NBA Playoffs betting could be impacted by injuries. A few players will be playing with injuries and their effectiveness may determine how well their teams do vs. the basketball betting odds.NBA Playoffs betting favors the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic in their respective series. Both teams have injuries though. Los Angeles center Andrew Bynum sat out practice this week to rest his injured right knee but it didn’t do him much good. “It’s just worse. A little worse, but I’m still able to play through it so I’m going to keep pushing ahead,” he said.
Bynum has a torn meniscus in his right knee but he is playing through the pain. The Lakers realize that having Bynum on the court is very important in their series against the Suns. “Andrew, he’s running with some limitations but he still looks good,” head coach Phil Jackson said. “It’s still good to see him out there. We’re just monitoring it.” Just how important could Bynum be in this series? In the four regular season basketball betting meetings against the Suns, Bynum averaged almost 18 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. Kobe Bryant is also dealing with injuries but he has been dealing with them most of the season. “I feel fine,” he said. “Feels good.”
Orlando Magic forward Matt Barnes is dealing with a back injury but he is expected to play against Boston. Barnes is the top defender for the Magic and he is expected to defend Paul Pierce or Ray Allen. The other team in that NBA Playoffs betting series, the Boston Celtics also has an injury as center Kendrick Perkins is hurt. He has a sore right knee that is giving him problems. “His knee is bothering him,” head coach Doc Rivers said. “He tried to go early, but it started bothering him a lot. He wanted to go, but I told him, ‘Look, I don’t need you tonight, you’re not going to help me today in practice. I need you tomorrow.’ So I shut him down.” Perkins is a key player in this NBA Playoffs betting series since he is going to defend Orlando’s Dwight Howard. How effective Perkins is against Howard could be the determining factor in who wins this series.
Injuries are important at this time of the season and with every game having critical importance in NBA Playoffs betting, they could end up deciding who wins and loses.