3 NBA Betting Lines To Watch For May 13: Teams Aim To Avoid Play-In Tournament

Milwaukee Bucks @ Indiana Pacers; Tipoff @ 7:00 p.m. ET

Odds listed are the median odds of all major sportsbooks

Milwaukee’s Season: The Milwaukee Bucks sit in third place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 44-25. Led by reigning two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks are trying to find the playoff success they failed to achieve the past two seasons. Only three games back from first in the conference, Milwaukee will pull out all the stops to get a win tonight.

Key Stats For Milwaukee:

• The Bucks have dominated in points and rebounds all season long, ranking first in the NBA in both categories.
• Milwaukee has no notable injuries headed into tonight’s game.
• The Bucks are 0-4 ATS in their last four games.

Indiana’s Season: While the Indiana Pacers did secure a spot in the play-in tournament, that wasn’t what they wanted going into the season. Indiana pulled off a blockbuster trade early in the season, sending away Victor Oladipo to get Caris Levert in return. Indiana needs to win tonight to try to break a tiebreaker with the Celtics and get the eighth seed and secure an advantage in the play-in tournament.

Key Stats For Indiana:

• First-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis will need to continue his stellar season to get a win tonight. He is averaging 20.4 points per game, 12 rebounds, and 6.6 assists.

• Indiana will play without Defensive Player of the Year candidate Myles Turner and Most Improved Player of the Year candidate Malcolm Brogdon. Guard Aaron Holiday is questionable.

• The over is 5-1 in Indiana’s last six games as an underdog.

Philadelphia 76ers @ Miami Heat; Tipoff @ 7:30 p.m. ET

Odds listed are the median odds of all major sportsbooks

Philadelphia’s Season: This season, The Process has finally seen some real results as the Philadelphia 76ers are in first place in the Eastern Conference. Led by MVP candidate Joel Embiid and Defensive Player of the Year candidate Ben Simmons, Philly has put together a great season. However, the season is not over and Philadelphia needs to continue to win in order to keep the no. 1 seed for a playoff run.

Key Stats For Philadelphia:

• Philadelphia’s 5.5 margin of victory is the fourth-best in the NBA this season.
• Joel Embiid is questionable with an illness while defensive stud Matisse Thybulle is questionable with a hand injury.
• The under is 13-3 in the past 16 games the 76ers have been road favorites.

Miami’s Season: The reigning Eastern Conference champions have had a fine season, just not up to the caliber you would expect the champs to have. Sitting as the no. 5 seed, Miami has dealt with injuries all season long en route to a 38-31 record. Miami can still reach the no. 4 seed, securing home-court advantage in the first round and claim the Southeastern Division Championship with some wins as they are only 0.5 games behind the division-leading Hawks

Key Stats For Miami:

• With Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons patrolling the paint, look for three-point specialist Duncan Robinson to get a lot of action tonight, as he is knocking down 3s at a 41% mark.
• Jimmy Butler is questionable with an eye injury while Victor Oladipo was recently ruled out for the season.
• The over is 7-0 in the past seven games Miami has played following a win.

Portland Trailblazers @ Phoenix Suns; Tipoff @ 10:00 p.m. ET

Odds listed are the median odds of all major sportsbooks

Portland’s Season: After a nice victory last night at Utah, Portland has vaulted up to the no. 5 seed in the West, but they still have not clinched a spot in the playoffs. They are in a fight with the no. 7 seeded Los Angeles Lakers. If Portland wins tonight, they are in the playoffs and the Lakers will be forced to play in the play-in tournament. If Portland loses two out of their next three games and the Lakers win out, Portland will have to play in the tournament, something they will try to avoid tonight.

Key Stats For Portland:

• Leading the team in both steals and blocks per game, Robert Covington will have to come up big to stop a Suns team that shoots nearly 50% from the field.
• Nasir Little is still dealing with his back injury and is listed as questionable for tonight.
• The Blazers are 6-1 ATS in their last seven road games.

Phoenix’s Season: With the addition of Chris Paul, the Phoenix Suns find themselves in second place in the Western Conference, a drastic improvement from last year. Devin Booker, averaging 25.6 points per game this season, makes up the other half of Phoenix’s superstar backcourt. Phoenix only sits 1.5 games behind the Jazz for the no. 1 seed so they will have extra motivation to win tonight.

Key Stats For Phoenix:

• Phoenix is the second-best team in the NBA not just in wins, but also in free throw percentage so look for them to try to get to the line tonight.
• Second-year forward Cameron Johnson is out tonight with a wrist injury.
• Over is 6-0 in their last six games following a loss.