We’ve got two incredibly important matchups on the NBA slate tonight. The Knicks and Nuggets will look to hold homecourt, with both of their series tied at two against the Pacers and Timberwolves, respectively.
Below, we’ll discuss our top NBA Picks for these two Playoff Game 5 matchups.
Tuesday’s Top NBA Picks
Indiana Pacers @ New York Knicks
So far in this series, the Knicks and Pacers have won their two home games. The first three games were tight, but the Pacers dominated the Knicks in Game 4. Ultimately, the Knicks looked fatigued. Their starters had played 40+ minutes in every game up to that point, and four key pieces are currently injured and out.
Therefore, the Knicks missed a bunch of open looks, including many layups that probably should’ve fallen. Yet, this might’ve not been the worst thing to happen. The Knicks starters got their rest in the second half of Game 4 and then held a players-only meeting afterward to clear all the air.
At Madison Square Garden, the Knicks should get some new energy. After all, the Knicks haven’t had back-to-back poor performances from the field since February and hadn’t been this bad offensively throughout the entire year.
New York figures to be more aggressive on the offensive glass, and the Pacers probably won’t shoot a 68.3% effective field goal percentage on the road. Let’s ride with the Knicks against the spread for Game 5 of this insane Eastern Semifinals matchup.
NBA Pick: Knicks -2.5 (-110)
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Denver Nuggets
After the first two games, the Timberwolves had the Nuggets right where they wanted them. However, Minnesota quickly realized how hard it is to put away the reigning and defending world champs. Denver shot an effective field goal percentage of at least 63.6% in Games 3 and 4 on the road to tie the series at two.
The Nuggets haven’t been great on the offensive glass and are still not getting to the foul line much. The defense didn’t even play that well against the Timberwolves in Game 4, yet the Timberwolves found a way, thanks to really good shooting across the board.
Minnesota scored 118.9 points per 100 possessions and a 54.9% effective field goal percentage against the Nuggets last time out. The Timberwolves even limited turnovers to 11.1% and grabbed 31.8% of offensive rebounds. Minnesota dominated the Nuggets in multiple areas, but Denver’s shot-making was superb.
In the most recent home game, Game 2, the Nuggets shot only a 41.7% effective field goal percentage with 22.4% of turnovers. They grabbed more offensive rebounds than in any other game but scored just 89.4 points per 100 possessions.
On the other hand, the Timberwolves had an above-average offense against the Nuggets in three games. However, they received more foul calls at home and still turned the ball over at a high rate.
Therefore, I’ll ride the Under in this competitive Game 5 matchup between the Nuggets and Timberwolves.
NBA Pick: Under 205.5 (-105)
