The NBA playoffs continue Monday with the conference semifinals, after a wild opening round that saw the Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets all bow out thanks to impressive performances by the Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers.
Should you expect more upsets in the second round? And what are the bets to make?
Here are Andre Snellings Eric Moody, Eric Karabell, Jim McCormick and Steve Alexander to answer that and provide their best bets for each second-round series.
Odds by DraftKings Sportsbook and subject to change.
Best bets for the Western Conference
Series correct score OKC 4-1 (+205): It’s great that the Lakers, missing key players, hammered the Rockets, but the Thunder are a different animal. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can’t be stopped, not by Lakers. This series shouldn’t be close. Thunder romp, and the question is whether the Lakers take a game or not. — Karabell
Series correct score OKC 4-0 (+120): The Lakers pulled off a very impressive win over the Rockets to advance and will now focus their sights on the Thunder, who quietly swept Phoenix in Round 1. We don’t know when Luka Doncic will play again, but it’s possible the Thunder sweep the Lakers and we won’t see Doncic again this season. I don’t see how the Lakers win even one game without Doncic. — Alexander
Lakers +2.5 games (+220): The Thunder blew the Lakers out in their late-season matchup where Doncic got hurt, and were winning by more than 30 points before the injury. But the Luka-led Lakers are a horrible matchup against the Thunder defense, where they have physical wing defenders like Lu Dort that can defend Luka 1-on-1 without doubling and giving him passing angles. With LeBron James leading the way, on the other hand, the Lakers play a more team-centric offense that could give the Thunder more trouble. This bet would require the Lakers to win two games, and that is clearly considered unlikely because you can get this at significant plus money. But I think there is a reasonable chance the Lakers push this to six games, and the extra juice makes it worth taking the chance. — Snellings
Austin Reaves to lead series in 3-pointers made (+330): Reaves has the shortest odds to pace this series in 3-pointers, just ahead of Gilgeous-Alexander. Taking roughly 40% more 3-pointers per 36 minutes than Gilgeous-Alexander this regular season, this is a bet on Reaves getting healthier as the series unfolds. Reaves enjoys a team-high 8.6% jump in usage rate while taking 1.5 more 3-pointers per 36 minutes with Doncic off the court this season, extending his shooting advantage over the field in this series. — McCormick
Series total games over 5.5 (+230): Yes, the Wolves may be missing key players and the Wemby-led Spurs look dominant, but now is not the time to doubt the Wolves. They handled the Nuggets in Game 6 without Anthony Edwards and several others. Also, the Wolves won the season series against the Spurs. They don’t need to win this series to win this bet. — Karabell
Timberwolves +13.5 in Game 1 (-105): These two teams clashed three times in the regular season and the Wolves won two of them, while two of the three games were decided by three points or less. Yes, the Wolves are banged up after losing Donte DiVincenzo and Edwards, but Ayo Dosunmu (calf) has a chance to play and will be a game-time call. Jaden McDaniels is cooking and Julius Randle and Dosunmu are also solid offensive weapons for the Wolves. I can see the Spurs overlooking this team without Edwards, DiVincenzo and possibly Dosunmu, but 13.5 points is a lot and I think the Wolves will keep playing well after eliminating Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. — Alexander
Best bets for the Eastern Conference
Cavaliers over Pistons (+100): The Pistons had the best record in the Eastern Conference all season and earned the top seed, but the playoffs are about matchups. And if both teams play at their best, I question whether the Pistons have enough diversity to their offensive game plan to be able to beat the Cavaliers four times. Cade Cunningham is amazing as an offense generator and Tobias Harris is playing strong ball, but the Cavaliers have two elite offense creators in the backcourt in Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, and the Cavs also have two strong big men that do different things in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. These teams split their regular season series 2-2, with most of the games settled by just a few points. The Pistons have the grit on their side, but I think the Cavaliers can attack from more angles and ultimately that will let them win the series. — Snellings
Exactly six games played (+200): It costs -190 to bet on more than 5.5 games played in this series, while the prices for exactly six or seven games are set equally at +200. I lean to six games, expecting one of these teams to identify a repeatable strategy — namely, who can win the possession battle or sustain half-court offense. Aiming for seven games appears viable, as well. The fact Game 1 opened with the Pistons as just 3.5-point favorites underscores how close this series could prove. — McCormick
Pistons 4-3 (+380): The Pistons have a slight edge with their depth, defense and balance, though the Cavaliers remain a formidable opponent. Cunningham’s emergence as a star and MVP candidate, along with his 32.4 PPG and 7.1 APG this postseason, powers Detroit’s offense, while Jalen Duren‘s 9.4 RPG anchors the interior. The teams split the regular-season series 2-2, and both have shown they can handle adversity after seven-game series in the first round. This series has all the makings of one that goes the distance. — Moody
Over 5.5 games (-130): This series has all the ingredients to go long, with star power, bad blood and evenly matched talent. The Knicks finished the regular season with the fifth highest net rating (+6.4), but the 76ers can counter with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George. Maxey just averaged 26.9 PPG and 6.6 APG in the last series, and with both teams capable of trading wins, six or seven games seems likely. — Moody
76ers +2.5 games (-180): This is a lot of juice to pay, yet it’s also a bet that pairs well with other series-long wagers, such as the Thunder to win in under 5.5 games to create plus odds via a parlay. Independently, this bet is worth the cost given the unlikely outcome that the Sixers win just one game in this series after showing a new level of cohesion against the Celtics. — McCormick
76ers +1.5 games (+105): The 76ers are an enigma, but they have the highest ceiling of any team left in the Eastern Conference. This season, they learned how to play without Embiid and George and built a team that could still find success and qualify for the postseason. With Embiid and George back, they were able to topple the Celtics that were the favorites to win the Eastern Conference. The Knicks are a strong team as well, but I think the 76ers at least keep the series close and have a reasonable chance to win outright. So, getting both 1.5 games and plus money give this bet value. — Snellings
