At the start of the playoffs, there was no clear favorite in the Eastern Conference. The Boston Celtics had the best odds to make the NBA Finals, but were not anything near a sure thing. The first round of the playoffs has reflected this balance in the East.
All four series in the Eastern Conference stand at 3-2 as Game 6s begin on Thursday. Boston and New York will try to close our their series on the road (and both are favored to) while Denver is favored to stay alive on the road against shorthanded Minnesota.
This is a look at the odds for all eight first-round series in the NBA playoffs. It will be updated daily throughout the playoffs, as the odds to win each series will shift with results.
Eastern Conference playoffs
No. 1 Detroit Pistons vs. No. 8 Orlando Magic
Magic lead series 3-2
Game 6: 7 p.m. ET, Friday
Series odds: Magic -120, Pistons +100
Cade Cunningham and Paolo Banchero had quite the duel in Wednesday’s Game 5. Both scored 45 points while shooting better than 50 percent from the field.
Cunningham was 13-for-23 from the field, made all 14 of his free throw attempts and added five assists. Banchero shot 17-for-31 with nine rebounds and seven assists.
The one issue for Banchero, and the Magic in general, was free-throw shooting. Banchero was 5-for-12 from the line and the Magic were 16-for-30. In a 116-109 loss, those free throws loomed large.
The Pistons never trailed and led by as many as 17 points. Orlando didn’t have Franz Wagner, who was out with a calf injury.
The Magic are still favored to win the series, albeit at barely better than a coin flip. The Pistons are favored by 3.5 points in Game 6 though.
No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers
Celtics lead series 3-2
Game 6: 8 p.m. ET, Thursday
Series odds: Celtics -2000, 76ers +1000
Just as Boston asserted its dominance over Philadelphia with two road wins, including an especially lopsided Game 4 win, the 76ers come back from the dead to make things a little interesting in this series.
The Celtics were up 13 early in the third quarter in Tuesday’s Game 5 and it appeared Boston would comfortably close out the series. Then, the 76ers closed the game on a heater. Philly outscored Boston 43-19 in the last 15 minutes of the game. Boston scored just 11 points in the fourth quarter.
Joel Embiid looked closer to his prime with 33 points and eight assists. Tyrese Maxey had 25 points and 10 rebounds. This is the blueprint the 76ers were hoping for at the beginning of the season.
The road team has now won four of the five games in this series.
Boston is still firmly favored to advance, and is even favored on the road in Game 6, but it’s no longer a foregone conclusion that Boston wins this series.
No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 6 Atlanta Hawks
Knicks lead series 3-2
Game 6: 7 p.m. ET, Thursday
Series odds: Knicks -700, Hawks +500
The Knicks raised their intensity in Game 4 in Atlanta and haven’t let up since. New York is now a game away from the second round, and Atlanta, which once led the series 2-1, is reeling.
The Knicks won 126-97 in Tuesday’s Game 5. No Hawks scored 20 points while Jalen Brunson went off for 39 points for New York. It was a true masterpiece for Brunson, who was 15-for-23 from the field, had eight assists and just one turnover.
After two blowout losses in a row, Atlanta has to figure out how to force a return trip to Madison Square Garden. The Knicks’ odds of advancing (-700) imply they have an 87.5 percent chance. Quite a turnaround from two games ago.
New York is favored by 2.5 points on the road for Game 6.
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Toronto Raptors
Cavaliers lead series 3-2
Game 6: 7:30 p.m. ET, Friday
Series odds: Cavaliers -1600, Raptors +900
Cleveland fans probably thought “Here we go again” multiple times in Game 5. The Raptors jumped out to a 22-10 lead, only to trail by the end of the first quarter. Then Toronto rebuilt a 12-point lead early in the third quarter. Cleveland appeared to pull away for good with an 11-point lead with less than five minutes left only to see Toronto chip away at the deficit.
Ultimately, Cleveland held on for a 125-120 win. The Cavs lead the series 3-2 and are heavily favored to advance.
The home team has won every game in this series, which is a good sign for Toronto in Game 6. However, Brandon Ingram left after scoring just one point in 11 minutes due to injury and Scottie Barnes was hobbled for much of the second half and didn’t make a field goal after halftime. A healthy Toronto has proven it can make this a series, but those injuries could play a major role.
Cleveland is favored by 4.5 points in Game 6.
Western Conference playoffs
No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 Phoenix Suns
Thunder win series 4-0
Oklahoma City was mostly unbothered by Phoenix in a four-game sweep. The closest game was a 131-122 victory in Game 4.
The defending champs were the favorites to win the NBA title entering the postseason and did nothing to change that. The Thunder earned a bit of a break and await two teams battling injuries in the Lakers and Rockets.
No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 7 Portland Trail Blazers
Spurs win series 4-1
Victor Wembanyama’s concussion, and the consternation it gave Spurs fans, is a thing of the past. The Spurs advanced past Portland with no drama after that. San Antonio won Game 3 on the road in Wembanyama’s absence, came back from a 19-point deficit in Game 4 and cruised in Game 5.
The Spurs led for the entire game and led by as many as 28 points to put the series away on Tuesday.
With Boston not quite looking sharp and Denver trailing Minnesota in its series, the Spurs are a logical and worthy second team in the odds behind Oklahoma City to win the NBA title.
No. 3 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves
Timberwolves lead series 3-2
Game 6: 9:30 p.m. ET, Thursday
Series odds: Nuggets -150, Timberwolves+125
Minnesota was down two starters, and it looked like it for Monday’s Game 5. Denver won 125-113 in a game that wasn’t close for most of it.
While the Timberwolves were without Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo, the Nuggets also didn’t dress Aaron Gordon. With two days off in between Game 5 and Thursday’s Game 6, it’s possible Gordon will be able to play through his calf injury. Gordon suffered the injury in Game 2, missed Game 3 and played limited minutes in Game 4.
Denver didn’t need him on Monday with Nikola Jokić fully taking control with 27 points, 16 assists and 12 rebounds. That’s a vintage Jokić stat line, and the Nuggets will need more of that the rest of the series.
Ayo Dosunmu fell back to earth with 18 points in a team-high 38 minutes after his 43-point masterpiece in Minneapolis. Dosunmu may have to go off again for Minnesota to find the fourth win in this series. Despite going on the road and still trailing in the series, Denver is favored to advance.
No. 4 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 5 Houston Rockets
Lakers lead series 3-2
Game 6: 9:30 p.m. ET, Friday
Series odds: Lakers -350, Rockets +275
Austin Reaves returned for Game 5, but the Lakers still couldn’t close out Houston. Now, things get really interesting.
Houston has won two in a row in the series and gets to return home. Even without Kevin Durant, Houston is alive and well. The Rockets are favored by 3.5 points in Game 6.
Reaves scored 22 points in his return, but most of his damage came from the free throw line. He shot just 4-for-16 from the field. The Lakers will need his shooting touch to return sooner rather than later.
The Lakers are still solid favorites to advance, but it’s a lot closer than it used to be.
