Frank Sawyer

At 7:40 PM ET on Thursday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the New York Knicks (527) and the Philadelphia 76ers (528) in Game Three of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series. THE SITUATION: New York (52-32) has won seven games in a row after their 104-101 loss in Madison Square Garden as a 5-point favorite on Monday. Philadelphia (48-37) returns home trailing 0-2 in this best-of-seven series.

REASONS TO TAKE OVER THE TOTAL: The Knicks held the 76ers to just 42.9% of their shots which was the best defensive effort in their last 13 games. New York has played 6 of their last 9 games Over the Total after a win at home by three points or less. They have also played 5 of their last 7 games Over the Total after a straight-up win where they did not cover the point spread as the favorite. They go back on the road where they have played 14 of their last 23 games Over the Total as an underdog. The Knicks have also played 8 of their last 9 games this month Over the Total. For the 76ers, Joel Embiid has been productive despite his left knee injury. He is averaging 38 minutes per game in this series — and while he has only made 20 of 51 of his shots, he is still scoring 31.5 Points-Per-Game after dropping 34 points and adding 10 rebounds on Monday. Getting two days off between games will help tonight. Philadelphia has played 10 of their last 12 games Over the Total when playing with two days of rest. They have also played 4 straight Overs after a loss on the road where they covered the point spread as an underdog. Additionally, the Sixers have played 33 of their last 49 games Over the Total after playing their last two games on the road.

FINAL TAKE: The 76ers have played 32 of their last 52 games Over the Total when favored. 8* NBA New York-Philadelphia TNT O/U Special with Over the Total in the game between the New York Knicks (527) and the Philadelphia 76ers (528). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM ET on Thursday, we will be playing the Orlando Magic (526) minus the points versus the Cleveland Cavaliers (525) in Game Three of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series. THE SITUATION: Orlando (47-37) has lost the first two games of this series as well as five of their last six contests after their 96-86 loss to the Cavaliers as a 5.5-point underdog on Monday. Cleveland (50-34) has won four of their last five games. 

REASONS TO TAKE THE MAGIC MINUS THE POINTS: Orlando has not been competitive in this series after losing both games by double-digits and not scoring more than 86 points. This young team should play better — and shoot better — back on their home court. The Magic have covered the point spread in 27 of their last 40 games at home where they are making 48.8% of their shots. They have covered the point spread in 12 of their last 16 games at home after a point spread loss. Additionally, Orlando has covered the point spread in 12 of their last 16 games after losing two games in a row — and they have covered the point spread in 5 of their last 7 games after losing two or more games in a row on the road. They have covered the point spread in 6 of their last 8 games after losing four of their last five games. Furthermore, they have covered the point spread in 4 of their last 5 games after failing to score more than 100 points in their last two games. If there is a silver lining for the Magic, it is that they have not allowed more than 97 points in this series — and they have covered the point spread in 6 of their last 9 games after not allowing more than 105 points in their last game. Cleveland is only making 42% of their shots in this series — and they are hitting just 29% of their 3s. Now they go on the road where their Adjusted Offensive Efficiency drops from 117.0 to 112.0. The Cavaliers have failed to cover the point spread in 19 of their last 28 games on the road as an underdog of up to six points. They have failed to cover the point spread in 8 of their last 11 games when playing with two days of rest. They have covered the point spread in both games in this series — but they have failed to cover the point spread in 11 of their last 16 games after covering the point spread in two games in a row. They have failed to cover the point spread in 6 of their last 8 games after winning their last two games by double-digits. 

FINAL TAKE: The Magic have covered the point spread in 19 of their last 25 home games when favored. 10* NBA Thursday Daily Discounted Deal with the Orlando Magic (526) minus the points versus the Cleveland Cavaliers (525). Best of luck for us — Frank.

