The top four Seeds in the Eastern Conference have made it through to the Second Round of the Playoffs and they have done in largely serene fashion, which means the next Round of the post-season can begin on Sunday.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have underlined their status as the favourite to win the NBA Championship after breezing past the Memphis Grizzlies in the First Round, but they continue to wait and see who they will face in the Second Round. That will be decided in a Game 7 winner takes all contest between the Denver Nuggets and LA Clippers and Game 1 of the Second Round will begin on Tuesday.
Another Western Conference First Round Series that needs a Game 7 to determine a winner is the one between the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors and that has allowed the Minnesota Timberwolves to earn plenty of rest.
The Timberwolves have impressed by crushing the Los Angeles Lakers in five games and the momentum of the last two months suggests Minnesota may be able to reach the Western Conference Finals for a second season in a row. No matter who they play in the Second Round, Minnesota will be expecting a tougher challenge than they had in the First Round though and they will be hoping the layoff has not slowed any momentum or disrupted any rhythm that has been put together.
Much like the First Round, the idea is to split the Second Round Picks into a couple of threads with Games 1-4 covered here and the remaining games placed in another thread.
This is more for the sake of keeping the posts a little easier to read and Picks will be placed in the thread throughout the next several days.
NBA Playoffs Second Round Picks Games 1-4 (May 4th-12th)
Sunday 4th May
Indiana Pacers @ Cleveland Cavaliers Game 1 Pick: The Indiana Pacers moved past the Milwaukee Bucks in the First Round of the Playoffs and a chippy Series ended with some controversy after Tyrese Haliburton's father entered the court to taunt Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Instead of focusing on the big comeback to close the Series, the talk after the 4-1 Series win over the Bucks was about that controversy and it has led to John Haliburton being banned from attending games.
Tyrese Haliburton has said his father 'will be fine' and the Indiana Pacers will be looking to turn the page as they begin a Second Round Series with the Number 1 Seed in the Eastern Conference. Last year the Pacers were able to upset the New York Knicks to take their place in the Eastern Conference Finals and they are set as the underdog against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Darius Garland is listed as Questionable for the Cavaliers, but this is a roster with a solid depth about them and Cleveland crushed the Miami Heat in a sweep through the First Round. The two road wins were really impressive and Cleveland will be confident that they can get the better of a Pacers team that won the regular season series between the teams 3-1.
However, the two games played in April came during a time when the Pacers were trying to close out a top four Seed and when the Cavaliers were resting players and ensuring everyone was ready to go in the Playoffs. Both of those wins were in games where the Pacers had been set as big favourites and that is not the case when they meet in Game 1 of this Series.
The Pacers can take confidence from the fact they split two regular season games in which they had been set as the considerable underdog. They also showed the depth of their own rotation and the willingness to move the ball around and trusting every player to make the shots needed if they are in a position to do so.
This will make Indiana dangerous, but they will also be well aware that the Cleveland Cavaliers are a much tougher test than the Milwaukee Bucks, who had been hit by injury and who were perhaps a bit too predictable all in all. The Cavaliers are unlikely to let Indiana off the hook as the Milwaukee Bucks did and Cleveland look like a team that have been well balanced at both ends of the court.
Cleveland will be encouraged by their three point shooting and the way the Indiana Pacers were defending that mark in the First Round Series. They have also shown they can dominate games in different ways and the Cavaliers may be ready to come out and make an early statement in this Series.
Hosts have made a strong start in Game 1 of the Second Round of the NBA Playoffs and have an 18-13-1 record against the spread over the last nine years.
Big home favourites have given a poor return to backers since 2016, but favourites that have been asked to lay 6 or more points are 15-9 against the spread in Game 1 of the Second Round. The Cleveland Cavaliers will note what the Indiana Pacers did in the Playoffs last season and that respect should have the home team coming out with focus and drive and they can cover this line.
Monday 5th May
New York Knicks @ Boston Celtics Game 1 Pick: If it was not for the upset in the Eastern Conference Second Round, the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks would have met in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024.
Twelve months on the rivals are facing one another for the first time in the post-season in over a decade and this time a place in the Eastern Conference Finals is on the line.
The Boston Celtics have picked up some form as we have drawn to a close in the regular season and the defending Champions are well aware of what they need to do in order to win Series at this time of the season. They came through a physical First Round Series with a 4-1 win over the Orlando Magic, and most Boston fans will simply appreciate the fact that players have managed to escape serious injury.
Jrue Holiday picked up a hamstring issue which saw him miss the last three games of the First Round win, but closing the Series when Boston did has given him ample time to rest and recover. He is expected to be active for Game 1 and that could be a huge bonus considering how well Holiday has done when he has been asked to guard Jalen Brunson.
