 4 points in 17 minutes of gameplay. Considering that those three players are the Heat’s ‘Big 3,’ they can’t win without them, which means they need to show up for Game 3 or they can probably kiss their NBA Finals dreams goodbye.
Phoenix Suns (No. 2) vs Los Angeles Lakers (No. 7) Game 3 Odds
Odds via BetOnline as of Thursday, May 27
- Series: Series tied 1-1
- Time: 10:00 p.m. EST
- Moneyline: Suns (+230) vs Lakers (-275)
- Point Spread: Suns +7.0 (-110), Lakers -7.0 (-110)
- Total: 210.5 — Over (-110), Under (-110)
The Suns face a strange situation where they’re the No. 2 seed, yet underdogs coming into the matchup. That’s just how great Los Angeles is, which means that Phoenix needs to come out strong in Game 3. Devin Booker (31 PTS) and Deandre Ayton (22 PTS, 10 REB) both showed up for the Suns in Game 2, as did Cameron Payne (19 PTS, 7 AST), but that was about it. Every other player on the team had 8 or fewer points, which won’t be enough to compete with an NBA team as deep as their opponents.
If the Lakers want to repeat as NBA Champions, they’re going to need similar performances from LeBron James and Anthony Davis that they had the other night. L.A.’s top duo combined for 57 points, 14 rebounds and 16 assists. Another key to victory will be forcing the Suns to turn the ball over again. The Lakers forced Phoenix to turn the ball over 13 times in Game 2, which led to them scoring 21 points. A similar effort will be needed in Game 3.
NBA Odds: Denver Nuggets (No. 3) vs Portland Trail Blazers (No. 6) Game 3
Odds via BetOnline as of Thursday, May 27
- Series: Series tied 1-1
- Time: 10:30 p.m. EST
- Moneyline: Nuggets (+150) vs Trail Blazers (-170)
- Point Spread: Nuggets +4.0 (-112), Trail Blazers -4.0 (-108)
- Total: 227.5 — Over (-110), Under (-110)
Just like the Suns, the Nuggets are another higher-seeded team entering tonight’s playoff game as the underdog. Denver won Game 2 thanks to a massive effort by Nikola Jokic, who scored a team-high 38 points. The Nuggets also got the victory because they forced the Trail Blazers to turn the ball over more than them (21-12). Even though they’re underdogs, you can’t count out an NBA team with a player as good as Jokic on the roster.
If the Trail Blazers want to win, they’re going to have to find a way to rally behind Damian Lillard this time. Portland’s best player dropped 42 points in Game 2, including going 9-for-16 from the 3-point line in a losing effort. Aside from him, C.J. McCollum (21) and Norman Powell (15) were the only other Trail Blazers to hit double-digit point totals. They’re going to need guys like Jusuf Nurkic and Carmelo Anthony to step in up if Portland wants to win on Thursday night.
