And just like that we are in the 2nd Round of the postseason. Tuesday’s action starts at 7 pm ET in Detroit where the Pistons will host the Cavaliers in their series opener. After that we have LeBron James and his Lakers taking on the defending champs Oklahoma City Thunder at 8.30 pm ET, live on NBC.
You can find my NBA Best Bets for both match-ups below; odds are courtesy of FanDuel. Our NBA Picks page will feature daily in-depth analysis and predictions throughout the entire NBA postseason, so make sure you bookmark it. Let’s get into my bets now!
Cavaliers vs Pistons Best Bet: Pistons -3.5 (-104)
Both the Cavs and Pistons advanced from the 1st Round after 7 games, setting up what should be a fascinating series between two evenly matched teams, at least on paper. The two teams split the four regular season meetings, however the oddsmakers are giving a slight edge to the Pistons before Game 1 on Tuesday. The outcome of this series will largely depend on how Jalen Duren plays. After struggling for most of Round 1 vs Orlando, Duren now maches up with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley down low. He averaged 21.7 ppg and 12.3 rpg in 3 regular season meetings, shooting over 63% from the field. Cade Cunningham is another player to keep an eye on – James Harden is a sub-par defender at this time in his career, so I’d give Cade the upper hand in that match-up. Detroit will look to set the tone early in Game 1, Cleveland is without a win on the road in the postseason. Sunday’s win over Orlando was an emotional one for Detroit, just a day later they extended the contract of head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. I’ll stick with the Pistons for Game 1.
Lakers vs Thunder Best Bet: Thunder -15.5 (-115)
The regular season series between the Lakers and Thunder was a one-sided street, with OKC dominating all four meetings by 29, 9, 43 and 36 points for an average win margin of 29.3 points. Right from the get go the oddsmakers are expecting that to continue as the two teams meet in the series opener on Tuesday in OKC. LA remains without Luka Doncic, sources say he’s not even close to returning. The offense looked very stagnant at times in the Rockets series, if that happens against vs the best team in the NBA it’ll be a short series. The Thunder had a week to rest for this series, being the only team to sweep their way through Round 1. Jalen Williams is the only notable absentee with his hamstring injury, but even without him you have to like their chances against a severely limited Lakers side. Even with the risk of the Thunder players being a bit rusty in Game 1, I still see them winning this game without any issues.
Click here to add us to your Google preferred sources and never miss a story
