The NBA Playoffs really start now. We begin Day 2 of the playoffs on Sunday with four Game 1s featuring tons of star power, injury question marks and even a bit of deja vu. The Celtics and Heat face off in a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, where the Heat continued their superb run to the Finals. Chances are it won’t be so much this time. Next, we have two close matchups between the Clippers and Mavs in a return to the first round of the 2020 and 2021 playoffs.
Big names are sidelined this week in all four matchups, including Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Zion Williamson. But so far, these injuries have only fueled the rest of this squad.
We’ve got odds, previews and expert picks for every Sunday 1 game of the NBA Playoffs, listed in order of tip time.
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No. 1 Boston Celtics vs. No. 8 Miami Heat
How to watch: 1 p.m. ET on ABC
Series odds: Celtics -3000, Heat +1300
Well, those odds aren’t good if you’re a Heat fan, are they? The Celtics are favored to win the NBA title this year, so yes, oddsmakers expect the Heat to face it.
Miami showed a smart defensive attack against the Chicago Bulls in their Play-In victory Friday night in the absence of Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier. Coach Erik Spoelstra put Bam Adebayo over DeMar DeRozan, which seemed to keep the Bulls off balance, and Tyler Herro provided the offensive fuel with 24 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. The Heat closed out the game with a decisive victory, 112-91.
But it almost goes without saying that beating the 64-win Celtics is a different ball game than beating a 39-win Chicago crew. Boston finally wants to get its win with the dynamite Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown duo, and they finished the regular season with seven more wins than any other team in the league.
While the Heat eliminated Boston in two of the last four playoff series, Butler was in “Playoff Jimmy” mode for those games. Without him, it’s hard to see this series lasting more than four or five games for Boston to punch its ticket to the next round.
Expert Picks for Celtics vs. Heat
How to watch: 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC
Series odds: Clippers +140, Mavs -165
This sounds familiar. For the third time in the last five playoffs, the Clips and Mavs will face off in the first round, and it’s one of the most anticipated matchups of the first round. The odds reflect that this should be a good competition.
We say we should do it. The Clippers were victorious in the 2020 and 2021 playoff games, but even though some of the same players remain, they are two very different teams. The Clips are 2-1 against the Mavs this year, but haven’t played them since Dec. 20 — and all of those games were played with Kawhi Leonard on the court. Leonard is questionable for Game 1 as he suffers from knee inflammation.
Dallas, on the other hand, has its stars on the court, with what Tim Cato of The Athletic called “the most talented team of the Luka Dončić era.” The Mavs have won 23 of their last 30 regular season games. (They haven’t played their starters in the last two games.) Along with a Kyrie Irving-led offense, the team brings a physicality that Dončić’s former teams lacked, hitting offensive rebounds hard and presenting themselves as the best defense in the league since March. ten.
Expert Picks for Clippers vs. Mavericks
How to watch: 7 p.m. ET on TNT
Series odds: Bucks +100, Pacers -120
The Bucks face two critical challenges in this matchup: injuries and pace. Giannis Antetokounmpo is reportedly out for the start of this series, while Damian Lillard returns from rest after irritating left adductor soreness in the regular season finale. They face All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton and a Pacers team that is among the fastest in the NBA.
Here’s what Damian Lillard had to say about not going live until today and what bothered him: pic.twitter.com/Fi1ubZqjYZ
– Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) April 19, 2024
During the regular season, the Pacers led the league in scoring at 12.3 points per game, second fastest. As Eric Nehm of The Athletic pointed out, against the Bucks, the Pacers had even more speed, scoring 128.8 points per game in their five matchups this year and winning four of those five.
“We’ve been working on that rhythm,” Bucks guard Malik Beasley said. “It’s the No. 1 team that scores in the first eight seconds, we know that. Most of their points come in transition and also in the paint, so we’ve already repeated it several times so far this week, and we still have a few days left.
The challenge for the Pacers will be defending Lillard, who, despite a recent injury, is an elite scorer, especially from deep. In five games without Antetokounmpo, Lillard averaged 29.9 points per game and tallied 7.6 assists. Even though he didn’t play as well against the Pacers in the four games he played against them, we’re in the playoffs and Lillard has a lot of experience. The Pacers should not sleep on Dame.
Expert Picks for Bucks vs Pacers
How to watch: 9:30 p.m. ET on TNT
Series odds: OKC -700, New Orleans +450
Zion Williamson’s train finally seemed to pick up speed during the Pelicans’ first playoff game against the LA Lakers. He looked like an unstoppable force, scoring 40 points and getting 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Then, the all-too-familiar drag: an injury in the final minutes sidelined Williamson for at least two weeks.
And yet, in a home game against the Sacramento Kings on Friday night, the Pelicans showed up and showed they can pull off big wins without their big man. They won the game 105-98 thanks to major contributions from outside their stars. The team’s depth is what allowed them to have a chance in the playoffs this year, and it showed again Friday with Naji Marshall, Jose Alvarado and Larry Nance Jr. combining for 34 points coming off the bench . Their starters also performed well, with Brandon Ingram getting 24 and Jona Valanciunas 19.
But now they face a 57-win OKC team with a formidable starting lineup of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. They are 2-1 against the Pels this year and have held New Orleans to 103.4 points per 100 possessions.
Expert Picks for Thunder vs. Pelicans
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(Photo by Jayson Tatum: Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)