Kate Constable:
Good afternoon. Welcome in to the BetUS NBA Show. We have Chris Farley, Josh C back with us today and I’m your host, Kate Constable.
Kate Constable:
Yesterday was a much-needed very successful day for us here on the show. We went five and oh, and we were able to have this type of success because no one bet on NBA Minnesota Timberwolves yesterday. That was an absolute nightmare of a game for the Wolves, blowing two double digit leads. Chris, what in the world happened there?
Chris Farley:
Yeah. I think we’re seeing the results of a really young team. I mean, first of all, I should say, as my millions of followers probably already know, I don’t have internet at home base right now so I wasn’t able to watch any of these games. But, when I did get pretty good service and I… I couldn’t… I thought that ESPN was messing up as usual. You know? But… But, no. I mean, the Timberwolves… What did they score? 16 points in the second half? Is that right? It’s something… It’s something insane. Or, no, no.
Kate Constable:
Yeah.
Chris Farley:
16 points and it’s like two minutes left in the third quarter or something like that.
Kate Constable:
The Grizzlies outscored them 50 to 16 in the final 15 minutes.
Chris Farley:
Just… Just… I mean, for that to happen in a playoff game at home… You know, there’s a lot of words that overused in the lexicon of sports and sports betting like… But, that is about the biggest choke you’ll ever see, especially being at home. Right? Behind your home crowd, you would think just the pressure of wanting to attack the basket and perform in front of your fans, and they couldn’t muster it. And, I wish I could speak to the nuances of the Grizzlies defense and maybe what happened there, but I think in essence what we’re seeing here is an undisciplined team, a young team who could really get the wind taken out of their sails very quickly.
Chris Farley:
And, kudos to the Grizzlies for not stopping the fight throughout that entire contest. Right? Because, we have to give credit to them too. They could have… They could have given up at some points, like the Timberwolves did in game two, and they did not do that. So, credit to Ja Morant and the Grizzlies. I’m sure that series will offer some more really entertaining aspects, but that was among some of the craziest stuff I’ve ever seen.
Kate Constable:
Yeah. To do it in front of that Minnesota crowd who hasn’t seen a playoff game in years, especially after how excited they got when the Wolves won the play-in game, and then this is the product you put on the floor? And, I thought Chris Finch… I mean, he’s been a very good coach for the Wolves all season long, but he didn’t call a timeout when his team was blowing that 25 point lead. I mean, the Grizzlies go 10 and oh scoring and he still doesn’t call a timeout. It’s clear his team can’t really figure out what’s going on or make the necessary adjustments. That’s where the coach steps in and as a coach calls a timeout for his team.
Kate Constable:
Josh, you said before the show started that you weren’t able to watch it yesterday. Everyone’s moving right now. Both of you guys are… You know, all sorts of things going on. But, looking at that box score, what did you take away from that game?
Josh C.:
A lot. In essence, I obviously would love to watch this game back more so than any of the other ones that took place yesterday, largely just because it seems like the case of Minnesota being stuck in one of those situations where offensively, they fall in love with the three ball probably too much, and when it’s not dropping you’re allowing Memphis to then play in transition offensively and that is basically like a death loop, really, where it’s miss, make, miss, make, miss, make, and things can spiral quickly.
Josh C.:
And, like you said, I think the one thing that stands out to me, especially [inaudible 00:03:34] and I saw it online was that Chris Finch kind of just let them keep playing through it and I think it’s kind of admirable in a way that you think that your players can figure things out, but then at some point, you need to understand that there’s also a part as a coach where you have to protect your players and I think that was exactly that situation, where you need to protect them from themselves a little bit and try and calm things down.
Josh C.:
But, probably just the most Minnesota return to the playoffs you can imagine. Right? I mean, Kate, you can attest to that.
Kate Constable:
Oh, my gosh.
Josh C.:
It’s been so long and the fans would have been so hyped in that first half and to see it sort of come apart the way it did kind of just sums up the direction of that franchise over the last, let’s say, decade or two. So, I’m really curious to see how they respond in game four because that’s a tough thing to come back from. You know, game two was one thing, where you’ve already got game one in your pocket and I guess there’s a little bit of a carefree attitude as to what the outcome of that game was, knowing you’re coming back home.
