Things are getting interesting in some first round series of the NBA Playoffs. Orlando held its home serve and can put pressure on Cleveland with another victory on Saturday. The Miami Heat pulled off a shocking victory in Boston and now have home-court advantage again in a series against a No. 1 seed.
The Magic open Saturday’s four-game slate against the Cavaliers. With the Magic leading by as many as 43 points in Game 3, this series changed. The same goes for the Heat-Celtics series.
Elsewhere, the top two seeds in the Western Conference appear to be in cruising control. Denver looks to sweep the Los Angeles Lakers while the New Orleans Pelicans look to get on the board in Game 3 against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
Here’s a look at where things stand ahead of Saturday’s games with odds and staff picks.
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No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Orlando Magic
How to watch: 1 p.m. ET on TNT
Cleveland leads series 2-1
Series odds: Riders -375, Magic +300
Paolo Banchero has entered the playoff chat. After a few solid but unspectacular games in Cleveland, he had 31 points and 14 rebounds in a Game 3 victory in Orlando.
The Magic did to the Cavs what the Cavs did to them in Cleveland. How does this change the perception of this series? Well, for one thing, that makes it a series. The Magic showed they won’t go down easily. Whether or not they can win in Cleveland may be another story, but the dynamic of the series has changed. Orlando earned its first playoff victory in four years, but the Magic haven’t won more than one playoff game in a series since 2011, so a Game 4 win would be another minor step for the franchise.
There weren’t really any bright spots for Cleveland in Game 3, which is usually the case in 38-point losses. Donovan Mitchell had just 13 points and shot 1 of 6 from 3-point range. Evan Mobley had just two rebounds, a season low. Darius Garland was 2 of 10 from the field. So it’s a forget it and move on situation for Cleveland.
Orlando is a slight favorite in Game 4, as it was in Game 3. Cleveland is still heavily favored in the series, but the odds have almost halved from -700 to -375.
Expert Picks for Cavs at Magic
No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 New Orleans Pelicans
How to watch: 3:30 p.m. ET on TNT
Oklahoma City leads the series 2-0
Series odds: Thunder -2500, Pelicans +1100
As far as a first playoff run for a young core goes, the Thunder are doing very well. After triumphing in a close first game, the Thunder showed their strength with a resounding victory in Game 2 on Wednesday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the way and Chet Holmgren scored 26 points in game two. The Thunder allowed all five starters to score in double figures in a huge 32-point victory.
The first game was encouraging for New Orleans, but the second game sounded alarm bells. Do the Pelicans have an answer for Gilgeous-Alexander? Can they keep up with the Thunder in a seven-game series without Zion Williamson? The answer to both questions is probably no at this point, but the national court may change things.
He It doesn’t seem likely that Williamson will return this series with his hamstring injury. He’s played a career-high 70 games this season, but this injury coming at this time won’t change the narrative around Williamson that he can’t stay healthy. It’s looking more and more likely that we’ll have to wait another year to see Zion on the playoff stage.
The Thunder enter Game 3 as small favorites, but are overwhelming favorites for the series. A win on Saturday and Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren will have more time to practice their singing.
Expert Picks for Thunder at Pelicans
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#1 Boston Celtics at #8 Miami Heat
How to watch: 6 p.m. ET on TNT
Series tied 1-1
Series odds: Celtics -2000, Heat +1000
Miami’s run to the NBA Finals last year had plenty of memorable moments, but the Heat’s shocking win in Boston on Wednesday was reminiscent of one of the Heat’s playoff losses of the year last.
Last year, the Heat won Game 1 in Milwaukee and Giannis Antetokounmpo left that game with an injury. With their star out for Game 2, the Bucks tied an NBA record by making 25 3-pointers and won comfortably. This was the only game the Bucks won in this series.
The Heat were on the other end Wednesday. Miami lost the first game in Boston and was playing without its star (Jimmy Butler). The Heat turned the lights out in Game 2, going 23 of 43 (53.5%) from 3-point range. With 62.2 percent of their field goals coming from 3-point range, that mark is the third highest in NBA playoff history.
While Miami’s victory was impressive and reinvigorated hopes of a second straight first-round top seed, Milwaukee was an example of this kind of unsustainable performance.
On the other hand, Boston is now 13-14 at home in the last four playoff series, which shouldn’t be sustainable, but it has been. Maybe it’s a good thing for the Celtics that Saturday’s game is in Miami.
Expert Picks for Celtics to Heat
No. 2 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers
How to watch: 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC
Denver leads the series 3-0
Series odds: Nuggets -10000, Lakers +3500
The Lakers might feel like they’re in a version of hell. Not only have the Nuggets now beaten the Lakers in 11 straight games, but the Lakers have had double-digit leads in all three games of this series.
The Lakers led by 12 in the first game, but lost by 11. They increased their lead to 20 in the second half of Game 2, but were undone by a Jamal Murray buzzer-beater. LA went up by 12 points at home in Game 3, but trailed by double digits for much of the second half and lost again. This is nightmare fuel for anyone associated with the Lakers.
Things are going so well on the Denver side that Nikola Jokić and Murray didn’t even have to carry the load on Thursday. Aaron Gordon (29 points, 15 rebounds) and Michael Porter Jr. (20 points, 10 rebounds) did a lot of damage. The run that Denver went on in the second half of Game 3 to erase the deficit and pull away quickly was a reminder of just how good this Denver team is. The Nuggets have arguably the best duo in the league, but also a lot of good players.
Who knows how the Lakers could have made this playoffs if they hadn’t faced Denver in the first round, but this Lakers team just can’t beat this Nuggets team. A win in Game 4 would only prolong the inevitable but would at least end the losing streak and perhaps the mental spell that comes with it.
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(Photo by Tyler Herro: Winslow Townson / Getty Images)