The two top seeds in the NBA playoffs each head into Game 5 at home with momentum. However, his one of these series has reached a potential decider, and the other is tied and could easily tip in either direction.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are on the brink, playing for survival with two major stars out with injuries. The Boston Celtics were shaky for parts of Game 4, but the top seed in the East is looking more chalky than ever heading into Game 5 at TD Garden.
In the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder responded, leveling the series with the Dallas Mavericks, who are struggling with star players. Can Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic find a breakthrough to 3-2 before returning home?
We have odds, staff picks and previews for both Wednesday's NBA Playoff games.
All odds are from BetMGM. Find great ticket deals on StubHub.
4th place Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 1st place Boston Celtics
How to watch: 7pm ET on TNT
Boston leads the series 3-1.
Boston appears to be following a familiar pattern: going 1-1 in their first two home games, then going on a five-game winning streak. However, Game 4 started with the Cavs clearly in a heated position. Cleveland hung on and made up for it when they lost 109-102, but now the odds for the Cavaliers to win the series have ballooned from +1,600 (long) to +10,000 (…very, very long).
This Cavs team had real stubbornness and looked determined or desperate to win. Without two key starters in Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland stepped up with 30 points in Game 4 after averaging 14.7 points per game the rest of the postseason. Evan Mobley, Max Strus and Caris LeVert also finished in double digits. The Celtics looked off-balance in the first half. Boston had 10 turnovers by halftime, and Cleveland briefly took the lead in the third quarter.
But it wasn't enough to stop the Celtics' momentum. They regained balance with Jrue Holiday and Derrick White finding ways to force Garland to take tough shots. Boston also outrebounded the Cavs 48-32.
If anyone had any doubts about Boston's ability to bounce back after their disastrous Game 2 loss, those doubts are gone. BetMGM's series odds do not include Boston, so the market's view is that Boston will win this game and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
We may have seen one last big effort from this Cavs team in the series, especially if Mitchell and Allen don't return, which is not expected.
Cavs vs. Celtics expert picks
Free daily sports updates delivered straight to your inbox.sign up
Free daily sports updates delivered straight to your inbox.sign up
buy
5th place Dallas Mavericks vs. 1st place Oklahoma City Thunder
How to watch: TNT 9:30pm ET
Series odds: Thunder -155, Mavericks +130
Series 2-2 tie
It was another night of stardom for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. And it's weird for Dallas. And now the series odds have changed hands. Entering Game 4, the Mavs were -225 to win the series and the Thunder were +180. OKC is currently favored to win at -155 odds. But to be honest, I might be open to that possibility.
If you had stopped this game at halftime, you probably would have thought Dallas had won the game. The Mavs won both games, Game 2 and Game 3, and dominated the first two quarters to lead by 11 points at halftime. They limited the Thunder to 104.2 points per 100 possessions. athletic Tim Cato emphasizes that they are far below league average.
However, Oklahoma City ultimately won this game defensively with a strategy that included taking advantage of Dallas' bad shooting night from the free throw line. OKC made 23 of 24, while Dallas only made 12 of 23.
The Thunder were able to contain the Mavericks' offensive power consisting of Doncic and Irving, who couldn't keep up with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's offensive efficiency. SGA scored 34 points on 14-of-27 shooting, becoming just the second player in the past five years to make 10 mid-range jumpers in the postseason.
Doncic has been playing through the injury, managing to post a triple-double despite the obvious discomfort. However, he scored just 18 points on 6-of-20 shooting, his second-lowest total of the postseason. There were seven turnovers, while Irving was good at creating shots, scoring just nine points on 11 shots. While Dallas' star players have struggled, P.J. Washington has been key in this series, averaging 25.7 points over the past three games.
The important thing about this matchup is that Dallas should win because their role players contributed more than OKC. But the question here is whether that star can emerge. With their next game coming up and injuries remaining a big question mark for the Mavs, the Thunder may have the upper hand for now.
Mavs expert picks on the Thunder
pick ranking table
More NBA Playoffs coverage
Anonymous NBA Player Poll 2024: Is the GOAT LeBron or Jordan?Most Overrated? Finals Favorite? Hollinger: Does Rebounding Matter? Knicks and Thunder Give Opposite Answers
If the Mavericks want to advance past the Thunder, they need Luka Doncic at the peak of his powers.
(Photo of Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Tim Heitman/Getty Images)