Josh C.:
But, to fall apart like that in front of your fans and then to have to try and steady the ship in a short turnaround and come back out with a level of intensity that matches what you did in game three… I don’t know if they’re capable of that. If they are, I mean, it’s going to show a fantastic mental resolve and I think it’ll indicate that this series is far from over and it may well go seven games still. But, you know, if Memphis gets in front early, I don’t know if I trust this Minnesota team to be able to pull things together on the fly.
Kate Constable:
I don’t trust them because their top player is supposed to be Karl-Anthony Towns. He had eight points yesterday.
Josh C.:
Wow.
Kate Constable:
Took four shots. Yes, he shot 75%, but he took four shots. And, after the game, I hated what he said in his post-game press conference.
Chris Farley:
Yeah.
Kate Constable:
One, he was asked why didn’t you score more, something like that. And, he says, “Next question.”
Chris Farley:
Yeah.
Kate Constable:
You’re not… You didn’t put up a performance well enough to say next question.
Josh C.:
Yep.
Kate Constable:
And then, he’s asked, “How do you bounce back from this?.” And, his answer is, “[inaudible 00:05:29], go home and drink some wine.”
Josh C.:
Yeah.
Kate Constable:
You know? Like, no. That is not how you… I’m not a professional athlete, which is why I go home and drink wine. Like, that’s what I do. Not the star of the team, an All-Star caliber player. You got to have a better response than that.
Josh C.:
Yeah.
Kate Constable:
The Utah Jazz also didn’t have a great response last night to the Dallas Mavericks. The Jazz had the early lead very early in the first quarter, then it was pretty much all Mavs from there on out. Chris, is this…? I mean, Luka Doncic didn’t even play yesterday. Is this series close to being over for the Jazz?
Chris Farley:
I mean, I think so because Luka’s going to return soon and… I mean, I don’t… You know, we don’t know that for sure but it’s trending that direction. He was questionable before that last game, so you got to think as he continues to practice they’re going to want to put him on the court. Yeah. I mean, the… I think… So, the Jazz had, I think, a lead in the very start of that game. I’m not sure if they led the entire game after that.
Kate Constable:
No, they didn’t.
Chris Farley:
[crosstalk 00:06:32] There was a little switch-a-roo, I guess, at one point.
Kate Constable:
[inaudible 00:06:36] Okay.
Chris Farley:
But, later in the fourth quarter. But, for the majority of that game, that’s just really impressive again by Dallas to… You know, teams are kind of… Or, pundits, experts, are counting this team out. But, this is what they’ve been doing for four months. You know, they really don’t get kicked out of any of these games. They can really up their defense and we’ve seen that in the second half. They… You know, I’ve been saying that before. They have like a lever that they can turn on.
Chris Farley:
But, the Jazz just… They’re… I don’t know. I keep on saying the same thing, but between Donovan Mitchell, who just seems like he’s a highly overrated player at this point…
Kate Constable:
Mm-hmm (affirmative)-
Chris Farley:
And, his lack of chemistry with Rudy Gobert. You know, it’s resulting in some of these [inaudible 00:07:14] 32% from the field… Or, from three point line. You know, allowing the Mavericks to shoot 50% from the floor. Where’s this defense from the Jazz that we’ve seen in the past? Where is the continuity? There just isn’t any and this feels like a team that’s kind of imploding. Right? And, now it’s… Now, it’s showing on the court in the first round of the playoffs against a team that they absolutely should have beat when you put personnel against personnel, undeniably. Right? But, Spencer Dinwiddie and Jalen Brunson, the stock on them is going up for sure, and some of these other players for the Mavericks.
Chris Farley:
So, Mavericks become a more dangerous team, I think, in the next rounds if they win one more and pull this out of all. I guess they have to win two more. But, if they pull this out, you know, being in the lead.
