The NHL Stanley Cup odds might have some people’s attention throughout the United States, but a bigger majority of people are looking to follow the 2023 NBA Playoffs. This is the time of year in which NBA teams are trying to sell out when looking for wins, and the best players are usually going to be on the floor.
Making NBA predictions during the regular season can be a challenge because it’s hard to know what players will be suiting up in each game. That’s not usually the case in the NBA Playoffs, and this has been a terrific start to the postseason throughout the league.
Here is a brief NBA Playoffs recap for the past weekend, but the action is going to continue to heat up this week.
Sixers Moving On
When looking at an NBA Playoffs recap for the weekend, there really is only one place to start. The Philadelphia 76ers are the first team to advance to the second round of the playoffs after sweeping the Brooklyn Nets right out of the postseason.
The Brooklyn Nets were a top team on the NBA Playoff standings at one point this season, but they started to head in the wrong direction after trading away Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Brooklyn was able to give the Sixers some decent games in the series, but Philadelphia was able to meet the challenge each time.
Philadelphia was even able to win the final game without potential MVP Joel Embiid, and now all of the stars for the Sixers will be able to rest up before the next round is set to begin.
Knicks Push Cavs to Brink
One series that has been highly anticipated since the NBA schedule for playoffs came out is the matchup between the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland came into this series as the betting favorite.
The Knicks have taken advantage of playing on their home floor, and they are now leading the series by a 3-1 count. New York has been dominant on defense, and they controlled each of the last two games as they have beaten up on the Cavaliers.
This series will now shift back to Cleveland for Game 5, and it has turned into a must-win game for the Cavaliers. New York is clearly in the driver’s seat for this matchup, but they still have to get the final win.
Warriors Even Things Up
De’Aaron Fox put up some ridiculous NBA player stats over the weekend for the Sacramento Kings, but it wasn’t enough to deliver any wins. Fox did all he could on Sunday afternoon to get the Kings over the Warriors, but it was Golden State that was able to come away with a must-win.
The Warriors looked like a mess in the first two games of this series on the road, but they did what a championship team always does. Golden State Warriors came away with two straight wins on their home floor, and they were able to even up the series with the Kings.
The Warriors are once again the betting favorites to win this series, and it’s going to be a battle to get the final two wins.
Heat, Lakers Looking Good
There are also a couple of underdogs that are looking in great shape in terms of an NBA Playoffs recap from the weekend. The Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers are looking to pull off big upsets in the first round, and that would have a big impact on the NBA Playoffs bracket.
The Miami Heat are taking advantage of a great opportunity as they are now up 2-1 on the Milwaukee Bucks. Milwaukee had some great NBA team stats this season, but they have been battling some injuries throughout this series.
Miami has now taken a 2-1 series lead over Milwaukee, and they will be looking to push that advantage to 3-1 if they can win on their home floor yet again. The Los Angeles Lakers are also up 2-1 in their series as they are looking to get past the Memphis Grizzlies.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis are finally healthy for the Lakers, and that duo has been dominant against a young Grizzlies team. The Lakers still have some work to do before they are able to get past Memphis, but they are in great shape after taking a 2-1 series lead.
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