NBA Picks

The difference so far in the series between the Pistons and Cavaliers might just be Cade Cunningham. Detroit’s point guard played the entire 4th quarter of Game 2, making plays for the Pistons down the stretch and finishing the game with 25 points and 10 assists. That ties Pistons great Isiah Thomas for most 25 and 10 games in the postseason, Cleveland just hasn’t had an answer for the size and physicality of Cunningham at the point guard position. Going into Game 3 there’s very little pressure on the Pistons, they’ve done their part by protecting home court and if they can get anything out of the next two games it’ll be a bonus for them. Their last 11 visits to Cleveland have seen them win just once though, so history isn’t on their side here.

As good as Cade has been for Detroit so far, James Harden has been the complete opposite for the Cavaliers. Whenever you have a point guard on your team accumulating more turnovers than field goals made, you will be in trouble. That’s exactly what’s happened to Harden in the first two games of this series, he’s got 11 TOs compared to just 9 FGs made. Evan Mobley is another huge disappointment so far in the series. He had just 1 (yes, one) rebound in Game 2, far too little for the former Defensive Player of the Year. Head coach Kenny Atkinson will have to come up with a completely new gameplan in the next two games, one that will get Mobley going offensively and defensively and one that’ll slow down the production of Cade Cunningham.

Cleveland is undefeated at home this postseason, which is something they’ll be counting on to continue in Game 3. It is a pivotal game for the home side, as they cannot afford to go down 3-0 here. Aside from Game 7 vs Toronto, this could be their 2nd most important game of the season and I expect them to bring their energy levels up and give it their best in what is almost an elimination game. Cleveland takes Game 3 and makes things interesting here.

Pistons vs Cavaliers Game 3 predictions: Cavaliers -4 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to that number.

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The Oklahoma City Thunder will try to secure a borderline insurmountable 3-0 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series against the Los Angeles Lakers when these 2 teams tangle once again on Saturday, this time in L.A. Oklahoma City took the first 2 games at home by scores of 108-90 and 125-107. Yes, the Lakers are now playing in the friendly confines of Crypto.com Arena, but that may not matter as much as the oddsmakers suggest (they are +8.5 underdogs after being +15.5 and +16.5 ‘dogs in Game 1 and Game 2, respectively). Should there really be that much of a shift after Los Angeles got clobbered by 18 points in each of the first 2 contests? Probably not. Those results were nothing new, either. In the regular season, OKC swept L.A. by winning all 4 matchups — doing so by a combined 117 points. And it’s not like Luka Doncic (hamstring) is coming back to save the Lakers. He is out for Game 3 and is not expected to return during this series even if his team somehow takes it all the way to a seventh game. Those are among the reasons why my Thunder vs Lakers pick is for the visitors to win and cover — again.

Just like they were throughout last year’s playoffs en route to the NBA title, the Thunder are an absolute wagon. They are 6-0 in the playoffs so far (including a first-round sweep of Phoenix) and have won every game by at least 9 points. Jalen Williams (hamstring) remains on the shelf, but OKC is accustomed to playing without him this season and it has not exactly had a serious impact. Ajay Mitchell has been stepping up in Williams’ absence to the tune of at least 15 points scored in the past 5 games and at least 18 in the past 3. Reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is still getting plenty of help — a lot more than LeBron James and Austin Reaves are getting on the other side. Give me the Thunder to win and win big.

Thunder vs Lakers prediction: Oklahoma City -8.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The Minnesota Timberwolves will try to avoid a 3-1 series deficit when they host the San Antonio Spurs Sunday night. The Spurs have won two straight games in this series including a blowout 38 point win in game two and a 115-108 win in game three. Victor Wembanyama has only gotten better as the series has gone on. He is coming off his best game of the series, scoring 39 points on 13/18 shooting. He also added 15 rebounds and 5 blocks. It doesn’t matter if the Wolves have had Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels, or Julius Randle guarding Wembanyama, regardless he has looked unaffected by Minnesota’s defensive efforts. The Timberwolves started slow in game three, missing their first ten shots and only scoring one point in the first seven minutes, but they eventually adjusted and kept this game close throughout. Anthony Edwards continues to play through injuries to both knees. It was the first game of the series he was in the starting lineup and he scored 32 points in 41 minutes played. With Edwards only playing an average of 24.5 minutes in the first two games, game three was by far the most minutes he has logged this series and could play a factor depending on how his knees respond to the high usage night. If the Timberwolves want to succeed in game four, they will need better performances from Randle and McDaniels. They combined to shoot 8 for 34 from the field in game three and were -11 and -15 in plus/minus, the two worst on the team. These two play their best when they can get two feet in the paint and score with their size and length. It is hard to foresee an adjustment they can make when Wembanyama is constantly patrolling the basket and deflecting shots. The Timberwolves are certainly a team you can never count out, but I think the Spurs smell blood in the water. I’ll back the Spurs to find a way to win and earn a chance to close out this series in front of their hometown crowd in game five.

Spurs -4.5 is available at the time of publishing. Playable at -5.5.