The NBA Playoffs move on to Game 3 on Thursday, with the lower seeds finally qualifying for a home game. Each game on Thursday will be a 2-0 series with the team playing at home leading. However, the odds predict that by the end of the night, he will be 2-1 in two of these series.
The night begins with a tipoff between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic, with the Magic having the most favorable odds. Next up is a revenge match for the Philadelphia 76ers in hungry Philadelphia after a controversial and chaotic ending to Game 2 against the New York Knicks. The night ends with the Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Denver Nuggets, and once again, the point differential narrows in favor of the Nuggets.
Can the Cavaliers shake off the blues of last year's road playoffs and come away with a win in Orlando? Will the Sixers come out swinging to prove they can overcome this physical New York team? What will happen to LeBron James and the Lakers' gut check after blowing a 20-point lead against Denver on Monday?
We provide a preview of each match in terms of betting odds and also provide picks from the teams for each matchup.
All odds are from BetMGM. Find great ticket deals on StubHub.
4th place Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 5th place Orlando Magic
How to watch: 7pm ET on NBA TV
Cleveland leads the series 2-0
Series odds: Cavaliers -700, Magic +500
The Cavaliers are 2-0 against Orlando and have a comfortable lead despite many on the roster not playing their best game. But Cleveland pushed it to a point where it mattered. Jarrett Allen is a rebounding machine, recording 38 rebounds and two double-doubles in his first two games. By comparison, the Magic have a total of 49 starters, but their defense is solid overall.
Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points on 11-of-21 shooting in Game 1 and scored a game-high 23 points in Game 2. His shooting percentage in the first quarter averages 70 percent. But here the cracks are showing. In Game 2, Mitchell only scored four points in the second half, and the Cavs overall scored just 16 points in the fourth quarter after Orlando switched defenses.
Perhaps that explains the very narrow point differential for a series that hasn't yet been close.as athletic Jason Lloyd said: Shots that don't land on the road can also land on your home. ”
But so far, the Magic haven't been able to find success against the Cavs, shooting less than 35 percent overall and less than 24 percent from 3-point range in their past two games. The Cavs stuff the paint and force long shots, but they don't fall. The Magic are also bad at making wide-open threes (where there's no defender within 6 feet), hitting 11-of-44.
The key for the Magic will be to heat things up in the first quarter and not let the Cavs pull away from them early. That's likely the case with a home crowd, and the tight spread for this game reflects that advantage.
Cavs vs. Magic expert picks
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2nd place New York Knicks vs. 7th place Philadelphia 76ers
How to watch: TNT 7:30pm ET
New York leads the series 2-0.
Series odds: Knicks -500, 76ers +375
Hello, revenge match? Philadelphia enters its first home game of the series with a major shoulder injury after Monday's game. The Sixers almost split the series with just seconds left. Oh, and then. You know what happened. The A's had three points by Donte DiVincenzo and a timeout call by 76ers coach Nick Nurse that was disallowed, but the two officiating errors have been litigious ever since.
It was a shocking ending for Philadelphia, who were trailing by five points with 30 seconds left. Joel Embiid played 39 minutes and had 34 points and 10 rebounds despite his knee, which has been a constant issue for him. Tyrese Maxey, who was named the Most Improved Player of the season, played 44 minutes and contributed 35 points and 10 assists. This was after he was absent from filming in the morning due to being reported to be feeling unwell. It was a huge effort and shocking final seconds.
For the Knicks, who are currently 2-0 heading into Philadelphia, despite star Jalen Brunson struggling to find his rhythm and shooting 29 percent in the first two games. It wasn't that catastrophic. The Knicks also outscored the 76ers, scoring 58 points off the bench through both games. The next highest scorer after Brunson was Josh Hart, the only player to have a double-double in both games.
Although the Sixers are favored to win Game 3 at home, experts do not recommend betting on the Sixers in this game.
Knicks vs. Sixers Expert Pick
How to watch: 10pm ET on TNT
Denver leads the series 2-0.
Series odds: Nuggets -1600, Lakers +850
Check out the Nuggets series tracker. Denver's odds to win the series were -350 before Game 1 and doubled to -700 before Game 2. Now it has swelled to -1600 again.
Still, the Lakers narrowly lost their first home game at Crypto.com Arena. In a surprising turn of events in Game 2, the Lakers led by as many as 20 points in Denver and started the fourth quarter with a 10-point lead. They held the lead for the most part until two plays from Jamal Murray sealed their fate. He tied the game with a step-back jump shot, then sealed the win with a 15-foot buzzer-beater.
LeBron scored 12 of the Lakers' 20 points in the final quarter, but missed a crucial 3-pointer with 16.1 seconds left. Anthony Davis had 32 points in 39 minutes and D'Angelo Russell had 23 points.
In the aftermath of the game, there was another controversial call, a foul on Russell in the final moments of the third quarter that was contested and reversed by the replay center.
The Nuggets outscored the Lakers by 17 points in the second half. Nikola Jokic had a triple-double, scoring 32 points in Game 1 and 27 points in Game 2.
Nuggets vs. Lakers Expert Pick
More NBA Playoffs coverage
Lakers take big lead over Nuggets in Game 2: “There's a part of us that don't know what we're doing.''
Chaos at the Garden: Bringing the 76ers to the top in the Knicks' most desired environment
(Photo of Joel Embiid and Josh Hart: Sarah Steer/Getty Images)
