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00:00A doubleheader of game twos on this Monday night around the NBA playoffs.
00:05Our coach James Young, JY, here to give you that scouting report
00:09and his breakdowns for each of our two games on this Monday.
00:13First, inside the Garden, it's the New York Knicks and the Detroit Pistons.
00:17Then, in the nightcap at altitude, it's the Nuggets and the Clippers.
00:22And JY, the story for this game two tonight inside MSG is very much the idea of resolve.
00:28What bounce back does Detroit have?
00:31And how do they feel about the disaster in the fourth quarter?
00:34Up by eight early on in the fourth to see the Knicks go on that 21-0 run.
00:40How do the Knicks feel about it as well?
00:42Hey, we didn't play the greatest game from start to finish,
00:44but at our best, we can beat the best, especially in the matters,
00:49in the moments that matter most.
00:51So, JY, seven-point spread in favor of the Knicks tonight now
00:55for game number two inside the Garden.
00:57What do you think we see in the response to game one from both of these sides?
01:03Well, I think if you are Detroit, you have to find a way to get Cade Cunningham going.
01:08He just looked really passive, almost, I don't want to say scared of the moment,
01:12just kind of unsure of himself a little bit.
01:15You need to continue to get better play or good play from your veterans.
01:20The problem is that one veteran I think is going to play well, one does not.
01:23The one I think is going to play well is going to be Malik Beasley.
01:26I think he's not scared of the moment.
01:29He's a tough veteran, not afraid to take the big shot, hit a bunch of threes early on.
01:33I think his points popped up 14.5, gone over three in the last four versus the Knicks.
01:37I don't trust, honestly, Tobias Harris to have another bounce-back spot the way he did.
01:43For the Knicks, you didn't play well in the first three quarters.
01:45Jalen Brunson was pedestrian, and you didn't really take advantage of Cat.
01:51If you watch the matchup closely, folks, Cat was being guarded by Tobias Harris.
01:56They put Jalen Duren on Josh Hart.
01:59If I'm Tibbs, I go inside or get the ball to Cat at the high post where it's one drive, one dribble, get to the rim.
02:07Cat over 23.5 points over 10 of the last 15 games, 3-5 versus Detroit, just got to 23 last one.
02:15I think big performance out of Cat.
02:17Knicks get the win and the cover.
02:19Knicks need the big win tonight.
02:21Get that 2-0 series lead.
02:22Get that comfort back.
02:23Or is it a young Pistons team that takes a 1-1, you know, advantage, per se, back to Detroit and say, you know what?
02:28Home court advantage is now ours.
02:29But the big series for me, one of my favorite series that I've been watching to start, is that's the Clippers and the Nuggets.
02:34It's overtime in game number one.
02:36I thought the Clippers should have won that game.
02:37They didn't here.
02:38So talk to me about the Clippers and the Nuggets and a slight favorite now for the Clippers at minus one and a half in this game and a total of 2-18.
02:45What do the Clippers need to do to send this back to Los Angeles one-to-one?
02:48Or is it the Denver Nuggets for you, escaping game number one and saying, you know what?
02:53Might as well win game number two at home as well.
02:55I thought, guys, this was going to be the typical zigzag series where you're just going to go bing, bing, bing.
03:00You're just going to bounce back and forth.
03:02Why?
03:02Because they're just so evenly matched, right?
03:05The stats kind of line up.
03:07It was a game that I think the Clippers let go.
03:10Turnovers, big shot by Russ, big defensive plays in overtime.
03:14And they just kind of let the rope go.
03:16I think Kawhi is going to be far more aggressive for the entire game.
03:19And I like what I see out of the Clippers.
03:21I think the Clippers steal the game and they go back 1-1.
03:24This is going 7.
03:25I don't think it's going to be 2-0.
03:26And I think the difference between the Clippers and Detroit is I think the Clippers blow that game and they're a veteran team that can respond and come back.
03:34Detroit hasn't been in this spot before, so they blew it.
03:37Now, if it starts to get tight, they start to tighten up again.
