Sean Murphy

My selection is on Connecticut plus the points over Las Vegas at 7:30 pm et on Friday.

We'll grab all the points we can get with the underdog Sun on Friday as they look to rebound following Wednesday's lopsided loss in the front half of this two-game set against the Aces. Las Vegas has quite simply shot the lights out during its current two-game winning streak. The Aces knocked down 39-of-72 (54.2%) of their field goal attempts in Wednesday's victory. It was the perfect storm of sorts as Connecticut shot a woeful 23-of-70 in that contest - its worst performance of the young season. The Aces do continue to give up their share of scoring opportunities. They've yielded 77, 78 and 70 field goal attempts to the opposition in their first three games. Meanwhile, the Sun are somewhat limited personnel-wise as they prepare to move to Houston next season, but they have hoisted uπ 83, 73 and 70 field goal attempts through three games and I think they can make better use of their opportunities in this quick rematch on Friday. Take Connecticut (8*).

My selection is on Detroit plus the points over Cleveland at 7 pm et on Friday.

We'll grab the points with the Pistons on Friday as they look to keep their series hopes alive in Game 6 in Cleveland. Detroit has now lost three straight games both SU and ATS with the most recent setback coming by way of overtime on Wednesday. Of note, the Pistons have lost more than three games in a row ATS just once dating back to December 12th and only twice all season. On the flip side, Cleveland is entering uncharted territory as it has yet to deliver four straight ATS victories this season. Look for Detroit to take this one down to the wire at the very least. Take Detroit (8*).

My selection is on the 'under' between San Antonio and Minnesota at 9:40 pm et on Friday.

We saw another 'over' result in this series on Tuesday as a foul-fest ultimately led the final score just over the posted total. That puts Minnesota into uncharted territory as it rides a season-high four-game 'over' streak. Meanwhile, San Antonio has seen the 'over' cash in more than four straight games only twice previously this season. The oddsmakers don't seem to be budging on the total in this series, despite the fact that it has strongly trend toward the 'over'. It's the right move in my opinion. Note that the pace wasn't necessarily there for such a high-scoring game in Game 5. The Spurs got off 89 field goal attempts - the third straight time and ninth time in 10 games they were held to fewer than 90 in these playoffs. The T'Wolves hoisted up just 83 field goal attempts - a series-low. They've now been limited to 42 or fewer made field goals in all 10 playoff games, knocking down fewer than 40 in eight of those contests. Facing elimination on Friday, we can anticipate Minnesota leaning hard on its defense to try to steal a victory and extend the series. Take the under (8*).