Art Aronson – AAA Sports NBA Picks & Plays

This is a 7* play on MINNESOTA

Minnesota finally broke through with a win in this series, beating Toronto yesterday by a count of 4-1. Monday had seen them lose 5-3 (thanks to the bullpen blowing a 3-1 lead in the 8th inning) and then Tuesday was a one-run loss. So you could say that the Twins were due yesterday and sure enough they came through. The teams finish out the four-game set today with a pitching matchup of Clay Buchholz vs. Michael Pineda. We think it's fair to still be concerned about a Blue Jays lineup that is batting only .215 this season. The Twins are 3-0 in starts made by Pineda so far with him delivering a 3.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. Buchholz has pitched just once, delivering Toronto a huge upset (at +190) against Tampa Bay. The Jays nearly wasted his effort as they were scoreless until the ninth when they struck for three runs. This being a day game would seem to favor the home team. Minnesota is already 6-2 in day games this season while Toronto is just 4-5. Twins earn a split of the series. Play on MINNESOTA

AAA

This is a 10* play UNDER Golden State-LA Clippers

With both teams shooting better than 53% in Game 2 and combining for 266 total points, it's no wonder that the total is so high for Game 3. Of course the "real" story from Monday night is that the Clippers erased a 31-point deficit in the second half and won straight up as 14-point underdogs. In terms of margin, it was the greatest comeback in playoff history. Golden State will obviously be fired up for Game 3 and we see them turning things up on the defensive end. The Under is 4-1 the last five times the Warriors allowed 125 or more points the previous game. It is also a perfect 6-0 if they themselves topped 125 the last game. This is the highest total for any of the three games so far and three of the four regular season meetings also went Under. Neither team will shoot the ball as well as they did in Game 2 and Golden State is now without DeMarcus Cousins. Play UNDER Golden State-LA Clippers

AAA

This is an 8* play on SAN ANTONIO

San Antonio very easily - and probably should - be up 2-0 in this series. After a superb defensive effort allowed them to take Game 1, the Spurs were up by 19 in Game 2 and appeared well on their way to taking both games in Denver. But then Jamal Murray went off for the Nuggets, scoring 21 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter (had started the game 0 for 8). The Nuggets outscored the Spurs 39-23 in the 4th and now we head back to San Antonio tied at one game apiece. While having the league's best home record, Denver is below .500 on the road. San Antonio's home vs. road split is even more pronounced. They should actually be thrilled to have earned a split in Denver, given a 16-25 SU road record. At home they are 32-9 and shoot 41.9% from three-point range. Defensively, the Spurs have made major strides the last couple months. Before the 4th quarter happened Tuesday, it looked like they might hold Denver under 100 pts in two straight games. Going back to 2012, the Nuggets have lost 13 straight here in San Antonio. Play on SAN ANTONIO

AAA