{"id":1904481,"date":"2026-04-27T04:28:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T01:28:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1904481"},"modified":"2026-04-27T04:28:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T01:28:22","slug":"2026-nba-playoffs-first-round-series-odds-thunder-heavily-favored-to-finish-off-sweep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1904481","title":{"rendered":"2026 NBA playoffs first-round series odds: Thunder heavily favored to finish off sweep"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Los Angeles Lakers couldn\u2019t pull off a sweep on Sunday, but the Oklahoma City Thunder are heavily favored to do so on Monday.<\/p>\n

The Thunder are favored by 10.5 points for Game 4 in Phoenix. Elsewhere, the Denver Nuggets are favored by double digits to stay alive against shorthanded Minnesota. Plus, Detroit tries to even the series in Orlando.<\/p>\n

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This is a look at the odds for all eight first-round series in the NBA playoffs. It will be updated daily throughout the playoffs, as the odds to win each series will shift with results.<\/p>\n

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Eastern Conference playoffs<\/h2>\n

No. 1 Detroit Pistons vs. No. 8 Orlando Magic<\/h3>\n

Magic lead series 2-1<\/strong><\/p>\n

Game 4: <\/strong>8 p.m. ET, Monday<\/p>\n

Series odds:\u00a0<\/strong>Pistons -125, Magic +105<\/p>\n

The Pistons won 60 games in the regular season, but they don\u2019t look like that team right now. The Magic won Game 3 113-105 to regain the lead in the series.<\/p>\n

Orlando did so while limiting Cade Cunningham to 8-for-23 from the field with nine turnovers.\u00a0This is after Cunningham had seven turnovers in Detroit\u2019s Game 2 win.<\/p>\n

Detroit is still favored to advance, albeit by a slim margin, and is favored by 3.5 points in Game 4, so hope is not lost for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Before the playoffs, the sportsbooks were skeptical of the Pistons\u2019 chances. They were fourth in the odds to grab the East\u2019s spot in the NBA Finals. So far, that skepticism has appeared justified.<\/p>\n

If Detroit is going to grow up into a real contender, Monday\u2019s Game 4 feels like a must-win.<\/p>\n

No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers<\/h3>\n

Celtics lead series 3-1<\/strong><\/p>\n

Game 5: <\/strong>7 p.m. ET, Tuesday<\/p>\n

Series odds:<\/strong> Celtics -10000, 76ers +2500<\/p>\n

The Celtics have erased any concerns that arose from dropping Game 2 at home with two wins in Philadelphia. Sunday\u2019s Game 4 win was incredibly dominant.<\/p>\n

Boston went up 16 points after the first quarter on a Payton Pritchard buzzer-beater 3-pointer and never looked back.<\/p>\n

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The 128-96 win gives Boston a chance to close out the series at home. The Celtics are favored by 11.5 points for Tuesday\u2019s Game 5. Boston fans can start thinking about the second round.<\/p>\n

No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 6 Atlanta Hawks<\/h3>\n

Series tied 2-2<\/strong><\/p>\n

Game 5: <\/strong>8 p.m. ET, Tuesday<\/p>\n

Series odds:\u00a0<\/strong>Knicks -220, Hawks +180<\/p>\n

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The Knicks were in such control of Game 4 in Atlanta, it seems odd they were down 2-1 in the series in the first place. New York cruised 114-98 in a near must-win on the road to even the series.<\/p>\n

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With the win, the Knicks regained home-court advantage and turned the best-of-seven series into a best-of-three with two of those at Madison Square Garden. New York has been reinstalled as the favorite to advance after the Hawks were favored following Game 3.<\/p>\n

Karl-Anthony Towns had a triple-double (20 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) and the Hawks shot just 10-for-41 from 3-point range. The Knicks had their backs against the wall and played like their season depended on that win. Can Atlanta respond, or have the Knicks figured out how to beat this team?<\/p>\n

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No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Toronto Raptors<\/h3>\n

Series tied 2-2<\/strong><\/p>\n

Game 5: <\/strong>Wednesday (time TBD)<\/p>\n

Series odds:<\/strong> Cavaliers -425, Raptors +330<\/p>\n

With Toronto\u2019s win in Game 4, this is the only series that has seen the home team win every game. Toronto somehow won despite shooting just 32 percent from the field and 4-for-30 (13 percent) from 3-point range. The Raptors were aided by 36 free throw attempts (making 27), 21 offensive rebounds and 17 Cleveland turnovers.<\/p>\n

The 93-89 score is more reminiscent of basketball from the 1990s or 2000s.<\/p>\n

