NBA Playoffs picks, odds for Heat-Knicks, Warriors-Lakers Game 4s

South Beach. Los Angeles. The similarities abound. Both have beautiful beaches. Both have great weather. Both are multinational cities that boast expansive entertainment and business opportunities. Both have great basketball teams that bested higher seeds in the first round of the playoffs and both lead 2-1 in their respective conference semifinals.

There are differences, though.

The weather is more humid in Miami. Los Angeles has 11 million more inhabitants. The Lakers like to get out and run in transition as often as they can, while the Heat prefer to play a more grind-it-out affair.

They will take commanding leads in their series if both win on Monday. While it wouldn’t be a guarantee that they move on, 95 percent of teams in the past have done just that when up 3-1.

Before I get internet tomatoes thrown at my internet head, I must give some love to San Francisco and New York. I lived in NYC for many years, so shout out to the converted YMCA at 360 W. 34th St., right down the street from MSG. As for San Francisco, the beautiful thing is that Alcatraz is a ferry ride away, so I know where to throw all the haters!

I kid, I kid. I have spent time in both cities and both are great in their own unique ways. Their basketball teams are really, really good as well.

The Warriors are the defending champions and, for all their faults and disappointing play at times this season, they can light up anyone on any given night and get spicy hot like… Curry!

The Knicks are a blast-from-the-past team. They play good defense and are methodical and tough. Is that the Joker smiling in Gotham? Or is that just Tom Thibodeau smiling from ear to ear? Injuries are a concern, though, as ankleitis has infected the squad.

These games should be intense, especially since the Warriors and Knicks do not want to go down 3-1.

During the NBA Playoffs, The Athletic’s writers will make their straight-up picks. You’ll find picks, coverage and the latest odds here. Our in-depth NBA coverage is linked below the picks. For live NBA odds from BetMGM, .

No. 8 Heat vs. No. 5 Knicks

7:30 p.m. ET on TNT

What are the odds for the Heat vs. Knicks?

Series: Heat lead 2-1

Series odds: Heat -250, Knicks +200

Injuries have marred this series. Miami entered the series without Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler missed Game 2, a game which they unsurprisingly lost. In the other two contests, Butler was arguably the best player on the floor at both ends and? Miami won both.

The Knicks entered the series without Julius Randle. They lost Game 1 and, in Game 2, he contributed 25 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.

It’s as if Randle and Butler were doppelgangers and the Universe couldn’t handle both being on the court simultaneously.

In Game 3, both Randle and Butler played, but it was an ugly offensive performance. Both teams shot under 40 percent from the field with Randle converting 4-of-15 shots while Butler went 9-of-21 from the field. The two stats that jumped off the page were the 12 more free throws made for Miami and the 50 to 36 discrepancy in points in the paint.

Back to the injuries, Jalen Brunson has been dealing with a sore ankle and tweaked it during the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game. Immanuel Quickley also sprained his ankle on Saturday. That’s a lot of potential offense that could be hobbled for Game 4, and the Knicks shot 34.1% WITH them on Saturday.

Expert picks for Heat vs. Knicks

No. 7 Lakers vs. No. 6 Warriors

10 p.m. ET on TNT

What are the odds for the Lakers vs. Warriors?

Series: Lakers lead 2-1

Series odds: Lakers -200, Warriors +165

The Lakers went into the stadium that is only a few miles away from Alcatraz and emerged victorious in Game 1 of this series. Why? Primarily because Anthony Davis was the best player at both ends of the court. He went for 30 points, 23 rebounds, five assists and four blocks.

In Game 2, Davis was not the best player on the court, only scoring 11 points and grabbing seven rebounds. The Warriors outrebounded the Lakers, 55-40, and made it rain from downtown, draining 21 3-pointers on 42 attempts. Klay Thompson went SPLASH, SPLASH, SPLASH, SPLASH, SPLASH, SPLASH, SPLASH and SPLASH en route to 30 points and led Golden State to a 27-point victory.

In Game 3, Anthony Davis was once again the best player at both ends of the floor, contributing 25 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, three steals and four blocks.

I. Have. Cracked. The. Code.

Now, I only need to fix the flux capacitor in that DeLorean sitting in the garage.

The Lakers held Golden State to 39.6% shooting from the field as they waltzed to a 127-97 win. Let’s not forget that Golden State had the second-worst road record during the regular season, only three games better than the three teams tanking for Victor Wembanyama.

The beautiful thing about a seven-game series is the adjustments and the adjustments to the adjustments. I’m looking forward to seeing what Steve Kerr and the Warriors coaching staff conjure up for tonight.