Things are getting interesting in some first-round series in the NBA Playoffs. Orlando held serve at home and can put the pressure on Cleveland with another win on Saturday. The Miami Heat had a shocking win in Boston and now have home-court advantage in a series against a No. 1 seed, again.
The Magic open Saturday’s four-game slate against the Cavaliers. With the Magic leading by as many as 43 points in Game 3, that series has shifted. So has the Heat-Celtics series.
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Elsewhere, the top two seeds in the Western Conference appear to be in cruise control. Denver goes for a sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers while the New Orleans Pelicans are looking to get on the board in Game 3 against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
Here is a look at where things stand ahead of Saturday’s games with odds and staff picks.
All odds fromBetMGM.Find the best deals on StubHub for tickets.
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers at No. 5 Orlando Magic
How to watch: 1 p.m. ET on TNT
Cleveland leads series 2-1
Series odds:Cavaliers -375, Magic +300
Paolo Banchero has entered the playoff chat. After a couple of solid but unspectacular games in Cleveland, he erupted for 31 points and 14 rebounds in a Game 3 win in Orlando.
The Magic did to the Cavs what the Cavs did to them in Cleveland. How does that shift the perception of this series? Well, for one, it makes it a series. The Magic showed they won’t go down easily. Whether or not they can win in Cleveland may be another story, but the momentum in the series has shifted. Orlando got its first playoff win in four years, but the Magic haven’t won more than one playoff game in a series since 2011, so a Game 4 win would be another minor milestone for the franchise.
There weren’t really any positives for Cleveland in Game 3, which is generally the case in 38-point losses. Donovan Mitchell had just 13 points and shot 1-for-6 from 3-point range. Evan Mobley somehow only had two rebounds, a season-low. Darius Garland was 2-for-10 from the field. So it’s a forget-it-and-move-on situation for Cleveland.
Orlando is a small favorite in Game 4, as was the case in Game 3. Cleveland is still heavily favored in the series, but the odds have nearly halved from -700 to -375.
Expert picks for Cavs at Magic
No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 8 New Orleans Pelicans
How to watch: 3:30 p.m. ET on TNT
Oklahoma City leads series 2-0
Series odds: Thunder -2500, Pelicans +1100
As far as first playoff runs for a young core go, the Thunder are doing just fine. After prevailing in a close Game 1, the Thunder flexed their might with a blowout victory in Game 2 on Wednesday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is leading the way and Chet Holmgren went off for 26 points in Game 2. The Thunder got all five starters into double figures in scoring in a whopping 32-point win.
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Game 1 was encouraging for New Orleans, but Game 2 rang some alarm bells. Do the Pelicans have an answer for Gilgeous-Alexander? Can they keep up with the Thunder in a seven-game series without Zion Williamson? The answer to both is probably no at this point, but home court can change things.
It doesn’t seem likely Williamson will return this series with his hamstring injury. He played a career-best 70 games this season, but this injury coming at this time won’t change the narrative around Williamson that he can’t stay healthy. It’s looking increasingly likely that we’ll have to wait another year to see Zion on a playoff stage.
The Thunder enter Game 3 as a small favorite, but are an overwhelming favorite for the series. A win on Saturday and Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren will have more time to practice their singing.
Expert picks for Thunder at Pelicans
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No. 1 Boston Celtics at No. 8 Miami Heat
How to watch: 6 p.m. ET on TNT
Series tied 1-1
Series odds:Celtics -2000, Heat +1000
Miami’s run to the NBA Finals last year had a lot of memorable moments, but the Heat’s shocking win in Boston on Wednesday was reminiscent of one of the Heat’s playoff losses from last year.
Last year, the Heat won Game 1 in Milwaukee, and Giannis Antetokounmpo left that game with an injury. With their star out for Game 2, the Bucks tied an NBA record by making 25 3-pointers and won comfortably. It was the only game the Bucks won in that series.
The Heat were on the other end of that on Wednesday. Miami lost Game 1 in Boston and was playing without its star (Jimmy Butler). The Heat shot the lights out in Game 2, going 23-for-43 (53.5 percent) on 3-pointers. With 62.2 percent of their made field goals coming from 3-pointers, that mark is the third-highest in NBA Playoff history.
While Miami’s win was impressive and reinvigorated hopes of a second-straight top-seed upset in the first round, Milwaukee was an example of that kind of performance being unsustainable.
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On the other hand, Boston is now 13-14 at home in the last four postseasons, which shouldn’t be sustainable but has been. Maybe it’s a good thing for the Celtics that Saturday’s game is in Miami.
Expert picks for Celtics at Heat
No. 2 Denver Nuggets at No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers
How to watch: 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC
Denver leads series 3-0
Series odds: Nuggets -10000, Lakers +3500
The Lakers might be feeling like they are in some version of hell. Not only have the Nuggets now beaten the Lakers in 11 straight games, but the Lakers have had a double-digit lead in all three games of this series.
The Lakers were up 12 in Game 1, but lost by 11. They upped the lead to 20 in the second half of Game 2, but were undone by a Jamal Murray buzzer-beater. LA went up 12, at home, in Game 3, but trailed by double-digits for much of the second half and lost yet again. That’s nightmare fuel for anyone associated with the Lakers.
Things are going so well on the Denver side that Nikola Jokić and Murray didn’t even have to carry the load on Thursday. Aaron Gordon (29 points, 15 rebounds) and Michael Porter Jr. (20 points, 10 rebounds) did plenty of damage. The run Denver went on in the second half of Game 3 to erase the deficit and quickly pull away was a reminder of how good this Denver team is. The Nuggets have arguably the best duo in the league, but also just a lot of good players.
Who knows how the Lakers could’ve done in these playoffs if they didn’t wind up against Denver in the first round, but this Lakers team simply can’t beat this Nuggets team. A win in Game 4 would only extend the inevitable but would at least end the losing streak and perhaps the mental hex along with it.
Expert picks for Nuggets at Lakers
Picks standings
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(Photo of Tyler Herro: Winslow Townson / Getty Images)
