Expert NBA GAME Previews

The NBA playoffs open Sunday afternoon with a familiar rivalry and a pretty big Game 1 number. The Philadelphia 76ers head to TD Garden for a 1:00 PM tip on ABC after finishing 45-37 and grabbing the No. 7 seed, while the Boston Celtics enter as the No. 2 seed at 56-26 with home court and a market price that

San Antonio is back at Frost Bank Center on Tuesday night for Game 2, holding a 1-0 series lead after a 111-98 win in the opener. Tipoff is set for 8:00 PM ET on NBC, and the spot is pretty clear from a betting angle. Portland needs a better offensive night to keep this series from tilting early, while the

Game 2 of this Western Conference first-round series heads back to Crypto.com Arena with a lot more pressure on Houston than the seed lines suggested a few days ago. The Rockets finished 52-30, the Lakers went 53-29, and Los Angeles now owns the early 1-0 edge after a 107-98 win in the opener. Tuesday’s tip is set for 10:30 PM

Game 2 of this Eastern Conference first-round series stays in Cleveland on Monday night, with tipoff set for 7:00 PM at Rocket Arena and the Cavaliers trying to turn their 1-0 series lead into real control before the matchup shifts north. Cleveland took the opener 126-113, and it looked like the cleaner, steadier team once the game settled in. Toronto

Game 2 in this Eastern Conference first-round series stays at Madison Square Garden on Monday night, with tipoff set for 8:00 PM and the Knicks trying to build on their 1-0 series lead after a 113-102 win in the opener. Atlanta enters off a 46-36 regular season that was better than it looked at midyear, while New York finished 53-29

Game 2 shifts right back to Ball Arena on Monday night, with tip-off set for 10:30 PM ET and Denver trying to push this first-round series to 2-0 after a 116-105 win in the opener. Minnesota comes in at 49-33 after finishing sixth in the West, while Denver closed the regular season 54-28 and held serve in Game 1 behind

Toronto opens this first-round matchup on Saturday, April 18, 2026 at Rocket Arena, and the market is not being subtle about how it sees Game 1. Cleveland is laying 8.0 points at home, the Cavaliers are sitting at -355 on the moneyline, Toronto comes back at +277, and the total is set at 219.5. That is a real playoff number.

Minnesota opens its first-round series on the road Saturday, April 18, 2026 at Ball Arena, and the market is giving Denver real respect right out of the gate. The Nuggets are laying 6.5 points at home, which is not a small playoff opener number against a team with this much size and defensive talent. It says the market trusts Denver’s

Atlanta opens this first-round matchup on Saturday, April 18, 2026 at Madison Square Garden, and the betting market is making a pretty clear statement right away. New York is laying 5.5 points at home, the Knicks moneyline sits at -218, the Hawks come back at +179, and the total is parked at 217. That number tells you a few things