03:40I like the Clippers on the money line to get the win and get this back to L.A. 1-1.
03:44It's what we see in playoff series, and we see it represented in the odds.
03:49One game, one result.
03:51Night overnight can completely flip what the oddsmakers expect of who is going to win that series and how long it might take.
03:58And, J.Y., we're seeing it here on full display for the Clippers and Nuggets series, the 4-5 split in the Western Conference.
04:05We expect it to be highly competitive.
04:08Game number one went to OT, decided by just two points.
04:11And one thing that stood out, the Clippers flipped to a series outright favorite entering Game 1.
04:16Despite being the road underdog in that opening game, the Clippers down 0-1 and on the road, a road favorite now in Game 2 against Denver.
04:26And yet, the series underdog as the Nuggets are the favorites.
04:30This is what you try to compare and make sense of from the odds perspective as you go through each and every one of these playoff series.
04:39J.Y., as always, on this Monday, we appreciate the time greatly.
04:44Thank you for being here on the early line.
04:47We'll talk plenty more throughout the NBA playoffs.
04:49You want to hit a quick and early fadeaway before we take this to the break?
04:53I mean, I – oh, oh, okay.
04:55Can I run it?
04:56Can I run it?
04:57Can I be – can I be – can I be tips?
04:58Can I be tips?
04:59And just give the ball in front and let him dribble it and clear it out?
05:03No, no, tips.
05:03Tips, move the ball.
05:05I'm going to give it back to Ben.
05:06I'm hitting it early tonight.
05:08Bang.
05:08Well, that – yeah, that's going to go in.
05:11And then we'll inbound it there.
05:13J.Y. as always.
05:14I was taking a call.
05:15I was taking a call.
05:16Too much time on the clock.
05:18We welcome you to our number three, our third and final live right here on this Monday on the early line on SportsGrid.
05:25He is Donnie Wright's side.
05:26I am Ben Stevens.
05:27One more hour to go.
05:29We preview a doubleheader of game twos tonight in the NBA playoffs.
05:33Game number two inside the Mecca in the world's most famous arena, the New York Knicks taking on the Detroit Pistons.
05:40And in maybe our most competitive game one, and in maybe our most competitive opening round series, game number two tonight at Mile High.
05:47It's the Nuggets and the Clippers.
05:50Our thoughts on both of those games.
05:52Hearing from the people about how both of those game number twos play out in plenty of MLB previews as well on this Monday.
06:00A very early game on this Monday as well.
06:03In just over an hour inside Fenway Park.
06:07It is Marathon Day in Boston.
06:09It is Patriots Day in Beantown.
06:12And thus the early start between a pair of Sox's.
06:15The red and the white do battle today in Fenway.
06:18Yeah, tradition out there.
06:19It should be fun to watch that play.
06:20It's a good way to start a Monday post-holiday.
06:22So most people waking up a little bit groggy, a little stomachs full from eating a lot yesterday on Easter Sunday.
06:28The perfect way to sit back and digest is with us right here on the Sports Grid Network.
06:31We'll hit those games as well.
06:33But I am looking forward to tonight to the NBA action.
06:35Two good games and two competitive game number ones where maybe we thought the opposite teams that won the game should have actually lost the game, if you will.
06:44Where the Pistons should have maybe beat the Knicks and then the Clippers should have beat the Nuggets.
06:47That didn't happen.
06:48Will those roles reverse tonight?
06:50That's what we're asking the people.
06:52DLS, it's a really good point, by the way.
06:54Because in both of those game ones, the team that ended up on the losing end seemed for a lot of the game, or at least a good portion of it, even late, that they were going to win it outright.
07:06Both teams on the road, unable to do just that.
07:09The Clippers and the Nuggets go to OT in Denver.
07:12Edges out LA.
07:13112-110 in that extra session in game number one.
07:17Of course, as we have shared, the Knicks, a 21-zip run midway through the fourth quarter to snatch the game back from Detroit and win game number one inside Madison Square Garden.
