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The 2022 NBA playoffs get underway on Saturday with four games on the slate. The No. 2, 3, and 4 seeds in the West will be in action as well as the No. 4-No. 5 series between Toronto and Philadelphia in the East.
Both Dallas and Golden State could have some injury issues as Luka Doncic and Stephen Curry are still not cleared to play on Saturday. Whether the two play or not will have a great impact on the outcome of Saturday’s games.
Here are the top NBA playoff picks for Saturday, April 16th 2022.
Utah Jazz vs. Dallas Mavericks
Pick: OVER 209.5
This total opened closer to 215, but has dropped all the way to 209.5. There are a couple good reasons why and it all starts with Dallas star Luka Doncic.
Doncic strained a calf muscle in the Mavs regular season finale. He is listed on the injury report as out indefinitely. It doesn’t appear that he will play today. That means the Dallas offense, which ranks 24 th in the league, will be hard-pressed to hit 100.
Maxi Kleber, who is listed as probable for today, has hit just 21 percent of his three-point attempts over the last 15 games. That’s not good.
Both teams will slow their already slow paces – Utah is 24th and Dallas dead last at No. 30. That will keep this a low-scoring battle, but none of the past ten games in the series has come even close to 209.5. The last three have been low-scoring but still averaged 217 points.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Timberwolves vs. Grizzlies Picks
Pick: OVER 235
Playoff games and Overs don’t usually match, but these are the top two scoring teams in the NBA. Neither has had much playoff success either, so look for them to lay it all out on the floor in Game 1.
Minnesota allowed the sixth-most points per game this season (113.2 ppg) and they rank first in pace averaging 103.5 possessions per game. Memphis isn’t far behind in fourth and while teams typically slow down a bit in the postseason, each of these teams has dynamic scorers.
With Ja Morant back in the Grizzlies lineup, Memphis is capable of going over 130 any night. The TWolves averaged nearly 125 points a game over their final six.
Toronto Raptors vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Pick: RAPTORS +4.5
Toronto is undervalued here as the road team. The Raptors beat the Sixers in three of four games this season. Philly won five of its last six games. The lone loss? Yep, it was Toronto.
The Raptors play great team defense and they excel in transition. They score nearly 16 points per game in transition and the Sixers rank in the bottom-10 on the NBA in transition defense.
Toronto covered the spread in all four games against Philly this season and they are 5-1 ATS in the last six. The Raptors are also 12-6 ATS in their last 18 games while Philadelphia is 1-4 ATS in its last five. Toronto will do enough to keep this one close.
Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors
Pick: WARRIORS -6
Stephen Curry looks to be ready to go for Game 1 of this playoff series and that gives the advantage to the Warriors.
Golden State will counter Nikola Jokic with a three-guard lineup of Curry, Klay Thompson, and Jordan Poole. That, plus the third-ranked defense in the NBA, gives the Warriors the edge here.
The Warriors won their last five games in a row, all without Curry, and they are 5-1 ATS in their last six. Denver is just 6-12 ATS in its last 18 games.
