Handicappers Picks

In a series that had featured four blowouts, the Western Conference Finals certainly took a turn for the dramatic on Thursday night when F Ron Artest picked up an errant G Kobe Bryant shot and flushed it home at the buzzer to give the Los Angeles Lakers a 103-101 victory and a 3-2 series lead in the Western Conference Finals over the Phoenix Suns.

BetUS Sportsbook takes its shot at NBA playoff picks for the sixth game in this series, one that the Suns must win if they hope to keep their season alive.
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#1 Los Angeles Lakers (68-29, 41-53-3 ATS) vs. #3 Phoenix Suns (64-33, 59-37-1 ATS) •Game Date/Time: Saturday, May 29th, 9:00 ET •Game Location: US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ •TV/Radio Broadcast: TNT, Sirius

NBA Playoff Odds: Los Angeles Lakers +1.5 vs. Phoenix Suns -1.5: Game Total 216

Bryant may not have hit the game-winning shot, but he certainly has been the MVP of this series for HC Phil Jackson’s team. Bryant has now posted three straight games that came up just short of triple-doubles. He is averaging 33.0 points, 9.6 assists, and 7.4 rebounds per game in this series and is the man that seemingly always hits the big shot with hands in his face.

G Derek Fisher stepped up and gave him a ton of help in Game 5. The wily veteran scored 22 points and hit dagger after dagger that kept the Suns from going on that one huge run that could’ve taken away LA’s lead in a heartbeat.

For Phoenix, had the bench not had such a woeful first half, it probably would be up 3-2 in this series instead of down 3-2. Even though the relief men for HC Alvin Gentry ultimately scored 31 points, they only came up with one bucket in the first half.

C Channing Frye and F Jared Dudley both posted double digit efforts off of the bench in the defeat. Frye, who shot a woeful 1/20 from the floor in the first three games of this series went 4/10 and hit three triples to help bring the Suns back from a deficit that once reached 18 points.

G Steve Nash’s great game was wasted, as he shot 12/20 from the floor for 29 points to go with 11 assists against just two turnovers.

NBA Playoff Insider Tip: After getting blown out in Games 1 and 2, the Suns have suddenly covered three straight games against the Lakers in this series.

Common logic suggests that the Suns could just fall flat after suffering such an emotional defeat. However, we tend to believe that they are going to fight tooth and nail to keep this series alive and to send it back to LA.

Expect to see Phoenix throw the kitchen sink offensively at the Lakers, and the end result should be a ‘W’ for the hosts in what could be an incredibly high scoring affair.

Our NBA playoff picks are on the Suns to send this series back to Tinseltown.

My NBA Playoff Prediction: Phoenix by 3
Source: BetUS Locker Room Featured on: Handicapperspicks.com

San Antonio Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns
Free Pick: Phoenix Suns -4
Courtesy of Mike Rose (Handicapperspicks.com)
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Conference Semifinal action picks up in the desert on Monday night where the San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns will begin their battle for the right to play in the Western Conference Finals.

After dropping Game 1 in their quarterfinal series with the Dallas Mavericks, the Spurs rattled off three straight victories to steal home court and eventually won the series in six games.

Phoenix split its first four games with the Portland Trail Blazers before it punched its ticket to the Western Conference Semifinals by taking Games 5 & 6 with relative ease.

The trio of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker once again reigned supreme for the Spurs in their 1st round match-up with the in-state rival Mavericks.

The keys to success throughout their series with the Mavs was their ability to force turnovers and play stifling defense. They averaged just over six steals per game and held the Mavericks to 90 or less points in four of the six overall NBA playoff betting battles.

Phoenix got a stern test from one of the league’s best defensive teams in the first round of the playoffs. The Suns top ranked offense averaged 103.3 PPG in the series, which was almost seven-points fewer than their regular season average of 110.2 PPG.

When they surpassed the 100-point plateau, the Suns won all four games and went 3-1 ATS.

These Western Conference rivals met up three times throughout the 2009-10 regular season with the home team winning each game. Phoenix came out the pointspread victor though (3-0 ATS) after it covered the four-point spread at San Antonio falling 113-110.

This is going to be a very interesting series to take in for NBA bettors as the grizzled and experienced legs of the Spurs try to keep pace with the frenetic Suns offense. The Suns would love to play every one of their games well over the 200-point barrier, while SA would be ecstatic to keep every one of its opponents around 100-points.

Easier said than done; especially in this spot!

Phoenix let Game 1 get away from them in the quarterfinals against Portland. They ultimately lost 105-100 as lofty 8.5-point favorites allowing Andre Miller to have a monster game. Their shots wouldn’t fall evidenced by them shooting a pathetic 41.8 percent from the field.