{"id":28503,"date":"2026-05-06T16:16:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T04:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tab.co.nz\/punters\/?p=28503"},"modified":"2026-05-06T14:19:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T02:19:34","slug":"us-basketball-tips-preview-thursday-7-may","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tab.co.nz\/punters\/2026\/05\/us-basketball-tips-preview-thursday-7-may\/","title":{"rendered":"US Basketball Tips & Preview | Thursday 7 May"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n \n
\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n
\n
New York<\/div>\n
vs<\/div>\n
Philadelphia<\/div>\n
Thursday, 11:10am<\/div>\n
Over 215.5 ($1.90)<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n

<\/p>\n

New York couldn’t have been more impressive in Game 1 of their series against Philadelphia, thumping the visitors 137-98. It was always going to be advantage NY going into this game, not only because they were the home team, but also because they enjoyed three days’ rest after their last game, compared to Philadelphia’s one day, but this was quite the statement from Mike Brown’s crew. Jalen Brunson was unstoppable on the offensive end, recording 35 points in 31 minutes, including 13 points in just six minutes in the second quarter to get NY well clear and lay the foundations for the blowout. Mikal Bridges had a much-needed strong performance, with 17 points and five assists on good efficiency and Karl-Anthony Towns had 17 points, six rebounds, six assists, two blocks and helped contain Joel Embiid in what ended up being a straightforward win for NY.<\/p>\n

Philadelphia will be licking their wounds after the Game 1 defeat, with virtually nobody turning up to play. Tyrese Maxey was the most disappointing of the bunch, with just 13 points and two assists on 3\/9 FGs and committing four turnovers, and Embiid wasn’t far behind, going 3\/11 for 14 points and four rebounds. Paul George tried to keep his side in it with a team-high 17 points, while Kelly Oubre Jr hit his shots and defended strongly but it all came in vain. Oubre’s defensive efforts weren’t replicated by his teammates, as they looked lethargic and disengaged, with Maxey, Embiid and Quentin Grimes particularly looking off the pace, notching up a miserable 149.3 defensive rating in the loss.<\/p>\n

Things are going to need to change quickly for Philadelphia if they are to take a game at Madison Square Garden, but it’s hard to see their defence having much success in Game 2. Brunson was getting whatever he wanted and the likes of Towns and OG Anunoby looked comfortable. Tie that in with what will surely be a better offensive showing from Philly, and we are set up for the over. The over is 3-1 in the last four games between these teams and is again the bet.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\n Bet Now<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n \n
\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n
\n
San Antonio<\/div>\n
vs<\/div>\n
Minnesota<\/div>\n
Thursday, 1:40pm<\/div>\n
San Antonio -9.5 ($1.90)<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/use><\/svg><\/span>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n

<\/p>\n

San Antonio were shocked in Game 1, going down in a 102-104 defeat. Julian Champagnie was crucial in SA even getting that close, with some big offensive rebounds and shots down the stretch, but his hot hand didn’t carry into the game’s final possession, as he missed a wide open three which would have won his team the game. Instead, San Antonio were handed a highly unexpected first-up defeat, as they went into the game as 11.5-point favourites and instead never looked comfortable against the physicality and tenacity of Minnesota, with the likes of De’Aaron Fox (10 points, six assists, six turnovers), Harrison Barnes (two points) and Luke Kornet (two points) looking well off their game. To make matters worse, Stephon Castle fouled out after 28 minutes of play and Victor Wembanyama really struggled to get into a groove on the offensive end, ending with just 11 points on 5\/17 shooting. However, he was utterly dominant on the defensive end, having one of the best shot-blocking games in playoff history with 12 blocks, to go with 15 rebounds and five assists, to still be a positive impact despite his shooting woes.<\/p>\n

A heroic and unexpected return from injury from Anthony Edwards spurred Minnesota to a dramatic Game 1 victory, with the superstar guard coming off the bench to drop 18 points and three assists. It was an inspiring showing from Edwards, who was expected to miss at least the first few games of the series, while Mike Conley emerged as another unlikely contributor with his 12 points and six assists to be a +13 in 24 minutes. Terrence Shannon Jr also continued his hot form from the last series, with 16 points and five boards, while Julius Randle top-scored with 21 points and 10 boards and Jaden McDaniels dropped 16 points, one steal and one block. Rudy Gobert was one of the most important pieces, again producing a monster defensive effort to slow down Wembanyama and finish with seven points, 10 rebounds, three assists, four steals and one block, holding San Antonio to just a 106.3 offensive rating.<\/p>\n

Almost everything went wrong for San Antonio on Tuesday, including shooting an awful 10\/36 from deep, and they still finished with a golden chance to win the game. They will almost certainly be better on both ends in Game 2 and I expect them to make a real statement to get their series back on track.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\n Bet Now<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New York couldn’t have been more impressive in Game 1 of their series against Philadelphia, thumping the visitors 137-98. It was always going to be advantage NY going into this game, not only because they were the home team, but also because they enjoyed three days’ rest after their last game, compared to Philadelphia’s one day, but this was quite the statement from Mike Brown’s crew. Jalen Brunson was unstoppable on the offensive end, recording 35 points in 31 minutes, including 13 points in just six minutes in the second quarter to get NY well clear and lay the foundations…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":344,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,232],"tags":[576,234],"hub_post_cat":[],"class_list":["post-28503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-basketball-tips","tag-basketball-tips","tag-nba-tips"],"acf":{"md_tip_date":"","md_tip_date_end":"","md_market_url":"","tip_date":"06\/05\/2026","event_country":"New Zealand"},"yoast_head":"\nUS Basketball Tips & Preview | Thursday 7 May - TAB NZ Punters Lounge<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Visit the TAB NZ for our expert US basketball tips, NBA previews for the major matches, NBA best bets & tips today!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tab.co.nz\/punters\/2026\/05\/us-basketball-tips-preview-thursday-7-may\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US Basketball Tips & Preview | Thursday 7 May - 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