Kate Constable:
Pretty good shot to win two more and win this series, especially with Luka hopefully coming back. Josh, Warriors and Nuggets last night. This one was a close one all the way down the stretch, but the Warriors came up with some big plays, big defensive stops with Draymond Green. Andrew Wiggins got that offensive rebound, passes it over to Jordan Poole. He goes in for the layup and this game’s pretty much over. So, I’ll ask you. Is this series over with the Warriors up three oh on the Nuggets?
Josh C.:
Yeah. It’s playing out exactly as the Phoenix/Denver series did just a season ago. You know, it doesn’t seem to matter what Denver do. They just… They can punch. They take a punch. They punch again and then it seems like it’s always the Warriors that have the final say. And, ultimately, I think the talent disparity showing here… In the playoffs, it becomes really difficult for one single player to be able to carry you through an individual game, let alone an entire series. And, as good as Nikola Jokic is… You know, I’ve said many times he’s undisputedly the MVP for me again this season. But, he can’t do it on this own. They need more production from basically everyone and anyone that they can and they just don’t have the bodies available to do that at the moment.
Josh C.:
So, you know, when the Warriors go on those offensive streaks, they struggle to sort of respond in the same manner because you just don’t know. It’s rocks and diamonds with every single other player on that roster outside of Jokic, unfortunately. So, this probably does finish as a sweep. It finishes the same way last season. It’s not all doom and gloom for Denver. I mean, they simply have an offseason, they get healthy, and they run it back but with Jamal Murray and Michael Porter, Jr. there.
Josh C.:
And, you know, I can assure you it’s going to make an enormous difference and that team immediately becomes a threat in the West as soon as they do have those two healthy scorers available. You know, anyone basically that’s able to take the load off Jokic.
Josh C.:
So, I think the entire landscape of the West at the moment is fascinating, obviously with that Devin Booker injury, which I wasn’t around for to discuss. And, yeah. I worry a little bit for the Suns. If they have to play a little bit more than they need to and they come up against a Dallas team who might end up getting through in five, let’s be honest, the way that the Jazz are just lying down at the moment, and a fully healthy Luka ready and waiting. So, yeah. Things, I think, are going to get really interesting in the West, just not in the Denver series, unfortunately.
Kate Constable:
And, we will touch on that Devin Booker injury a little later in the show because we’ll talk about Suns and Pelicans. But, we will kick things off today taking a look at our overall record. And, Josh, you weren’t on the show yesterday. Jeff Nabu filled in for you and he got the win. I don’t know if we’re counting that towards your record, but hey. Might as well take it because he was in your spot and obviously he’s not on the board here. So, win… Tally in the win column for you yesterday.
Josh C.:
Yeah. I think I deserve it after moving houses. That’s just a stressful process. It’s the least I could get.
Kate Constable:
[crosstalk 00:10:46] Right. All right. Well, we will start things off in Atlanta where the Hawks and Heat are in action tonight. Heat are a one and half point favorite on the road. Total here is 222. This series, two and oh in favor of the Heat. They’ve been dominant in those first two games. But, Atlanta has shown that they’re pretty good at home this season. So, Josh, what is your take in this game?
Josh C.:
Yeah. I mean, we see this angle so often and it’s one that I will continue to basically play on and that’s a team two oh down coming home and putting in their best effort. Ultimately, this is the decider in the series. I mean, the reality is you’re not going to go down three oh and win the series, period. So, this is the game where everyone leaves everything on the floor. There’s no excuses. You get an extra level of intensity on the defensive end in particular and I think that’s kind of what they need in this matchup.
Josh C.:
Offensively, I think there’s still issues for Atlanta to an extent. They shoot the ball tremendously at home in terms of their splits versus what they do on the road and I think that can go a long way in itself because they were competitive last game but they still didn’t shoot the three particularly well and if they can get that going at least for a certain duration of the game and allow themselves to play from in front for large portions in front of this home crowd, I think that carries pretty big weight in this meeting.
Josh C.:
So, for Miami, I mean, they don’t really need to do much to change things and to get the job done probably in five games, I think most likely. But, this is the game where everything sort of screams towards Atlanta returning home. They’ve been terrific in their first game home all regular season, and I know it’s a completely different environment and situation here, but some things still ring true. Some teams still wait to come home off of a road trip and that first… Especially the first 24 minutes of the game, they really put their best efforts in, and that is exactly what I anticipate in this game.
