The 2020-21 NBA Playoffs have been off to a tremendous start before. Despite only being a few games into each series, teams have been giving fans some memorable performances already. When you considering the matchups in tonight’s scheduled games, it’s entirely possible that more thrilling action is on the way.
With that being said, BetOnline has once again released odds for Monday’s NBA postseason action The first game of the night features the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks battling it out in Game 2 of their series. The Bucks currently lead the series 1-0. In the second game, the Denver Nuggets will play host to the Portland Trail Blazers for their own Game 2. The No. 6-seeded Trail Blazers won the first game of their series.
Here’s a look at the odds for tonight’s NBA playoff games, courtesy of BetOnline.
NBA Odds: Miami Heat (No. 6) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (No. 3) Game 2
Odds via BetOnline as of Monday, May 24
- Series: MIL leads 1-0
- Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
- Moneyline: Heat (+165) vs Bucks (-190)
- Point Spread: Heat +4.5 (-105), Bucks -4.5 (-115)
- Total: 222.5 — Over (-110), Under (-110)
Game 1 between the Heat and Bucks came down to the wire and needed overtime to solve. Both teams already had some close battles in the regular season, but it was Milwaukee that walked away from this postseason meeting with a 109-107 victory. As usual, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for his squad, putting up a 26-point, 18-round double-double. Jrue Holiday also had a double-double of his own, registering 20 points and 11 rebounds. Either way, both men will have to play that way but better in Game 2. They had five turnovers apiece in the opening contest, which is not ideal if the Bucks want to advance to Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs.
On the other hand, the Heat need their big guns to step it up in tonight’s game. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, two of Miami’s best players, shot a combined 8-for-37 (21.6%) from the field in Game 1 of the series. That’s absolutely disappointing for two players that the Heat are supposed to rely on. Instead, Goran Dragic (25 pts) and Duncan Robinson (24 pts) had to step it up to keep Miami in the game. While it’s nice to have reliable depth, it won’t be enough to win the series if your star players are silent.
Portland Trail Blazers (No. 6) vs. Denver Nuggets (No. 3) Game 2 Odds
Odds via BetOnline as of Monday, May 24
- Series: POR leads 1-0
- Time: 10:30 p.m. EST
- Moneyline: Trail Blazers (-101) vs Nuggets (-119)
- Point Spread: Trail Blazers +1.5 (-110), Nuggets -1.5 (-110)
- Total: 227.0 — Over (-110), Under (-110)
The Trail Blazers pulled off an upset on Saturday night when they defeated the Nuggets, 123-109, to open their series. It should come to no one’s surprise that Damian Lillard has once again shown up big time for Portland in the NBA Playoffs. He singlehandedly won the game for his team, dropping 34 points and 13 assists for the series-opening double-double. Veteran Carmelo Anthony was also in fine form, recording 18 points and four three-pointers in just 21 minutes of play.
Despite the loss in Game 1, Denver is still favored to win Monday night’s clash at -119 odds. To do that, Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. are going to need some help. While both men scored 34 and 25 points respectively in Game 1, Aaron Gordon (16 pts) and Monte Morris (10 pts) were the only other players to hit double-digit point totals. In comparison, the Trail Blazers had six players with 10-plus points, with five of them hitting 14 or higher. Another area where Denver needs to improve is in terms of three-point percentage. While the Trail Blazers shot 47.5% from beyond the arc in Game 1, the Nuggets shot just 30.6%.
