After the most exciting opening round in NBA history, the NBA playoffs are at the conference semifinals stage. Eight teams remain, and four thrilling matchups are forthcoming. Luckily, AccuScore has odds, predictions and breakdowns for every series.
NBA Playoffs Series Predictions: Conference Semifinals
AccuScore’s Super computer has updated odds and star-rated picks against the spread and on Over/Unders for every NBA playoff game. See: NBA Playoffs Odds and Expert Picks
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Of all the computer’s predictions at this stage, picking the Clippers over the Oklahoma City Thunder at this stage is probably the biggest eyebrow raiser. Despite having home court advantage, the computer gives the Thunder a 47.4% chance to win, meaning the Clippers have a 52.6% chance to advance to the Western Conference Finals.
The computer calculates a 26.0% chance that the Clippers will steal a game early and wrap up the series in six games. For the Thunder, the home court advantage remains vital, as the Thunder have a 23.8% chance to wrap up the series on the home court in seven games.
AccuScore’s computer calculates that this series has a 35.0% chance of going seven games.
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Miami Heat vs. Brooklyn Nets
The Miami Heat may not be the top seed in the East, but they are still playing like the best team in the conference. It took LeBron James and company four games to dispose of their first round foes, and next up, the Heat face a Brooklyn Nets team that required seven games to get past the Toronto Raptors.
The Miami Heat have a 17.1% chance to sweep the series against the Nets, but the most likely outcome is a five-game wrap at 28.7%. For the Nets, they only have a 17.7% chance to shock the world.
Indiana Pacers vs. Washington Wizards
The Pacers may not be playing their best basketball of the season, but the super computer still has faith in the Pacers. Indiana is 75.90% to win this series. The computer calculates that that the Pacers are most likely to wrap up the series in Game 5 (26.5%), but another seven-game series win for the Pacers is the next most likely outcome at 22.1%.
For the Wizards, John Wall and company enter the series as decided underdogs and overachievers. For the Wizards, the best possible scenario is to steal the home court early and wrap up the series in Game 6. The computer calculates that the Wizards have an 11.3% chance to win in six games.
San Antonio Spurs vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Of all of the computer’s picks, the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs prediction may be the toughest to digest as a person watching the NBA playoffs. The Blazers knocked out the Houston Rockets in dramatic fashion, and the emergence of both Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge is impossible to deny. However, the computer is doing just that.
Taking a strong stand is one thing, but the computer appears convinced the Spurs will dispose of the Blazers in five games rather easily. The computer is picking the Spurs to win in five games with a 29.2% probability.
Ultimately, the Blazers advancing over the Spurs would still be considered a surprise, so the computer is just taking a harder line than most humans. If the Blazers feel disrespected by the computer, they should.
