The NBA playoffs roll on for another day, and we've got three Game 3s on the docket Thursday night. The Knicks will try to avenge an epic meltdown in Game 2 against the Hawks, while the Raptors are still looking for their first playoff win against the Cavaliers. Meanwhile, out West, the Timberwolves responded in a major way with a win in Game 2, and will now take things back home to try and gain an advantage over the Nuggets.
Here's the schedule and a prediction for each matchup:
Things could not have gone worse for the Knicks in the closing minutes of Game 2. It was a meltdown of epic proportions, and they've likely only thought about the fact that they should be up 2-0 in this series ever since CJ McCollum rattled off six points in the waning minutes of the game to complete the comeback for Atlanta and pull them even in the series. With that in mind, I'm going with New York to try and respond on the road and make a statement. Pick: Knicks (-1.5)
The Raptors tightened up defensively, but still aren't making enough of an impact offensively for it to matter. Brandon Ingram had a poor showing in Game 2, which is a shame given Toronto had a 45-19 bench scoring advantage. If Ingram made just a few more of his shots, the Raptors might've won that game, which sounds insane given the Cavs had three players score 25 points or more.
I think Ingram will bounce back in Game 3, and the Raptors will get a win on the board to stave off a sweep in this series Pick: Raptors (+2.5)
Jaden McDaniels made headlines following Minnesota's Game 2 win when he said the key to Minnesota's success was targeting their "bad defenders," and then proceeded to list them off by name. He wasn't wrong, the Wolves picked apart Denver's defense, and a more efficient offensive game from Julius Randle certainly helped matters.
But Denver isn't just going to take McDaniels comments lying down. Cameron Johnson said it's good "bulletin board material," so I'm going with Denver to show their defense isn't "bad" by any means in Game 3. Pick: Nuggets (-2.5)