The New York Knicks needed a big shot from Brunson to close out the Detroit Pistons in six games and that will have given them confidence considering the number of games won when there was little between them. Showing they can win those kind of games is a huge boost, but the pressure is on the New York Knicks to make the adjustments against an opponent that has regularly dominated them in recent meetings.
All four of the regular season games were won by the Boston Celtics and three of those were pretty comfortable. The schemes run by the Knicks have allowed the Boston Celtics to find their rhythm shooting the three ball and even the blueprint laid out by the Orlando Magic may not be one that New York can attempt to replicate.
The only positive for the Knicks is that they should have won the most recent of the regular season games, but that was played at Madison Square Garden and opening at TD Garden is a much different challenge.
Hosts have been really strong in Game 1 of the Second Round of the Playoffs and this is the spot in which even big home favourites have tended to cover. With Jrue Holiday back, the Boston Celtics can harass the New York Knicks and make an early statement in the Series by securing a big home win to take a 1-0 lead.
Denver Nuggets @ Oklahoma City Thunder Game 1 Pick: The Denver Nuggets rallied to beat the LA Clippers in the First Round of the Playoffs and won the vital Game 7 at home. Many within the organisation feel they have already justified the decision to fire Head Coach Michael Malone with just days of the regular season remaining, but the fans have been spoiled by the NBA Championship win of 2023 and expectations remain big.
They have to face the Number 1 Seed in the Western Conference when the Second Round begins and the Denver Nuggets will be confident from the fact they managed to split four regular season games with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
However, it may be asking a lot of the Denver Nuggets to steal away home court advantage immediately and that is largely down to the historical numbers suggesting that those that have won an eliminator in the previous Round have struggled to be as competitive as they would like in Game 1 of the next Series.
Ultimately that is not a massive surprise when you think of the emotions needed to win in a pressurised spot, and the fact that a team has had to dig deep to come through a Series. The experience of the Denver Nuggets will help and they may feel the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to be out of some rhythm having swept through the First Round and having had plenty of time off.
The Playoff experiences of twelve months ago will help the Thunder in their preparation, although finding a way to close down Nikola Jokic may be something that is beyond their capabilities in this Series. Instead the decision may be made to prevent anyone from offering him support and the fast tempo used by the Thunder has to give them an advantage if the Nuggets are feeling some of the knocks from the First Round win over the LA Clippers.
This is a big spread, but hosts in Game 1 of the Second Round have a solid record at covering the bigger numbers set for them as favourites. Four regular season games were split, but the two Thunder wins were by double digits and they may just have the youthful energy to pull clear in this opening game.
Tuesday 6th May
Indiana Pacers @ Cleveland Cavaliers Game 2 Pick: If there was any doubt about the qualities that the Indiana Pacers bring into this Eastern Conference Second Round Series, those have quickly been put to rest with a solid Game 1 win. Stealing away home court will have most Pacers fans feeling like they have already seen their team enjoy a successful business trip, but Indiana's players will want more as they prepare for Game 2.
All of the adjustments have to be made by the Number 1 Seed Cleveland Cavaliers- they were not nearly intense enough Defensively as they allowed the Indiana Pacers to dominate from the three point range, while the continued absence of Darius Garland becomes a bigger worry.
Better efficiency is needed from the Cavaliers who never recovered from the early and late punches that were delivered by the Indiana Pacers. The Number 4 Seed were allowed to make the runs to just keep the Cavaliers are arm's length and they did enough to maintain control of their emotions when Cleveland did make a run to move in front in the Fourth Quarter.
Both teams will be looking to make the Defensive adjustments to just stay in control and this total points line may be a bit too high.
Everyone is expecting the Cleveland Cavaliers to bounce back and the spread has shifted into double digits after the Game 1 loss, but the under might be the better play considering what the Indiana Pacers were able to do in the upset win. It feels very important for the Cleveland Cavaliers to be much better Defensively if they are going to get back on track in the Series and that may be the focus for the team, which can contribute to this total line ending up being too high.
The under play had been really good when the line was sat at 227.5 points or higher, but Game 1 surpassed went 'over' to snap that run. However, games that have been decided by less than 11 points have trended heavily in favour of the under play next time out, while the expectation of seeing the Cleveland Cavaliers perform better overall should contribute to a lower scoring game.
These two have matched up well Offensively all season, which makes the play a bit more dangerous, but this is Playoff Basketball now and Game 2 looks like being a tighter affair with the two teams looking to show a bit more Defensive resilience in order to secure the win.