Josh C.:
I think the Hawks… Like I said, offensively, as long as they get that three ball going… They did show some things in game two that I liked. They found range from midrange and the floater area, especially when Miami went to a zone defense. And, you know the Heat. They’re going to roll that out again at some point and if the Hawks basically identify that pretty quickly and go back to just penetrating and playing midrange jump shots, they’re going to have a lot of success there, and as soon as they do, that’s again when it opens up the floor for them elsewhere.
Josh C.:
So, for me, I love Atlanta first half. I love Atlanta full game here. I think this is the spot where they come out and they get it done. Like I said, the first 24 minutes of this one, they’ll have that extra intensity. There’s that buzz around the arena as well, which carries a lot more weight I think than some people are willing to sort of put credit towards in the playoff environment. And, I think they hold on to the full game ultimately down the stretch as well. This is the one where they get one done. It’s game four where I probably look to buy back on the Heat, to be perfectly honest. But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s lock in Atlanta for today, first half and full game in this one to get the job done.
Kate Constable:
Trae Young had a really poor shooting performance in game one. A lot better in game two. You can imagine now being back at home where, as you mentioned, the Hawks shoot much better, that he should have a big game tonight especially if they want to extend this series a little bit more. Chris, what are your thoughts on this game?
Chris Farley:
Yeah. Riding along the same narrative that Josh is. I think the Hawks are going to at least control the tempo in this game for the first half. You know, they’re going to need to. Right? I mean, if the Heat try and slow this down, they’re still behind their home crowd and it’s really the only chance I think that the Hawks have of beating the Heat, is when they control the pace and they play small ball and when it’s a lot of perimeter shooting. Right? And, that is what the Hawks do really well at home. They’re second overall post All-Star break in offensive efficiency. Their pace ticks up at home.
Chris Farley:
And, for what it’s worth, Bam Adebayo is a little banged up right now. I don’t… You know, I don’t think there’s any chance that he doesn’t play tonight, but he is officially questionable. I think it’s a bruised knee or something like that. You know, Bam’s a pretty tough guy and I’m sure that he’s still going to bring an A plus effort. But, if that shores up anything for the Hawks in the paint, that’s only a good thing for them. Obviously, Clint Capela being out too makes them the smaller lineup. But again, I don’t think that’s a bad thing for the Hawks. This is a really good pure shooting team, a really good pure perimeter shooting team, and if they’re going to want to hang with the Heat, they’re going to have to play their style of basketball.
Chris Farley:
So, I like the first half to go over and that’s because a lot of the same reasons that Josh offered. Hawks kind of controlling things, having extra momentum and maybe a little bit more motivation at home too to appease their home crowd. So, I think… I think Trae Young has a lot better game, too.
Kate Constable:
All right. Well, both Chris and Josh in sync on their picks for this game. Chris is playing the first half over and Josh is playing the Hawks in the first half and the full game.
Kate Constable:
Moving on to the Bucks and the Bulls. I mean, we’ve talked a little bit about a lot of the injuries that are happening in the postseason and Khris Middleton is one of those big names that is going to be out for a significant amount of time. He has an MCL sprain. Not tear, but a sprain suffered in game two. And, the Bulls… They snatched that game away from the Bucks in Milwaukee. So, back in Chicago tonight. Bucks are still the favorite on the road but the Bulls hosting their first playoff game since 2017, so you can imagine that the United Center is going to be pretty excited tonight.
Kate Constable:
Chris, we’ll start with you here. What is your thoughts for this game?
Chris Farley:
Yeah. Let me tell you. As somebody who’s, with older age, has endured some knee issues, there’s a big difference between a tear and a sprain. So, it’s kind of good news from Khris Middleton that he can come back eventually, but make no mistake about it. He is the number two guy for the Bucks and he was hugely important for them in the playoffs last year. Hit a lot of those midrange high pressure shots when they needed it most. So, they will miss him.