FRANK’S CUTTING ROOM FLOOR FOR THURSDAY, 4/25:

My “Cutting Room Floor” plays are the situations I considered the closest to being worthy of investment but did not make the “final cut” for my official plays today for subscribers. The last play I cut for Thursday was with the Denver Nuggets minus the points versus the Los Angeles Lakers. Denver (59-25) has won six of their last seven games after their 101-99 victory against the Lakers in Game Two of this series. The Nuggets rallied from a 59-44 halftime deficit — and they have covered the point spread in 6 of their last 9 games after trailing by 15 or more points in their last game. They have also covered the point spread in 5 straight games when playing for no more than the fifth time in the last 14 days. Los Angeles (49-37) has failed to cover the point spread in 4 of their last 5 games after a loss by six points or less. The Lakers have also failed to cover the point spread in their 3 previous games at home this season when the Total was set below 220. Take Denver plus the point(s). Best of luck — Frank.

Frank Sawyer’s Hollywood Sports is on a 14 of 19 (74%) NBA run with featured 25*/20*/10* plays after DELIVERING their 25* NBA Western Conference Game of the Month with Oklahoma City last night! Frank is on a 23 of 35 (66%) All-Sports run with featured plays — and he enjoys longer-running 29 of 43 (67%) and 82 of 128 (64%) NBA featured play runs! Now Frank furthers his 7 of 10 (70%) NBA Game of the Year/Month mark with his 25* NBA Atlantic Division Game of the Year for tonight’s New York-Philadelphia ATS winner on TNT at 7:40 PM ET! DO NOT MISS OUT!

At 7:40 PM ET on Thursday, we will be playing the Philadelphia 76ers (528) minus the points versus the New York Knicks (527) in Game Three of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series. THE SITUATION: Philadelphia (48-37) returns home trailing 0-2 in this best-of-seven series after their 104-101 loss in Madison Square Garden as a 5-point underdog on Monday. New York (52-32) has won seven games in a row.

REASONS TO TAKE THE 76ERS MINUS THE POINTS: I have not endorsed anything in this series yet because of my uncertainty regarding the health of Joel Embiid. He is averaging 38 minutes per game in this series — and while he has only made 20 of 51 of his shots, he is still scoring 31.5 Points-Per-Game after dropping 34 points and adding 10 rebounds on Monday. Getting the extra day off really helps the Sixers and Embiid tonight — and they have covered the point spread in 15 of their last 22 games when playing for the second time in five days. Philadelphia has also covered the point spread in 6 of their last 8 games after a straight-up loss where they covered the point spread as the underdog. They have also covered the point spread in 10 of their last 14 games after losing two games in a row on the road. The 76ers return home where they have covered the point spread in 21 of their last 33 home games when favored — and they have covered the point spread in 16 of their last 25 games when favored by 3.5 to 9.5 points. Philly is defending Jalen Brunson well because they are bypassing drop coverage to stay in his face to take away his midrange. While he is scoring 23.0 PPG, he has only made 16 of his 55 shots from the field for a rough 29.1% field goal percentage. The Knicks held the Sixers to just 42.9% of their shots which was the best defensive effort in their last 13 games. But there are plenty of concerns for this team despite their 2-0 lead in the series. All five of their starters got outscored when they were on the court in Game One — the best +/- number for a starter was Brunson’s -3. Game Two had the controversial officiating late in the game. New York is only scoring 86.3 points per 100 adjusted possessions in the half-court. The Knicks have failed to cover the point spread in 8 of their last 13 games after failing to cover the point spread in a straight-up victory. They have failed to cover the point spread in 12 of their last 19 games after a win by three points or less — and they have failed to cover the point spread in 6 of their last 9 games after a win by three points or less at home. They have also failed to cover the point spread in 4 straight games after a win by three points or less against an Atlantic Division rival. Furthermore, New York has failed to cover the point spread in 4 of their last 6 games when playing no more than the fifth time in the last 14 days. Both games in this series have finished Over the Total — but they have then failed to cover the point spread in 15 of their last 23 games after playing two or more Overs in a row. And in their last 11 games as an underdog getting 3.5 to 9.5 points, they have failed to cover the point spread in 7 times. 

FINAL TAKE: The 76ers have covered the point spread in 31 of their last 51 games when avenging a loss on the road to their opponent. 25* NBA Atlantic Division Game of the Year with the Philadelphia 76ers (528) minus the points versus the New York Knicks (527). Best of luck for us — Frank.