The second round of the NBA playoffs will continue with two games Tuesday.

The NBA playoffs record so far is 11-17-1. Odds are provided by Oddsshark.com.

Washington at Atlanta (-6.5)

The Wizards are hot. And against the spread they’re even hotter.

Winning straight up is tough enough for NBA teams. Winning against the spread is more difficult, and the Wizards are 5-0 straight up and against the spread. So why is Atlanta a 6.5 point favorite?

I’m not sure. Maybe oddsmakers are expecting a better Hawks team. Or maybe they’re expecting the Wizards to take a step back. Atlanta looked good for the first part of the first game against Washington, but faded in the fourth quarter.

On a positive note for Hawks’ backers, the late game disaster may be chalked up to the lack of rest. Atlanta played a game seven on Friday, and turned around to host game one on Sunday.

I’m tired of picking against the Wizards. Sometimes you have to figure out when you’ve been wrong about a team, and make an adjustment. I’m taking the Wizards and the points. Pick – Washington

Memphis at Golden State (-10.5)

Sure, I like Memphis. But the key part of this series is how good Golden State can be when it’s clicking on all cylinders.

The loss of Mike Conley also hurts the Grizzlies. It hurts more than I originally predicted. The Grizzlies didn’t show enough ability to score without Conley, giving me pause as this series continues.

However, I’m still giving Memphis a chance. Maybe I’m being stubborn, but I still like Memphis’ ability to play defense well enough that it could slow down the Warriors enough that 10 points would be just too much.

Without Conley, there’s no way Memphis will win this series. But in a game two situation where the Grizzlies will be in the place of needing to win, I like the Grizzlies to cover the 10 points. Pick – Memphis

 

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