Donovan Mitchell was just 6-for-24 in Game 4 and James Harden had seven turnovers. That paints an ugly picture for the Cavs, but a return home can fix what ails them. Cleveland is still a solid favorite to win the series.<\/p>\n

Western Conference playoffs<\/h2>\n

No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 Phoenix Suns<\/h3>\n

Thunder lead series 3-0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Game 4: <\/strong>9:30 p.m. ET, Monday<\/p>\n

Series odds:\u00a0<\/strong>Thunder -20000, Suns +6500<\/p>\n

Ho hum, just another Thunder playoff win by double digits. Oklahoma City won Game 3 in Phoenix 121-109 to move to 3-0 in a series that has been bereft of major drama.<\/p>\n

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The Suns led by nine in the first quarter, but the Thunder gradually regained control and led for the entire second half. With the series at 3-0, it\u2019s just a matter of time before OKC advances.<\/p>\n

The Thunder are favored by 10.5 points in Game 4.<\/p>\n

No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 7 Portland Trail Blazers<\/h3>\n

Spurs lead series 3-1<\/strong><\/p>\n

Game 5: <\/strong>9:30 p.m. ET, Tuesday<\/p>\n

Series odds:<\/strong> Spurs -10000, Trail Blazers +2500<\/p>\n

Victor Wembanyama returned for the Spurs and for a half, it looked like that wouldn\u2019t matter. Portland was up 17 points at halftime and threatening to put pressure back on the Spurs to defend home court.<\/p>\n

Then the Spurs started the third quarter half on a 13-0 run and erased that lead before the end of the quarter. The Spurs led by as much as 20 in the fourth quarter, which is an incredible turnaround. San Antonio won 114-93.<\/p>\n

Wembanyama looked like Wemby with seven blocks and a number of comical dunks. De\u2019Aaron Fox got hot late and led the Spurs with 28 points.<\/p>\n

With a 3-1 series lead, the Spurs are in virtual lock territory in the odds. San Antonio goes for its first series win since 2017 on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

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No. 3 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves<\/h3>\n

Timberwolves lead series 3-1<\/strong><\/p>\n

Game 5: <\/strong>10:30 p.m. ET, Monday<\/p>\n

Series odds:\u00a0<\/strong>Timberwolves -150, Nuggets +125<\/p>\n

Donte DiVincenzo got hurt after a minute and didn\u2019t return. Anthony Edwards got hurt late in the second quarter and didn\u2019t return (and was 1-for-8 from the field before the injury). No problem. Ayo Dosunmu has got this.<\/p>\n

If you didn\u2019t know who Dosunmu was before this game, now you know. The Timberwolves got the former Illinois guard from the Chicago Bulls at the trade deadline, and he dropped 43 points on 13-of-17 shooting and led Minnesota to a 112-96 win in Game 4.<\/p>\n

Minnesota has the Nuggets on the brink of elimination \u2026 but who will the Timberwolves have for the rest of the series? DiVincenzo\u2019s lower leg injury looked bad, and Edwards appeared to hyperextend his knee. The series score says Minnesota is in full control of this series, but the odds say it\u2019s still close, and those injuries are why.<\/p>\n

Does Dosunmu have another big game in him if the Wolves are down two starters?<\/p>\n

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No. 4 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 5 Houston Rockets<\/h3>\n

Lakers lead series 3-1<\/strong><\/p>\n

Game 5: <\/strong>Wednesday (time TBD)<\/p>\n

Series odds:\u00a0<\/strong>Lakers -1000, Rockets +650<\/p>\n

The Lakers didn\u2019t close out the Rockets on Sunday, which gives Houston some hope that it can come back on the still-shorthanded Lakers. Houston cruised in Game 4 in a 115-96 win and did so without Kevin Durant.<\/p>\n

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Durant might not be able to return for Game 5 and it sounds like Luka Don\u010di\u0107 will miss the rest of the series, but Austin Reaves could return at some point. The Lakers have three more chances to close out the series and two of them at home. Reaves\u2019 return would be a boost in a series that has become defined by injuries.<\/p>\n

The Lakers are favored by 2.5 points for Game 5. If Houston wins that one, things start to get really interesting for a 3-0 comeback. For now, Houston still has a lot of work to do.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Los Angeles Lakers couldn\u2019t pull off a sweep on Sunday, but the Oklahoma City Thunder are heavily favored to do so on Monday. The Thunder are favored by 10.5 points for Game 4 in Phoenix. Elsewhere, the Denver Nuggets are favored by double digits to stay alive against shorthanded Minnesota. Plus, Detroit tries to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-1904481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1904481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1904481"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1904481\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1904481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1904481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1904481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}