And just like that, we are into the second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs. Tuesday’s action starts at 7:00 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 champion Oklahoma City Thunder, at 8:30 pm ET on NBC.
You can find my NBA Best Bets for both matchups below. 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 top picks now!
Cavaliers vs Pistons NBA best bet: Pistons -3.5 (-104)
Both the Cavs and Pistons advanced from out of round 1 after 7 games, setting up what should be a fascinating series between 2 evenly matched teams — at least on paper. They split the 4 regular-season meetings, but 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 the first round against Orlando, Duren now matches up with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley down low. He averaged 21.7 ppg and 12.3 rpg in 3 regular-season H2H meetings, shooting better than 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 give Cunningham the upper hand in that matchup. Detroit will look to set the tone early in Game 1 against a Cleveland squad that is without a win on the road in the postseason. Sunday’s win over Orlando was an emotional one for Detroit, and just a day later, the Pistons extended the contract of head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. I’ll stick with the Pistons for Game 1.
Read our full Cavaliers vs Pistons Game 1 prediction for their Eastern Conference Semifinals series
Lakers vs Thunder NBA best bet: Thunder -15.5 (-115)
The regular-season series between the Lakers and Thunder was a one-sided street, with OKC dominating all 4 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 when these 2 teams meet in the series opener on Tuesday in OKC. LA remains without Luka Doncic, and sources say he’s not even close to returning. The offense looked very stagnant at times against the Rockets in round 1 — and if that happens against the best team in the NBA, it will be a short series.
The Thunder had a week to rest for this series, being the only team to sweep their way through the first round. 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.
Check out our Lakers vs Thunder Game 1 best bet for tonight
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