Chris Farley:
But, I don’t have an official play on the show today but the only direction I can look, even though you could argue there’s plenty of momentum going in Chicago’s direction… They do play somewhat better at home. I mean, they’re still not… Haven’t been a very good team at home post All-Star break. But, this is… For me, this is a game where the Bucks need to show that they are every bit as much of a championship contender as they were last year. Obviously, the returning champs. But, this should be a gigantic Giannis game who’s going to feel the added weight on him. He’s okay with that. We’ve seen him take on that pressure before and put up some dominant performances.
Chris Farley:
You know, there’s a reason why his points, assists and rebounds are at 56, 55 and a half, depending on the book, and that is an outrageous line and… But, I think that it might still go over tonight because he’s going to have such a responsibility for this team. The Bucks need to apply some of that defense that we saw last year in the playoffs too. They were able to switch it up a lot. I don’t know if they have the personnel as much this year as [inaudible 00:17:31]. You know, they don’t have P.J. Tucker, who they probably still miss.
Chris Farley:
But, they still have plenty of guys that can step up and they need to probably just keep Jrue Holiday on DeMar DeRozan as much as possible and see an uptick in his defensive effort too because we’ve seen some good things from the Bucks but this is a Bucks team that’s still allowing the Bulls to do too many things. The Bulls shot 58% from three point land in game two. That’s absurd. The Bulls don’t do that. And, if the Bulls choose to shoot that many threes, they don’t it that well. So, maybe we start to close out on those three pointers, Bucks. I expect a really solid all around effort just like I do for the Suns, which we’ll talk about in the next game.
Chris Farley:
These are two championship teams and I know the Bucks… Listen, this is the 20th rated defense since the All-Star break, so they have not looked great. But, it’s coming. You know? I still believe that this is a defense that’s going to turn up the volume. So, I would have to lean all directions towards the Bucks again tonight, although it’s getting a little bit scary now because give credit to the Bulls. Caruso has been playing excellent defense. DeMar DeRozan stepped up just like he said he would. And, Vucevic is playing really well, too. So, they are putting forth their best effort.
Kate Constable:
I don’t have an official play on this game, either, but I would agree with you. I lean towards the Bucks. What I did like from the Bulls in the game two, though… I thought they showed a little bit more poise than they have towards the second half of this season. I mean, they’ve been really bad against top teams, but in that last game, they were up 18. The Bucks made a run, cut it to three, and the Bulls responded. They brought that lead back up to 16. That’s something that, against top teams towards the back end of the season, that’s when they completely fold and that’s when the better team takes over and wins the game.
Kate Constable:
But, we didn’t see that from the Bulls this time. They looked a little bit more poised, like they were playing a more cohesive game altogether. So, I thought good signs there for the Bulls, but I still think that this a Milwaukee Bucks team that obviously is a championship caliber team and just hasn’t quite turned it on completely. Their defense has another level that they can get to. It’s just putting all the pieces together and I don’t think that’s going to be too much of a problem for them going forward, even without Middleton in, I will add.
Kate Constable:
Josh, could you talk Chris or I out of leaning towards the Bucks? Are you thinking the Bulls? What’s going on?
Josh C.:
I’m just waiting for one of you to officially pull the trigger on Milwaukee so I can just do the same thing, really. I want to do it. I haven’t done it yet. I think absolutely it’s the right side in my opinion. Obviously, Middleton being out certainly hurts them, especially the longer the series goes. But, he hasn’t been good to start this series. He wasn’t good in game one. He wasn’t good in the first half of game two. And, ultimately, more Giannis is probably a good thing because it is still the biggest mismatch on the floor. Chicago simply doesn’t have an answer for him and if they continue to run absolutely everything through him, I think it’s going to probably be to the benefit of Milwaukee’s offense in the grand scheme of things, not just because of what he can do scoring it but then what he does simply by [inaudible 00:20:32] the attention, rather, that he drives from the defense and the space that it opens up for everyone else on the floor.
