The first round of the NBA Playoffs concludes this Sunday with a pair of Game 7s coming our way. First up, it’ll be the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons squaring off at 3:30 PM ET on ABC. The winner of that game will take on the winner of Raptors vs. Cavaliers, whose Game 7 begins at 7:30 PM ET on NBC/Peacock.
After correctly predicting the 76ers to cover on Friday night in my Same Game Parlay Winner, I’m once again focusing on the Spread market for Sunday’s games. My NBA best bets are available below; odds are courtesy of FanDuel. Remember, our NBA Picks page delivers daily in-depth analysis throughout the entire NBA postseason. Let’s jump into my bets now!
Magic vs Pistons Best Bet: Pistons -8.5 (-110)
This has been one of the more unpredictable series we’ve seen so far in the first round, with the Detroit Pistons being on the brink of yet another comeback from a 3-1 series deficit. Seeing the 76ers do it last night in Boston has only further convinced me that it’s very possible Cade Cunningham and company can to do it as well. Orlando suffered a historic meltdown in Game 6 after being up by as many as 22 points, only to score 19 points in the second half in a 93-79 loss. A loss like that is almost certain to have an effect on the team going into Game 7, especially if they fall down early in Sunday’s game. I believe playing a Game 7 at home gives Detroit a distinct advantage here. In 44 games played at Little Ceasars Arena this season, they’ve lost only 10 times. All of the negativity around Jalen Duren’s play and the Pistons struggles will be forgotten if they are able to pull this off. I have them coming out on top and covering in what should be a fun game to watch for the neutrals.
Find our full Magic vs Pistons Game 7 prediction
Raptors vs Cavaliers Best Bet: Raptors +8.5 (-120)
The Raptors survived Game 6 in the most dramatic of ways, as RJ Barrett drained a game-winning three on a lucky bounce in OT — setting up a winner-takes-all Game 7 in Cleveland on Sunday. We knew from the beginning of this series that home court would play a massive role in the outcome; all 6 wins so far have been by home teams. Going into Sunday’s deciding game, road teams have won just 40 of 155 Game 7s in NBA history. However, since 2017, we’ve seen a more balanced outcome in these games, with each side winning on 7 occasions in the 14 games played. These teams have been neck and neck throughout this series, with the last 3 games being decided by just 4, 5 and 2 points. I do not anticipate either team to let off in Game 7; we could have another tight ending coming our way. With James Harden being just 3-4 SU in Game 7s in his career (with 3 losses in a row), I am not 100% sure I trust him to get the job done here. If Cleveland wins, I expect it to be by a slim margin, so it makes a lot more sense to back Toronto plus the spread here.
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