07:28What resolve do we see for the teams that came up short?
07:31How much do those fourth quarter rallies inspire the teams that came out on top?
07:36Basically, our question to you, as we ask, who wins the doubleheader?
07:41Put them together.
07:41Moneyline parlay tonight in game number two around the NBA postseason.
07:46The question to all of you in Fade the Public.
07:48Some pretty close calls in terms of the voting and the Fade the Public poll at SportsGrid on Twitter.
08:02Your four options, of course.
08:04Nuggets, Pistons, Nuggets, Knicks, Clippers, Pistons, Clippers, Knicks, as we look at where things stand.
08:12And DRS, most of the public, more than 32% back in the teams at home tonight.
08:17The Nuggets and the Knicks, only 30-and-a-half, Clippers and the Knicks, but a lot of belief, perhaps, in the Knicks being the better side in front of Detroit.
08:27That would follow the odds.
08:28New York, a seven-point home favorite tonight.
08:31L.A., actually a slight point-and-a-half favorite on the road at altitude.
08:36Hey, I would love to see both of these series go back to their respective cities one-to-one, makes it more competitive, extend the series out, gives us more entertainment and more fun to talk about.
08:44But my vote actually went to the Knicks, which would be a 2-0 series lead.
08:47But to the Clippers, which would be that 1-1 heading back to Los Angeles.
08:51And that was right now is coming in at 30-and-a-half percent of the votes coming in.
08:54You take a look at the Knicks and the Nuggets, 32%.
08:57And then you take a look at the Pistons and the Clippers, 24.6%.
09:00So you do have that even keel of these games should be competitive tonight and taking out of what you saw for game number one.
09:07Because, yes, you see the price point.
09:09It's much higher for the New York Knicks, their favorite at the Garden.
09:11They should win.
09:12But game number one wasn't so much what that final score was.
09:15It was just a complete collapse of the Detroit Pistons.
09:17So we figure they're more into the series than, let's just say, a 7-point dog or so for tonight's action.
09:22And the same thing with the Clippers.
09:24Probably should have won game number one.
09:25Didn't, went to overtime and lost that game.
09:27Maybe a bounce back is in order.
09:29So, for me, I went Knicks because I do think they're the better team over the Pistons and they're more heavily favored.
09:33And I think the Clippers can even up that series.
09:36So, slight fade, I guess, for me, at only 30% of the votes coming in, I went that direction.
09:42DRS, I went with the second or the third most selected option, that being the Pistons and the Clippers.
09:48More so just because I hope that with my plus two-and-a-half games bet on the Pistons that they can get this to six.
09:55Stealing one on the road, having a golden opportunity to do so in the opening game of the set would certainly help in doing just that.
10:04But, again, it makes a lot of sense from the odds perspective.
10:07The Clippers are a slight favorite for game number two.
10:10Just to get a lot of that love from the public voting, the Pistons are still a 7-point road underdog in game number two.
10:17That is the question, though, Donnie.
10:19It's really what it comes down to.
10:20What do the Pistons believe after coughing up an opportunity to win game number one?
10:26Are they looking at it glass half full?
10:28Hey, we had a lead at the end of three quarters.
10:31Hey, we had an 8-point lead in the fourth quarter inside Madison Square Garden against this Knicks team.
10:38Or will the lasting thought of coughing and stumbling down the stretch as they watch that lead evaporate on a 21-0 run?
10:46Not even like the Knicks kind of fought their way back over the good majority of the nine minutes that remained in regulation.
10:53But just in an instant took a double-digit lead after being down by an 8-point deficit on that 21-0 run in about four and a half minutes.
11:02How does Detroit bounce back?
11:04What is the resolve out of a young playoff team that because of their inexperience, I think we saw what we did in game number one.
11:11That is the main question, DRS, but still, the odds maker is backing the Knicks.
11:16Seven-point spread tonight in favor of New York.
11:19Yeah, we'll see where that line ends up by game time once the public sort of gets to hammer that later in tonight around 7 o'clock or so.