Josh C.:
So, it does mean we also need a big Jrue Holiday game, which we have not had as yet, and I think we’re all kind of waiting for it. He was excellent in the playoffs last season, not just as a facilitator but as a scorer, so he needs to find his rhythm in terms of scoring the basketball. But, you know, I’m not necessarily sold on Chicago, either. I thought it was a great win, but it involved DeMar DeRozan making a lot of tough shots. They were not easy. A lot of them were heavily contested. A lot of them were low percentage, long midrange twos, which… You know, it’s DeRozan’s bread and butter, so I don’t want to take away from the fact that he can probably do it again. But, it’s still a low percentage shot and one that I think that Milwaukee will be happy to live with the outcome of more often than not.
Josh C.:
So, [inaudible 00:21:22] I think they’re necessarily going to make adjustments there. I think the Bulls… Like Chris said, they’re not going to shoot it that well from three again. That’s just not what this team’s about. And, ultimately, I don’t think the adjustments that Budenholzer needs to make are necessarily drastic by any stretch of the imagination. So, if they perform at a similar level to what they did in game two, it probably is going to be enough to win and cover I think in this situation.
Josh C.:
You know, [inaudible 00:21:47] looking at the shot quality metrics from that game two. The Bucks should have won by 15 points based on those projections and I think that kind of speaks to how much Chicago sort of overperformed their expectations, especially like you said, from beyond the arc, and also the fact that Milwaukee underperformed in terms of their shooting and they were able to actually run pretty good offensive sets. It’s just nothing seemed to fall for them for large stretches at a time, which put them in pretty big holes.
Josh C.:
So, yeah. I agree entirely with both of you. I think Milwaukee’s the side. I think I should play it. I haven’t played it. I might play it. I don’t know. But, if you’re going to play this game, it definitely has to be Milwaukee.
Kate Constable:
[inaudible 00:22:25] Well, I’ll play it if you guys play it. How about that? Yeah?
Josh C.:
I love these games. Yep.
Chris Farley:
I’ve already… I’ve already played it. I just didn’t want to say it on the show.
Josh C.:
Oh, [inaudible 00:22:34].
Kate Constable:
Okay.
Chris Farley:
[crosstalk 00:22:36]
Josh C.:
[crosstalk 00:22:36] wasting our time here, Chris.
Kate Constable:
Yeah. Come on, Chris.
Chris Farley:
[crosstalk 00:22:37]
Josh C.:
[crosstalk 00:22:39] to convince ourselves. I’m talking just to convince myself here, not because of any other reason.
Chris Farley:
I try not to give all of my picks on every show, you know? But, yeah. I definitely took the Bucks. No doubt about it.
Kate Constable:
All right. An extra premium pick for free from old Farley bets over there. So, clearly taking the Bucks tonight.
Josh C.:
Take the Bucks. I’m in.
Kate Constable:
All right. Well, kind of a similar game in terms of performances from top teams is the Suns and Pelicans. Similar I mean in the Bucks and Suns, kind of how they performed last game. Suns are a two point favorite on the road here. Devin Booker is out of this game with a mild hamstring strain. He’ll be out for two to three weeks, which seems to me that has some people panicking, but I’m not quite sure that should be the case. I mean, without Devin Booker this year, the Suns are eight and three. They were without Chris Paul for a significant amount of time this year. They went 11 and four. So, they’ve proven time and time again that they can play without one of their stars in.
Kate Constable:
And, the narrative around this team all season has been their depth, how deep this Suns team is and this mentality of the next man up. And so, I’m not sure this line is very accurate tonight. I am going to lay the two points with the Suns and they’re the best road team in the league so far. 32 and nine on the road. I just think that this is a spot for the Suns to show once again why they’ve been the most dominant team in the NBA all season long. Chris, you agree?
Chris Farley:
Yeah. I totally agree. I had this one circled when it came out two days ago at minus one. You know, happy to still take it at minus two and see that it didn’t move too much because everything that you said, Kate… This is still a Phoenix Suns team who… I think they have probably the best depth in the NBA. We’re going to see a lot of Cameron Payne. We’re going to see more Cam Johnson. That’s not a bad thing. They’re not Devin Booker, but these guys can step in and especially on offense can make a big difference and that’s where… You know, that’s where they’re going to need it. Right?
