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Bets to target as Sixers, Bucks fight off elimination

Jesse D. Garrabrant / National Basketball Association / Getty

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Thursday's slate features two elimination games. The Sixers attempt to keep their season alive in Philadelphia and force a Game 7 against the Knicks. Meanwhile, the Pacers will try to close out the Bucks at home. The winner of each series will meet in the second round.

Let's get to our best bets for the NBA doubleheader.

Bucks @ Pacers (-7.5, O/U 214.5)

The Bucks staved off elimination in Game 5 to force a Game 6 in Indianapolis, an impressive feat considering Milwaukee's injuries. The Bucks' victory was the first time in NBA history a team won a playoff game without its top two scorers.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are expected to remain out for Game 6. Milwaukee's desperation and elevated intensity led it to a home win.

But Indiana's focus should be at a different gear to prevent this series from going to Game 7.

Besides Khris Middleton, the Bucks lack reliable scorers to string wins together. Milwaukee's defense - particularly in transition - carried it to a win last game. However, Indiana's offense uncharacteristically struggled to shoot and never developed a rhythm. The Bucks' disappointing and injury-riddled campaign will end Thursday.

Pick: Pacers -7.5

Kyle Lowry: Under 7.5 points

Sixers coach Nick Nurse finally reduced Lowry's minutes in Game 5, leading to a win.

Philadelphia's best lineups feature Nicolas Batum on the court and Lowry on the bench, especially in crunch time.

Lowry played just 26 minutes last game after he recorded over 30 minutes in the four prior contests. He scored zero points. Even when Lowry is in the game, he's a pass-first guard who rarely shoots.

Expect Nurse to follow a similar blueprint to Game 5 considering the Sixers' late-game success, further decreasing Lowry's time on the floor.

Odds: -120

Isaiah Hartenstein: Over 7.5 points

Hartenstein splits time at center with Mitchell Robinson when both are healthy. But in Game 5, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau mistakenly left Robinson in the game for too long, resulting in boneheaded plays that ultimately cost New York the game.

Robinson has successfully guarded Joel Embiid, so he deserves a sizable workload, but Hartenstein is the better option offensively.

Hartenstein has a dependable floater and is an efficient finisher when New York's guards dish to him around the rim. He scored at least eight points in three of the last four games. Assuming he stays out of foul trouble, Hartenstein should play around 30 minutes in Game 6. That'll lead to plenty of scoring chances.

Odds: -115

Sam Oshtry is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X @soshtry for more betting coverage.

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