11:25That total is at a 220 and a half.
11:27And as we talked about so many of these games staying under the total, what's the ammo coming?
11:30Also understand this, too.
11:32You sort of have that feeling out processing game number one.
11:35Game number two comes there.
11:36Game number three.
11:36Game number four.
11:37You're knowing just about every offensive set that these teams have.
11:40And also, you're starting to ratchet up the pressure.
11:43No more nerves for the Detroit Pistons saying, hey, it's a guard.
11:45It's a big spot.
11:46It's a playoffs.
11:47Hey, we collapsed in the fourth quarter.
11:48Maybe they learned from that environment here and can apply that tonight.
11:51Because also, understand this from a handicapping perspective.
11:53We're just asking the public, just based on the money line, who's going to win this game?
11:58But then again, you could still take the Pistons, lose this game, and still cover the spread.
12:01Now, granted, you entered the fourth quarter of the last game with almost a double-digit lead, getting six to seven and a half points.
12:08And not only did you not win the basketball game outright, you did need to get the cover, which is a double sting right now.
12:13So, we'll see how the effort is.
12:14But I expect that the Pistons are going to hang around again.
12:17This isn't going to be a first quarter of Knicks 28, Pistons 17.
12:21That's going to be hard to dig out of.
12:22You expect a spirited performance from the Pistons, if they're buying in tonight, enough to send this 1-1 back to Detroit.
12:28And again, the Clippers and the Nuggets, that just explains itself.
12:31Two veteran-related teams.
12:32One team recently removed from a championship.
12:34One team saying, we're healthy.
12:35We can finally get there.
12:36And also understand this, you might have a referendum series with the Clippers here, Ben.
12:40We talk about players getting traded.
12:41Just to say the Clippers are healthy and this doesn't work out.
12:44Are you adding more pieces?
12:45Or are you just saying, this just isn't going to work at this point?
12:49Yeah, DRS.
12:50Because if they're all healthy, James Harding, Kawhi Leonard, Avita Zubats, who was great in game number one.
12:56We need our guy, Big Will, Norman Powell, to hit three made threes, not just two.
13:00You have the pieces in place, if remaining healthy, to make not only a win in this opening round, but a deep playoff run around the Western Conference.
13:12Quickly on Detroit and New York here.
13:14We'll talk about this game a little bit later on.
13:17But just in comparing the odds, New York was a six-and-a-half, seven-point favorite for game number one.
13:22They end up covering because of that dramatic fourth-quarter run.
13:26Total of 220-and-a-half, sky's over.
13:29One of two opening round, opening games that we saw go to the over this weekend.
13:34Just two of the eight pushed to the over in New York and in Cleveland.
13:38Total remains the same from game one to game two.
13:41220 to hook in the opener, 220 in a hook now tonight.
13:45Despite going to overtime, DRS, at altitude on Saturday, total still stayed under 224-and-a-half, finishing 112-110.
13:54That total between the Nuggets and the Clippers tonight has dropped by six points.
13:59Nearly two possessions at 218-and-a-half.
14:03Something to monitor as we see those odds shift game-to-game.
14:06Yeah, maybe you should be more acclimated to the high altitude there,
14:10specifically from the Clippers being there a couple days as opposed to just one 16-to-18-hour jaunt.
14:15So I'm interested to see how they come out in the first quarter of that game as well.
14:18But I expect big things from the Clippers.
14:20You'll know a lot about this series.
14:21I don't think the Clippers come back from down 2-0 or 0-2, I should say, in this series.
14:25They need that game in Denver to get that back on their side.
14:29We'll preview those games a little bit later on in this third and final hour.
14:33Two game number twos on this Monday night in the NBA playoffs in two great spots
14:40between two dramatic game ones in each of these two opening round series.
14:45DRS, we start inside the world's most famous arena, Madison Square Garden,
14:50for game number two between the New York Knicks and the Detroit Pistons.
14:53As we have shared a multitude of times here in game number one,
14:57the Pistons led by eight early in the fourth quarter.
