Handicapping the NBA: Game 4 Picks

Handicapping the NBA: Game 4 Picks

This article is part of our NBA Picks series.

Alex Barutha

Khris Middleton 22+ points and Bucks to win (-130) vs. PHX -- PointsBet (3:08 PM CT)

Middleton is coming off two lower-scoring games (29 combined points), but I anticipate him bouncing back in a Bucks victory. Middleton is averaging 23.3 points in home playoff games, and the Bucks are favored with line movement in their direction. This feels like a good way to bet on Milwaukee while getting a discount on what would normally be -195 odds for them to win.

Nick Whalen

Milwaukee Bucks -5.0 (-115) vs. Phoenix Suns -- DraftKings (1:01 PM CT)

As I'm typing this, the line jumped from Bucks -4.5 to Bucks -5.0, which feels like it's in line with how the perception of this series has shifted following Game 3. I'm not fully convinced that Milwaukee can cruise to an easy victory, but the Bucks clearly unlocked something Sunday and should head into Game 4 with plenty of confidence. Devin Booker will play better and Deandre Ayton will have a larger impact, but the fact remains that Phoenix has very few capable options to throw at Giannis Antetokounmpo. As long as Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday don't have disastrous games, I like Milwaukee's chances to even the series.

Jrue Holiday OVER 8.5 assists (+115) vs. Phoenix Suns -- DraftKings

Holiday has only dipped under nine assists twice in his last nine games, and he finished Game 3 with nine dimes on 16 potential assists. Even if the Bucks continue to shoot the ball at an average-to-below-average clip, Holiday is providing enough assist chances to continue to push for a double-double on a nightly basis. With the crowd behind him again, Holiday should have a great opportunity to get his first double-double since Game 5 against the Hawks.

Ken Crites

OVER on Jae Crowder 6.5 Rebounds (+100) -- (BetMGM, 9AM PT)

Through 19 playoff games, Crowder has averaged 5.7 boards per contest. But that was before Dario Saric's tore his ACL. In the three games without Saric, Crowder has grabbed nine, 10 and then six rebounds (Saric did play two minutes in Game 1) and is getting 34.3 minutes of run. The Suns will again need max minutes from Crowder assuming Torey Craig is still a bit slow due to his own knee issue.

Jacob Lebowitz

Cameron Johnson OVER 8.5 Points (-128) at MIL -- (FanDuel, 11:13 AM CT)

Since the start of the Western Conference Finals, Johnson has been dominant off the bench for the Suns. The second-year stud has notched nine or more points in six of his last eight games, while he's averaged 10.8 points over that eight-game stretch. With a crucial Game 4 on the line Wednesday, I expect Johnson to be given the most minutes off the bench of any player and he will continue to produce. The Suns have lacked defensive depth in the paint all series without Dario Saric, so I can see Johnson playing more minutes to fill that void. If Johnson gets 20 plus minutes of action, I fully expect him to score at least nine points. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Alex Barutha
Alex is RotoWire's Chief NBA Editor. He writes articles about daily fantasy, year-long fantasy and sports betting. You can hear him on the RotoWire NBA Podcast, Sirius XM, VSiN and other platforms. He firmly believes Robert Covington is the most underrated fantasy player of the past decade.
Ken
An early RotoWire contributor from the 90's, K-Train returns with the grace of Gheorghe Muresan and the wisdom of Joe Gibbs. Ken is a two-time FSWA award winner and a co-host on the RW NBA Podcast. Championships incude: 2016 RW Staff NBA Keeper, 2019 RW Staff NFL Ottoneu Keeper, 2022-23 SiriusXM NBA Experts, 2022-23 SiriusXM NBA Kamla Keeper and 2023-24 FSGA NBA Expert Champions. Ken still owns a RotoNews shirt.
Jacob Lebowitz
Jacob is a former RotoWire contributor. He's always doing something sports-related whether that's playing NBA 2K, watching a football game or playing a game of pickup basketball.
Nick Whalen
Now in his 10th year with the company, Nick is RotoWire's Senior Media Analyst, a position he took on after several years as the Head of Basketball Content. A multi-time FSGA and FSWA award winner, Nick co-hosts RotoWire's flagship show on Sirius XM Fantasy alongside Jeff Erickson, as well as The RotoWire NBA Show on Sirius XM NBA with Alex Barutha. He also co-hosts RotoWire's Football and Basketball podcasts. You can catch Nick's NBA and NFL analysis on VSiN and DraftKings, as well as RotoWire's various social and video channels. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @wha1en.
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