Chris Farley:
But, I got to say, you talk about a aberration. You know, looking at some of these stats from that last game. 57% from beyond the arc for the Pelicans, another team that doesn’t shoot threes and if they do they don’t shoot them very well. 55% from the floor shooting. The Pelicans are a good overall shooting team, but the Suns… You know, all year it hasn’t changed. You look at their defensive categories and their rankings. They’re top 10 in so many things and it’s because of how they can switch up. It’s because of how they move constantly and how they pester other teams.
Chris Farley:
One area that is of concern for me, to play devil’s advocate, is the Pelicans are a very good rebounding team and the Suns have not been a very good rebounding team. This is a big spot for DeAndre Ayton. You know, Valančiūnas plays grown man basketball and this is just going to be one of those spots where if DeAndre Ayton… If we see the softer version of him, that might be a real liability in this game. Still, the Suns, like you said, Kate, they test the team. They’ve been here before. Their defense in the second half… Even though the Pelicans were not missing anything, they’re going to still feel accountable for that. I’m sure Monty Williams is going to make them feel accountable for that.
Chris Farley:
I expect to see a very good defensive effort, especially from the Suns. And, like I said before, not trying to dog Devin Booker. He is the most talented player on that team. But, CP Three is the leader of that team and I think we’re going to see just how important and essential he is, especially when Devin Booker is off the court. I expect the Suns to answer tonight and cover this line.
Kate Constable:
Talk about the rebound disparity. I think that’s a lot of what led to their loss and their performance, the Suns that is, in game two, because in game one the Suns got out-rebounded by 20. Pelicans had 25 offensive rebounds. And so, the focus in game two was crashing the boards and getting more rebounds, which then in turn made the Suns transition defense awful and that’s what crushed them, is their poor transition defense. So, now that they’ve gotten hopefully the rebounding thing addressed, they’ve hopefully now got the transition defense addressed, I think we see a different version of the Suns tonight.
Kate Constable:
Josh, any thoughts on this game?
Josh C.:
You guys have nailed everything that I had to say on this game. In particular, to a certain DeAndre Ayton, my message is if you want to get paid this offseason, go and rebound that basketball. That’s going to be a differentiator, I think, in these games. That’s how you’re going to win home court back and it’s going to fall entirely on his shoulders. He needs to be that guy. So, if he does that, then yeah, I think Phoenix regain home court pretty quickly and figure out a way to get this series done sooner rather than later as well and not let it drag too far.
Josh C.:
Ultimately, I think again they’re the right side in this situation. It’s the only way I would play it. You know, I’m not going to regurgitate everything that everyone said that ticked every box. You know, Chris Paul’s still the guy that’s going to lead them out there. He’s been here too many times to let one injury sort of derail the entire campaign for this team. I actually like Cam Johnson coming in and playing more minutes. I think it helps them defensively as well with his length and size, so that should come to the fore, especially in the fourth quarter. If you have him on the floor closing, in the closing lineup in particular, I think that’s going to cause the Pelicans a little bit of discomfort in trying to find points to attack. And, you know, he might do a better job actually of helping Chris Paul in that regard on the perimeter.
Josh C.:
So, everything says Phoenix. I think there’s just a few things for them to tidy up and Monty Williams is a guy that’ll find those things to tidy up, get their message across, and I think that this Suns team is professional enough to execute it. So, yeah. Phoenix for me in this game as well. Haven’t played it yet but another one that I still might get involved with before tipoff.
Kate Constable:
Chris and I have played this one. We are playing this one, taking the Suns minus two. That’ll lead us right into our question and answers because we have a question here from Tawny. Thanks, Tawny. Do you see Jae Crowder having a big game tonight? Would you take him at over under nine and a half? I feel like that’s doable. Chris, [inaudible 00:28:37]?
Chris Farley:
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I’m pointing here. I’m pointing at you, Tawny. That’s a pretty sharp look, I think. What’s his name?
Kate Constable:
Tawny. Girl. A girl.
Chris Farley:
Tawny. Oh. Tawny. There I go messing up names again. Tawny, I’m sorry. That’s what I… That’s what I do on this show.
Kate Constable:
That’s what Chris does.