15:009-16 remaining before the New York Knicks started a 21-to-zip run
15:06to take a double-digit lead with about four and a half minutes remaining in regulation.
15:11Just like that, the lead the Pistons had built up had vanished.
15:15A team that really did not have a lot of playoff experience
15:18saw that lead vanish right in front of them.
15:22How does Detroit respond?
15:24How can New York continue the momentum it found
15:27in that fourth quarter of our opening game on Saturday night?
15:31Seven points spread in favor of the Knicks.
15:33Total at 220 and a half.
15:36Same total live right now on the FanDuel Sportsbook
15:38for that closing number we saw in game number one.
15:41In fact, DRS, game to game, despite New York winning in dramatic fashion,
15:46the odds really have remained the same.
15:48What do we see tonight inside MSG?
15:51We're hoping for a bounce back for the Pistons, right?
15:53So we get a good extended series, but it's also going to be the make of that team
15:57and how their coach gets them prepared to play in this game.
15:59Because understanding the way you lose sometimes is worse
16:02than just taking the loss itself.
16:04You know, just didn't have it, lost by 25 points.
16:06Let's see if he can rebound and get back under it.
16:08You should have won game number one.
16:09So the psychology coming into the first quarter,
16:11you think Detroit is going to want to start fast and say,
16:14you know what, there is no hangover.
16:15We're going to be here about business.
16:17Or is it the New York Knicks that say,
16:18boy, we didn't play all that well over the first three quarters.
16:20We finally found our groove defensively and offensively in the fourth quarter.
16:24Let's extend that into the first half here
16:26and not give the Detroit Pistons any life here
16:28to think that they can actually come back into the series
16:30and we'll take that two-low series lead back
16:32to take on the Pistons in Detroit.
16:34Having said that, there's two points I look at.
16:36Because you know me, game number one,
16:37I really liked Jalen Brunson to go over the 27.5 points.
16:40He hit that, goes for 30 again.
16:42Hot players here staying on the mark.
16:44Because I don't think this game is going to slow down per se.
16:46And Brunson, the only reason why I only scored 30 low 30s,
16:49he started really slow in that game.
16:51If he was cooking early,
16:52you might have been looking at a 40-plus point effort for him.
16:55So I expect to come back at a 28.5 number.
16:57It's minus 102 right now in the FanDuel Sportsbook
16:59from the opposite side.
17:01Like, Tobias Harris had a great performance in game number one.
17:04He's going to need to step up in a similar fashion.
17:06He goes mid-20s game number one.
17:07Now you see him at 15.5 at a plus 104 price.
17:11They're sticking that there's like a buyer beware.
17:13But I got to tell you, I'm back in on Tobias Harris tonight.
17:15I love good performances in game-to-game basis
17:18because I'm always under the belief that professional athletes
17:21aren't like, whew, got a good game here.
17:23Let me in game number two not press my luck down.
17:25They knew you're always going to take more shots
17:27and continue to have a hot-handed game number two.
17:29So two-player prospects for me, Brunson as well as Tobias Harris.
17:33But in this game, the seven points, I got to tell you,
17:35I sort of feel the Pistons again.
17:37Like, I think they can rebound from that performance and say,
17:38guys, we were the better team until we fell into a 21-0 hole.
17:42We can hang around and at least get the cover of around seven points here.
17:45Yeah, DRS, I think it's a great point.
17:48And again, had you just backed the Pistons getting points in game number one,
17:52not only did you see Detroit lose outright,
17:54they did not even cover losing that game by 11.
17:57One of our two overs of our eight opening games
18:01in the opening round of the NBA playoffs inside MSG on Saturday
18:05because of that dramatic Knicks rally.
18:07Let's talk a couple of those player props.
18:10To your point, DRS, 28.5, the highest number tonight
18:13from a points perspective for New York's Jalen Brunson.
18:15He had 34, a big part of that run and that spurt for New York in the fourth quarter.
18:21But we remember Jalen Brunson last postseason as well.
18:25Not just the amount of points that he scored.
