And then there were four. The Indiana Pacers, the Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the New Orleans Hornets are the lucky four who have made their way to Las Vegas for the NBA’s in-season tournament semifinals, which do down on Thursday. Here are my NBA picks for December 7th – who will make it to the finals?
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NBA Picks December 7th
Indiana Pacers vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Tipoff – 5:00 pm EST
Spread: Bucks -4
Total: 254.5
The East semifinals are first to tip off on Thursday – note the early 5:00 pm Eastern start time – get your bets in on time! The Indiana Pacers are the surprise team in this matchup, but they’ve been on fire in the tournament thanks to the play of their superstar, Tyrese Haliburton. However, Milwaukee’s reconfigured lineup is really starting to click now, and they seem like they’ll be too much for the underdog Pacers. And Milwaukee isn’t just beating people – they’ve won both their last two games by double figures, so I think they cover here. As for the total, I think this game gets into the high 240s, so I like the Under.
Best Bet: Bucks -4 (-114), Pacers/Bucks Under 254.5 (-112)
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Tipoff – 9:00 pm EST
Spread: Lakers -1
Total: 230
The surprise team in the West portion of this bracket would be the New Orleans Pelicans. Only 12-10 on the season, they’ve upped their game when playing on one of the funky tournament courts. However, LeBron James seems intent on making his mark on this first-ever in-season tournament. He played over 40 minutes against the Phoenix Suns in the quarterfinals and was all over the court, grabbing five steals. You can’t bet against LeBron in this situation, especially against an up-and-down team like the Pelicans. As for the total, 230 seems about right to me, so no play.
Best Bets: Lakers -1 (-112)
If you’d like even more info to help make your NBA bets for December 7th, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