Chris Farley:
It’s something we all make fun of. Sorry about that. So, I think that’s a really sharp look. I mean, Jae Crowder is oh for nine from three point land in this playoff series so far in the first two games. And, Jae Crowder, we know in some of those, right, pressure moments when the Suns need him, he can hit those corner threes. He’s known to do that. So, he should perform better. These are two bad games in a row, shooting-wise for him. Of course, they don’t really depend on him for that, but now, you know, someone’s going to have to make up for the 30 plus that Devin Booker is going to leave off the floor.
Kate Constable:
Mm-hmm (affirmative)-
Chris Farley:
So, he’s probably going to get a few more looks. I think that’s a sharp… It’s a sharp take.
Kate Constable:
And, I thought he played awful in game two.
Chris Farley:
Yeah.
Kate Constable:
So, I don’t see Jae Crowder having back to back terrible games. We haven’t seen that too much this season. So, I think that’s… That is a good look. Josh, first quarter Suns/Pelicans. It’s at 53. Over? Under? What do you think?
Josh C.:
I would probably go over, to be honest. Initial inclination would be under, obviously, with Booker out and I think things slow down. But, for a first quarter play, given the situation, I think, yeah. Over is definitely a look. You have a situation where the Pelicans kind of have to try and figure things out on the fly as to how Phoenix is going to run and operate that offense now, where it’s been very Booker heavy in the first quarter and first half and that’s not going to be the case.
Josh C.:
So, yeah. Trying to figure things out on the fly is really difficult in the playoffs and it gives Phoenix, I think, a really good advantage as well in that first quarter to go out and put themselves in a situation where they can play from in front. The flip side… Again, I think that the Pelicans probably carry a little bit of that momentum over early on here, feed off of the crowd, get their sort of midrange jump shots in particular going. It’s in the second quarter, it’s in the second half in particular where I think things will slow down in this game and that’s when both defenses will sort of have more answers to each other.
Josh C.:
So, I would lean over to start with here, but I wouldn’t be feeling too confident about a full game over if that’s what you’re looking at as well.
Kate Constable:
Yeah. I believe both games, full games, have gone under these past two games in this series. So, all right. First quarter over and we like Jae Crowder to have a big night tonight.
Josh C.:
Doesn’t even to be big, just decent.
Kate Constable:
Yeah. Just a decent night, I suppose.
Josh C.:
Yeah.
Chris Farley:
Just do something, Jae. I’ll tell you, this is killing me. Even talking about this, I want to watch these games. This stinks. It’s one of my… I’m going to have to find a way to jerry rig it somehow. I don’t know.
Kate Constable:
Yeah. You don’t have any internet. No internet, no cable?
Chris Farley:
I have… You know, I’ve got service on my phone but… Not that my new place is in the boonies, but service isn’t great, so I don’t know if I’m [inaudible 00:31:30].
Kate Constable:
All right. You’re in trouble tonight.
Chris Farley:
I’m in trouble tonight. I might…
Kate Constable:
Josh and I will text you updates throughout the evening.
Chris Farley:
Yeah. I might have to sneak out late, you know? Go watch [inaudible 00:31:38].
Kate Constable:
All right. Let’s take a look at our best bets for today. Chris and Josh both aligned in this Hawks/Heat game. Chris is playing the first half over. Josh is taking the first half and the full game in favor of the Hawks. And, Chris and I both playing the Suns tonight. All right, gentlemen. That’s all we got.
Chris Farley:
Let’s go, Suns.
Kate Constable:
Today is Friday. That’s right. Is it Friday? Yeah.
Josh C.:
Yeah. I mean, well, Saturday here. But, yeah. Friday for you guys.
Kate Constable:
Yeah. So, hope everyone has a good weekend. I will be gone all next week. It’ll be a boys club next week. Alex, Chris and Josh with you guys all week, so hope you guys have a great time. I will miss you, but…
Chris Farley:
It’s going to be… It’s going to be mayhem, so, yeah. We’ll miss you, too.
Kate Constable:
Yeah. All right. Well, we will see you… Well, they will see you all next week at BetUS. I will see you in a few weeks. Thanks for joining us. Have a good night. Don’t forget to check our sportsbook!
