The 2020-21 NBA Playoffs continue on Tuesday night with another pair of action-packed games. After upsetting the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1, the Atlanta Hawks will look to take a 2-0 lead in their series as Game 2 kicks off at 7:30 p.m. EST. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz will begin their second-round series at 10:00.
This time, Bovada has the odds for tonight’s NBA action. Continue reading to see who has the best shot of getting one step closer to championship glory.
NBA Odds: Atlanta Hawks (No. 5) vs Philadelphia 76ers (No. 1) Game 2
Odds via Bovada as of Tuesday, June 8
- Series: ATL leads the series 1-0
- Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
- Moneyline: Hawks (+200) vs 76ers (-240)
- Point Spread: Hawks +5.5 (-105), 76ers -5.5 (-115)
- Total: 223.5 — Over (-110), Under (-110)
The Hawks pulled off one of the bigger upsets of this NBA postseason when they defeated the 76ers, 128-124, in Game 1 of this series. As usual, Trae Young played a big part in Atlanta’s victory, finishing the game with 35 points and 10 assists for the triple-double.
However, the Hawks didn’t have just one player to help them win. Bogdan Bogdanovic and John Collins each had 21 points apiece in the win. A repeat performance would certainly be welcomed by the team and its fans, no doubt. Another reason why the Hawks are up 1-0 is that they forced the 76ers to turn the ball over 19 times, leading to 28 points off turnovers. Considering how Philadelphia scored 24 points off turnovers, the difference ended up deciding the game.
Meanwhile, the 76ers need to prove why they were the No. 1 Eastern Conference team in the 2020-21 NBA regular season. One area where Philadelphia has to improve in is when it comes to shooting free throws. The 76ers were 24-for-35 from the free throw line in Game 1. That translates to 68.6%, compared to the Hawks’ 95.2%.
Ben Simmons is the reason why the 76ers’ percentage was so much lower, considering how he missed seven free throws on 10 attempts. Speaking of him, he needs to play better overall in Game 2. While Joel Embiid had 39 points in the opening contest, Simmons finished with 17 points, 4 rebounds and 10 assists. Yes, a double-double is always nice, but Simmons needs to have a bigger impact as the 76ers supposed second-best player.
Los Angeles Clippers (No. 4) vs Utah Jazz (No. 1) Game 1 Odds
Odds via Bovada as of Tuesday, June 8
- Series: First game of the series
- Time: 10:00 p.m. EST
- Moneyline: Clippers (+155) vs Jazz (-175)
- Point Spread: Clippers +4.0 (-105), Jazz -4.0 (-115)
- Total: 220.5 — Over (-110), Under (-110)
When the Clippers were down 3-2 against the Dallas Mavericks last round, people thought that their NBA postseason run was over. Nevertheless, they battled back and now they have a second-round date with the Jazz. Kawhi Leonard will likely need to keep playing as he did in the first round to try and help his team upset the Jazz. He averaged 32.1 points/7.9 rebounds/4.6 assists in the series against the Mavericks.
On the other hand, the Clippers will need more than one player if they want to make it to the next round. The Jazz are an extremely deep team, which means Los Angeles’ depth needs to show up. Aside from Leonard and Paul George, only two other Clippers averaged double-digit point totals in Round 1 (Reggie Jackson and Marcus Morris), which likely won’t be enough to get the job done against Utah.
On the other hand, the Jazz were the best team in the NBA for a reason last season. Now, they enter tonight’s action as the -175 favorites. A total of six players averaged 11.0 or more points in Round 1 for Utah, again, showing how deep the team is. However, none of them come close to Donovan Mitchell, who’s averaged 28.5 ppg in the playoffs.
One way that the Jazz can beat the Clippers is by taking advantage of something the Mavericks did for most of the series: 3-point shooting. Despite being the best team from beyond the arc in the regular season, the Clippers only hit 37.3% of their 3-pointers in the first round. Meanwhile, the Jazz hit 40.6% of theirs, which trails only the Brooklyn Nets (43.2%) among active teams. If Utah’s players can consistently hit their 3s, there’s no reason why they can’t put L.A. behind early and often.