18:28He had at least 29 in eight of the 13 games New York played in its two series last postseason.
18:34But just the absolute volume that would allow him to get 30, 35, 40 plus points.
18:40We saw that in game number one as well.
18:43JY mentioned earlier the response for Carl Anthony Towns.
18:4623.5 is his points prop.
18:49DRS for me, despite posting a double-double in game number one,
18:53the first playoff game of his NBA career,
18:55I think Cade Cunningham needs to be better tonight for Detroit
18:58if they are going to steal game two on the road inside Madison Square Garden.
19:0221 points, 12 times in game number one, but just eight of 21 from the four
19:08and one of four from beyond the arc.
19:1127.5.
19:13The points prop tonight for Cade.
19:14If he can get over that, that's to me how Detroit wins this game on the road.
19:19Yeah, and you take a look at the made player three-point shots here on the FanDuel Sportsbook.
19:24I was talking about Brunson, over two-and-a-half three-point shots made.
19:26Not really an indicator of his game because he doesn't shoot them with volume,
19:29but he does shoot daggers.
19:30But I think your correlation, Ben, does make a lot of sense here
19:33if you're saying if Cade Cunningham is going to get 30 points tonight,
19:36what are the chances he does it without making two three-point shots?
19:38And it's a doable number.
19:40Over one-and-a-half and a minus-130 price point.
19:42If you think he's going to have a good game,
19:44he better knock down a couple daggers from three-point range,
19:47so I think that one adds up.
19:48Looks like a decent three-point market tonight as well.
19:50Carl Anthony Towns over one-and-a-half and a plus-108 number.
19:53Like, I don't know if we're getting a ton of points tonight,
19:55but I don't think we're going to get a game that's 95-85
19:58like we saw with the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets.
20:01I think the three-point shots will go down,
20:02and also a correlation from a guy like Cade Cunningham I think makes some sense.
20:07Malik Beasley, who had six triples for Detroit off the bench
20:11in game number one on Saturday.
20:13His number three-and-a-half, the over-a-hefty amount of juice at minus-144.
20:19Our nightcap tonight at altitude, it's the Denver Nuggets and the L.A. Clippers.
20:24Of course, DRS, a great game in game number one, an overtime thriller
20:28in the opening game on Saturday in Mile High.
20:31Denver edging out L.A., 1-12, 1-10, winning in overtime.
20:36A total of 2-24 and a hook stays under.
20:39The Clippers did squander an early lead,
20:41but did cover as a three-and-a-half-point road dog.
20:44Never did we see the advantage on either side.
20:48Get the double digits in the second half.
20:50We expected this series to perhaps be the most competitive of any of them
20:55around the association in round number one of the playoffs.
20:58And, Donnie, tonight, 18 cents of difference.
21:02But the favored number in favor of the road team, that would be the L.A. Clippers.
21:07Total stands at 218 and a hook, minus 118, the money line number for the Clippers.
21:13How close will this game be in game number two at altitude?
21:16Could be just as close as that point spread right now within a bucket or two,
21:20just like we saw that overtime game just a few nights ago.
21:23I'm looking for a bounce-back performance for the Clippers,
21:25where it wasn't – it's a loss that you expected to get,
21:28but it wasn't a devastating loss like we blew a 10-point lead
21:31with six or five minutes to go in this game.
21:33It was nip and tuck all the way through,
21:35and I expect the Stars to have a bounce-back performance.
21:37So if we're looking at the total itself, 218,
21:39I actually still lean towards the over in that and sort of that buy down here.
21:42Ooh, how low can that possibly go towards game time?
21:45If I'm looking at the Clippers, minus 1.5, you can't go down 0-2.
21:48They understand that, but I do think their superstars in kind will step up.
21:52You take a look at the FanDuel Sportsbook on some of the numbers that are posted back.
21:55Kawhi Leonard, 24.5 points.
21:56James Harden, 23.5 points.
21:58Evika Zubac, 17.5 points.
22:00If I had to go and say, you know what, what's one player you expect to say,
22:04this is a game that I absolutely have to have?