Golden State Warriors @ Minnesota Timberwolves Game 1 Pick: All credit has to be given to the veterans on the Golden State Warriors roster, especially for their second half performances, but it was the role players who had put the team in a strong position in Game 7 in the First Round win over the Houston Rockets.
That laid the platform for success as the Warriors made sure they recovered from dropping back to back games and having to travel to Houston for Game 7. Adjustments were made by an experienced group of players and a strong Coaching staff and that has pushed the Golden State Warriors into a position where many will feel they can progress through the Second Round and reach yet another Western Conference Finals.
Game 1 of the Second Round looks to be a tough spot to be in- the Warriors have only had one day of rest and historically it has not been an ideal spot for teams coming through a seven game battle. While they have invested emotions and effort, the Minnesota Timberwolves have been resting and preparing for another Second Round Series and the team has to be respected having reached the Western Conference Finals last year.
As the regular season wound down, the Minnesota Timberwolves were looking stronger and stronger as the roster finally found some rhythm. That made them a dangerous team entering the Playoff and the Timberwolves backed that up by crushing the Los Angeles Lakers in five games, although they will be expecting a much tougher challenge.
In four regular season games played, the Golden State Warriors won three, but the last was played in mid-January and both teams are pretty different now.
Another close Series is expected, but hosts in Game 1 are the right team to back in recent years and that is further strengthened by the fact that the Golden State Warriors are coming into the Series after a Game 7 win. Hosts being asked to lay at least 6 points have a very strong record in Game 1 of the Second Round of the Playoffs and the Minnesota Timberwolves may just have a bit more energy when it comes down to the crunch and that should see them win and cover this number set for the opener.
Wednesday 7th May
New York Knicks @ Boston Celtics Game 2 Pick: There will be a lot of questions asked inside the Boston Celtics locker room after blowing Game 1 in the manner they did and losing home court advantage puts the team under some pressure when the second game at the TD Garden is played on Wednesday.
After building a 20 point lead with eighteen minutes left, the Boston Celtics should have really been changing the game plan and focusing on keeping the Knicks under pressure.
Instead the Celtics fell in love with the three point shot in Game 1 and put up a Playoff record sixty attempts, which is shocking considering the position they had got into in the middle of the Third Quarter. With the top three New York Knicks players in foul trouble, the plan should have been to attack those players and get to the rim, but twenty shots were taken in the Third Quarter and nineteen of them from the three point range.
Nothing would have been said if those shots were landing, but the Celtics only hit 25% from outside of the arc and ultimately that gave the Knicks a lifeline.
Credit has to be given to New York for kicking open the door and it was a superb run through the end of the Third Quarter and into the Fourth Quarter that saw them not only erase the 20 point deficit, but move into a position to win. Things would have felt pretty disappointing for the Knicks if they had still finished Game 1 being behind in the Series, but New York maintained the momentum into Overtime and showed plenty of character to beat the Boston Celtics for the first time.
All of the pressure feels like it is going to be on the home team who cannot really afford to head to Madison Square Garden 2-0 behind in this Second Round Series. The defending Champions are likely to have taken note of what went wrong with the plan in Game 1 and they will be hoping that Kristaps Porzingis is able to overcome his illness and offer more minutes in this one.
You have to believe the Celtics will be more efficient with their three point shooting and they are in a historical spot where teams have bounced back.
Big home favourites have been on a really poor run in the Second Round of the NBA Playoffs, but teams playing at home after a loss are on a 23-13 run against the spread since the Bubble season. Hosts struggled in Game 2 of the Second Round last season, but are on a 12-4 run against the spread, while those that lost by less than 6 points have gone 17-6 against the spread in their next game.
The spread line is a little intimidating with Boston being asked to cover a higher line than Game 1, but they are expected to be better all around if they are in a position to level the Series. This time you have to believe better decisions will be taken by the team and the defending NBA Champions can show their composure by securing the victory and covering this mark on their way to levelling the Series.
Denver Nuggets @ Oklahoma City Thunder Game 2 Pick: The opening games of the Second Round have featured three straight upsets (in the three Series that have begun) and a single unit placed on the treble would have returned 125 units!! These have not only been upsets, but huge upsets with the outright victories pushing meaning home court has been stolen away by the lower Seeds.
The Number 1 Seed in the Western Conference Oklahoma City Thunder will have been really disappointed with the way they allowed Game 1 to slip away from them. They were not only facing a lower Seed at home, but one that had little rest after being forced to go the distance in the First Round and the Thunder will remember being dumped out unexpectedly in the Second Round of the Playoffs twelve months ago.
A reaction is expected, never mind needed, and the Thunder will be looking to make adjustments that gives them a chance of keeping control of Game 2. The biggest one has to be a way of clearing up the glass having been crushed on those numbers and ultimately paving the way for the upset.
