An epic comeback and an epic bounce defined two games that forced Game 7s on Friday night. This weekend, we have three Game 7s to finish off the first round, all in the Eastern Conference.
First, on Saturday, Boston hosts Philadelphia as an 8.5-point favorite. Then, on Sunday, Cleveland is favored by 7.5 points against Toronto and Detroit is a 9.5-point favorite against Orlando. Those are hefty spreads for Game 7s.
Eastern Conference playoffs
No. 1 Detroit Pistons vs. No. 8 Orlando Magic
Series tied 3-3
Game 7: 3:30 p.m. ET, Sunday
Series odds: Pistons -395, Magic +310
The Magic had this one and then the Pistons were the ones to pull a rabbit out of a hat. Orlando led Game 6 by as many as 24 points early in the third quarter and then suffered a complete power outage.
Orlando led 62-38 and lost 93-79. That’s a 55-17 closing run from Detroit after the Magic scored the first basket of the third quarter. Orlando scored just 19 points in the second half.
Cade Cunningham had maybe his best all-around game of the series with 32 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and kept his turnovers down to four after having 30 over the previous four games. Meanwhile, Paolo Banchero, who was coming off a 45-point night in Game 5, shot just 4-for-20 from the field. With those numbers, it’s amazing Orlando was able to build the 24-point lead in the first place.
The Pistons are very solid favorites at home in Game 7. It’s easy to write off Orlando after such a heartbreaking collapse at home, but you never know in a Game 7.
No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers
Series tied 3-3
Game 7: 7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday
Series odds: Celtics -290, 76ers +235
Of all series to go seven games, this one would not be high on the list. That’s especially true after Boston destroyed Philadelphia in Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead.
The 76ers have come up with back-to-back resounding victories to force a Game 7 that did not look feasible a few days ago. Boston is favored by 8.5 points for Game 7, which isn’t a huge surprise given the regular season both teams had (the Celtics won 11 more games than the 76ers) and that the game is in Boston. Still, momentum is clearly on Philadelphia’s side.
Philly led by as many as 23 points in Game 6 and didn’t allow any Celtic to score 20 points. Boston’s big problem was, you guessed it, 3-point shooting. The Celtics were 12-for-41 (29 percent) from 3-point range. Jayson Tatum also suffered an apparent calf injury, which is a major concern for a player just under a year removed from an Achilles injury.
Tyrese Maxey poured in 30 points for the 76ers, Paul George added 23 and Joel Embiid had 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. That’ll do.
Bring on Game 7.
No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 6 Atlanta Hawks
Knicks win series 4-2
What on earth was that? The Knicks won Game 6 by 51 points. On the road. In a game Atlanta needed to win to stay alive.
The Hawks actually led 9-5, but managed to trail 40-15 after a quarter and it continued to get worse. New York led 83-36 at halftime.
All of the numbers from that game are jaw-dropping. It’s hard to think back on when the Hawks led the series 2-1.
The Knicks now move on and remain a contender in the Eastern Conference. No one in the East has been dominant in the first round, so the Knicks entering the second round on a three-game winning streak is compelling.
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Toronto Raptors
Series tied 3-3
Game 7: 7:30 p.m. ET, Sunday
Series odds: Cavaliers -278, Raptors +225
Kawhi Leonard in 2019. Tyrese Haliburton last year. RJ Barrett on Friday.
Barrett’s 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left gave Toronto the lead and eventually the win, but not before it took a massive bounce off the rim. Leonard had a similar shot for the Raptors that won a series, but the bounce off the heel of the rim and in was nearly identical to Haliburton’s for the Indiana Pacers last year.
The result is a Game 7 that favors the Cavs in the sportsbooks, but Cleveland fans can’t be feeling good after the way that one went down. Cleveland had the lead and the ball in the final 20 seconds of overtime and still managed to lose 112-110.
Toronto is 3-3 all-time in Game 7s, but 0-2 on the road.
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 the Lakers, potentially without Luka Dončić.
No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 7 Portland Trail Blazers
Spurs win series 4-1
Victor Wembanyama’s concussion and the consternation it caused Spurs fans are 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 out, 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 win series 4-2
This series was as much about who wasn’t there as who was. By the time Game 6 rolled around, Minnesota was without star Anthony Edwards, sharpshooter Donte DiVincenzo and even Ayo Dosunmu, who had stepped up earlier in the series in the absence of the latter duo. Denver was also without Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson, who started 40 games in the regular season.
It definitely feels like a massive missed opportunity for Denver, which should be able to beat Minnesota without its best player, Edwards.
The Timberwolves weren’t even favored to win the series heading into Game 6, let alone the game itself. Edwards could return for the next round against San Antonio, but DiVincenzo won’t. The Spurs are heavily favored in that series.
No. 4 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 5 Houston Rockets
Lakers win series 4-2
Just as it looked like the Lakers could blow a 3-0 series lead, they took care of business and then some on the road in Game 6. LA led by as many as 29 points in a 98-78 win to eliminate Houston and advance.
Kevin Durant sat out for the Rockets again, as did Luka Dončić for the Lakers. Austin Reaves was better in his second game back for LA, scoring 15 points on 7-for-14 shooting. Rui Hachimura stepped up with 21 points for the Lakers and, of course, LeBron James was good. James had 28 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
Pretty much everyone on Houston had a tough night offensively, which tends to be the case when you score only 78 points. The Rockets traded for Durant in the offseason, but didn’t really get to see what that addition did for the team in a postseason setting. Durant only played one game in this series.
The Lakers are 12-to-1 to advance past Oklahoma City in the next round. Dončić’s injury is a part of why the odds are so long, but the Lakers would’ve been significant underdogs anyway. Dončić could return this series, but it might not be for Tuesday’s Game 1.