22:06It's Kawhi Leonard for me.
22:07Step it up here.
22:0824.5, I'll go over the total there.
22:10I need 25-plus points from my superstar player here.
22:14James Harden, he can get to the mid-20s as well, but I need Kawhi to step up.
22:18This is the game that he must provide.
22:19I'm the superstar.
22:20I've won a championship before.
22:22We're down 0-1 in the series.
22:23We can't go down 0-2.
22:24Give me the rock.
22:26Yeah, absolutely.
22:28And when you look down at DRS in game number one,
22:31they got a lot of production.
22:32Did L.A.
22:33They had James Harden.
22:34They had Kawhi Leonard.
22:35Evika Zubac at 21 and 13.
22:38Nearly a triple-double for Nikola Jokic.
22:4129 points, 12 boards, and nine dimes.
22:44Of course, he's going to approach that number always.
22:47Keep an eye on Zubac.
22:48Once again, the rebounding prop tonight for the big man for L.A.
22:53stands currently at 12 and a half.
22:56And, Donnie, much like we saw in game one, that was fascinating.
23:00The Clippers were the slight series outright favorite,
23:02and yet Denver was favored to win game number one.
23:05They did.
23:05The Nuggets now a slight series outright favorite,
23:08but the Clippers a favorite to win game number two.
23:12We expect this series, maybe above all else,
23:15to shift each and every time we see a game,
23:18each and every day in between.
23:20That's what the odds makers are anticipating ahead of game two tonight.
23:24Yeah, exciting, too.
23:25And this should be a long series.
23:26Might even be able to go to seven.
23:28It's just like from a Clippers perspective,
23:29boy, you want to get one of these first two games in Denver
23:32so you can sort of turn the tide and say,
23:34we'll sweep you in L.A.
23:35It doesn't matter about elevation as long as you take care of business
23:37in game number six when we get back that far.
23:40I'm interested to see how they play out.
23:41But, again, this game is built on superstars.
23:43I don't expect Kawhi Leonard to shoot the ball nine times tonight.
23:46I'm expecting 15, 16 shots here and also a couple free throws.
23:49Give me the over.
23:50Let's go.
23:50More of the prop perspective for the NBA playoffs next.
23:55The prop perspective to start off a new week,
23:58entering the second games around the NBA playoffs,
24:01even a couple of game twos tonight in the Stanley Cup postseason as well,
24:06and some Major League Baseball on a Monday.
24:08So, if we're doing all of that, that means the jack of all trades is here.
24:13It is TV Tom Vecchio of SportsGrid live right here on the early line.
24:18Vecchio, as always, hope the weekend was great.
24:20Thanks for being here to start off this new week on TEL.
24:23Thanks for having me.
24:24Weekend was great.
24:25We saw some great NBA action outside of the Thunder.
24:29I love seeing low-scoring games in the playoffs.
24:32You know, a lot of people don't like seeing it.
24:34I thought the Warriors game last night was awesome.
24:36I don't want to see games end 130 to 125.
24:38If you want to see that, go watch the Hornets and the Wizards
24:40in the middle of December.
24:42It's the middle of April.
24:43We want to see the best basketball.
24:44Let's get to it.
24:46Absolutely, Vecchio.
24:47That's playoff basketball.
24:49Defense wins championships or so I have been told.
24:53So, let's focus on our two game twos that we have tonight.
24:57We start inside Madison Square Garden.
24:59It's the Knicks and the Pistons.
25:01Vecchio, as we've been laying it out, the theme for game two is the resolve
25:04really for both sides.
25:06Detroit from the crushing 21-0 run that New York went on in the fourth quarter.
25:12The Knicks now playing a great game in full, trying to use that momentum.
25:16How do they respond in game number two?
25:19Seven-point spread in favor of the Knicks.
25:22Very close to what the number was for game number one.
25:242-20-and-a-half now is that over-under.
25:27Same total as the opening game on Saturday.
25:31So, then what do we see in game number two?
