NBA 2023 Playoffs Preview: Western and Eastern Conference Finals Game 2

Summary

The first wave of games for the NBA Semi Finals is now over, and we have a great turnaround to see game two here at Stake.com’s sportsbook!

The number of games to close out the NBA season is coming to a handful, but we still have three series of great basketball to be played still.

The stars have come out in full force for these first two series, and there is looking to be an extender of games within both of these conferences.

Making the right play and showing out on the defensive end of the floor has to be a priority for all teams involved, and without a doubt there will be some opportunities to capitalize on mistakes in transition.

Regardless of the series scores in both the series, there will be some hard ball being played over the next two weeks and a spot in the NBA finals is so close to touch.

Let’s analyze game two of the NBA Western and Eastern Conference Finals on Stake.com!

Match Betting Previews

Los Angeles Lakers @ Denver Nuggets - Game 2 (Series 0-1) - Thursday, May 18th

The LA Lakers played a very hard game one, one in which they saw their potential deficit of 21 points cut down all the way to three in the fourth quarter.

Their plight on the defensive end started to get patched up in the later stages, without any botherance from Nikola Jokic in the fourth quarter.

Rui Hachimura played a pivotal role in slowing the 2-time MVP down and could be used as a blueprint for this game two.

Offensively, the Lakers were going off in all departments with Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves leading the pack with 40 and 23 points respectively.

Their hopes for their chances at the finals were greatly jolted with the way they played in the second half, and although they lost, look forward to carrying some momentum into Denver this evening.

Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets need to tighten up their play in the clutch situations and may now face a bigger line-up from the Lakers than before.

After starting off on multiple bad matchups for their offensive power, Denver may need to make some adjustments in this game and go through Jokic passing more and more.

Cutting off Anthony Davis will be a huge point of emphasis for Malone this time around, and their offense needs to show up big once again.

Prediction - LA Lakers moneyline and the over on total points.

Miami Heat @ Boston Celtics - (Series 1-0) - Friday, May 19th

The Miami Heat and Boston Celtics played a hell of a game one, which saw Miami take a one game to none lead over the Celtics.

Jimmy Butler and his squad were firing on all cylinders, both on the offensive end and defensive end of the court.

Their play has largely contributed to the all-time run they are currently on, as an eight seed out of the East.

Boston needs to take a good long look at themselves in the mirror after that game one performance, and Jayson Tatum cannot afford to be inconsistent for much longer.

There is a lot on the line here for the Celtics and losing this game two could mean an early end for the supposed favoured NBA Finalist.

Prediction - Miami heat spread once again and the over on total points this time.