25:34Well, something that was back in the Pistons in game one at plus seven.
25:38I thought it was looking good for a while.
25:39That all came crashing down.
25:41And ultimately, I really like the under in this game.
25:44And this has to be a correction on the Pistons side of things.
25:48Not just from them, but from the game environment overall.
25:51The Knicks took 93 field goal attempts.
25:53The Pistons were up at 86.
25:55The Knicks were over 50% from the field.
25:57The Pistons were just under 50%.
25:59Both teams right above and right below 40% from three.
26:03Way too much offense.
26:04And frankly, those 21 points pushes the game over, not just by themselves,
26:08but in order for the Pistons to eliminate or prevent that from happening again,
26:11it's like, okay, we need to control things.
26:13We are a young team.
26:15We saw that happen in game one.
26:16We need to learn from those mistakes and real things and control the ball,
26:19give it to Kate Cunningham, slow the offense down,
26:21and that will just eliminate possessions overall.
26:23So I do like how the Pistons played, let's call it 90% of the game,
26:2880% of the game, whatever you want to say.
26:29And they just need to learn from those mistakes
26:31and have those adjustments game to game.
26:32And I think that will kind of prevent the game from being pushed over.
26:36So I like under 221 and a half.
26:38Yeah, it'd be interesting to see the psychology there that the Pistons have
26:41coming right out of the gate in that first quarter
26:42after letting that game slip away in the fourth quarter.
26:44Or to the Knicks, you know, hey, this is our home court advantage.
26:47We came back.
26:48We didn't play all that well.
26:49Fourth quarter closed out.
26:50We should have extended that lead in the first quarter
26:51to not give the Pistons any hope.
26:53We'll find out how that one plays out.
26:55I'll tell you one game that has a lot of hope
26:56for the rest of the series in a long series.
26:58That's game number two tonight.
26:59That's the Clippers and the Nuggets at 10 p.m. Eastern.
27:01A minus one and a half point favorite here, Tom,
27:03for the Clippers and a total of 217 and a half.
27:07So another low total that we're listing here in elevation.
27:10The Clippers and the Nuggets.
27:11Is it even before they're leaving?
27:12Or is it a 2-0 series lead for the Nuggets?
27:15It's even before they're leaving.
27:17And as you guys were talking about in the previous segment,
27:19like this is just a spot for the Clippers to bounce back.
27:21Like they didn't play terribly at all.
27:24I would expect a bounce back game from Kawhi, Donnie,
27:26as you were alluding to in the last segment.
27:27It just has to be a well-rounded effort.
27:30And again, they didn't blow a lead.
27:32You know, I want to say they kind of got away with one.
27:34They maybe lost it with the West for three, whatever it might be.
27:36But they're a balanced team.
27:38They're head-to-head.
27:39There's a coin flip game between them and the Nuggets.
27:41So I'm on their money line already.
27:43Just to be clear, I am on the Clippers.
27:45I have this series going over five and a half games.
27:47I don't know who wins it, but it's going to be a long series.
27:50This is not going to be a 4-1 or 4-0 series by any means.
27:53Just take the Clippers.
27:54They even it up.
27:55Then we can look at game three once they're back in L.A.
27:57Overtime in game number one.
28:00Never a double-digit lead on either side for the entirety of our third and fourth quarters
28:06or into the extra portion following regulation.
28:09We expect this series to be tight.
28:11It's what we saw in game one.
28:12It's probably what we are going to see tonight in game number two.
28:15It's probably what we saw in game number two.
28:17It's probably what we saw in game number two.
28:18It's probably what we saw in game number two.
28:19It's probably what we saw in game number two.
28:20It's probably what we saw in game number two.
28:21It's probably what we saw in game number two.
28:22It's probably what we saw in game number two.
28:23It's probably what we saw in game number two.
28:24It's probably what we saw in game number two.
28:25It's probably what we saw in game number two.
28:26It's probably what we saw in game number two.
28:27It's probably what we saw in game number two.
28:28It's probably what we saw in game number two.