Oklahoma City will also be expecting more out of the key support players around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after a below par Game 1 effort from the likes of Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams and that can potentially turn the tide in this Series.
The Denver Nuggets will be feeling very good having recovered from a Game 7 First Round Series win over the LA Clippers to upset the Thunder in Game 1. Nikola Jokic had a huge game, but the Nuggets will believe they were nowhere their best and that more is to come from them in this Series.
They only made 31% of the three pointers launched, but it was the dominance on the glass that made the difference with 20 more boards than the Thunder. That is a huge advantage, especially when you note that the Nuggets had 21 Offensive Rebounds compared with Oklahoma City's 30 Defensive Rebounds, and that kind of margin could lead to an improbable 2-0 lead in the Series.
It may be asking too much considering the amount of effort needed and the Denver Nuggets could easily feel they have already done what they would have wanted by earning a split from the first two games. There is every chance the team could slump off a little bit and the Oklahoma City Thunder have shown all season that they can get things right and really pull away from any opponent they face.
This is a dangerous Series if the Nuggets continue playing as they are, but much like the Boston-New York Second Round Series, Game 2 could see the hosts bounce back as teams have historically done so when losing close games. The Oklahoma City Thunder were not a big favourite for no reason in Game 1 and they can make the adjustments to at least keep the Rebounding numbers much closer and that could be key in being able to exert their authority on Game 2 as they look to level things up before the two games to be played in Colorado.
And much like the other Series being played on the same night, the Oklahoma City Thunder are being asked to a cover a slightly higher line compared with Game 1 with the layers anticipating the fightback. The Thunder have work to do, but they finished with the best record in the Western Conference by some margin and can secure a strong win here before the Series flips home court around.
Thursday 8th May
You have to say it has been an upset filled Second Round through five games with the road team winning all of those contests.
And it isn't as if they have been pick 'em games as far as the layers are concerned and backing up that point is a five team accumulator of a single unit would have returned well over a thousand back.
Adding to the frustration was the total in Game 2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers-Indiana Pacers barely clearing the line set. Neither team was particularly good at shooting the ball, but sixty-four Free Throws were whistled by the officials and over fifty points were scored at the line and that is a huge number seeing as the second game of Tuesday night had thirty-two Free Throws attempted, never mind made.
Poor runs can happen in the post-season, but hopefully things have begun to turn around with the two Wednesday selections (although going against massive road underdogs feels less and less appealing after what has been seen in the last few days).
Golden State Warriors @ Minnesota Timberwolves Game 2 Pick: All eyes will turn to the status of Steph Curry who lasted just 13 minutes in Game 1 of this Second Round Series in the Western Conference. His hamstring issue is almost certainly going to be ruling him out of Game 2 and the limited rest time between the first five games in this Series makes it tough to believe Curry will be contributing a lot.
Despite that, and despite the fact that Golden State had to come through a Game 7 in the First Round against the Houston Rockets, the Warriors showed their veteran savvy by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves and completing a Game 1 sweep for the road teams through the Second Round Playoff Series being played.
Credit has to be given to Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green for remaining composed without Steph Curry and the Warriors found enough shooting to secure the win and home court advantage before returning home later this week.
There will be a lot of disappointment in the Minnesota camp- they started really poorly having failed to make a single three pointer in the first half and the Timberwolves were never able to test the Warriors with the team trailing wire to wire. Even when Curry left, there was never the intensity that the Timberwolves will have needed and they made just 5 three pointers all night and were held to a really poor 88 points.
None of the starters will feel they covered themselves well, but Game 2 offers the chance to recover and show that Minnesota can bounce back from setbacks. We have seen that in the Playoff run already and the Timberwolves are a much better three point shooting team than we saw in Game 1.
Of course they are under some pressure to perform with the team desperate to avoid falling into a 2-0 hole, but a stronger start should be key for the home team. That should fire up the crowd and teams have tended to bounce back from home defeats in the Second Round of the Playoff, especially when they are playing at home following the loss.
The spread has moved considerably in anticipation of Steph Curry missing out, but the Minnesota Timberwolves need to focus on their side of the court and knock down the open shots that were being missed. With an even average performance from the three point arc, the Timberwolves should recover and they can be backed to win and cover here.
Friday 9th May
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Indiana Pacers Game 3 Pick: The Second Round of the Playoffs have been wild and we have had just eight games played so far.
Home teams had lost six in a row to open the Second Round, but the really surprising aspect is how many of them have been beaten when holding huge leads within the games.
It was the turn of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2 as they entered the Fourth Quarter with a 14 point lead and were still 7 points ahead into the final ninety seconds. Yet somehow the Number 1 Seed in the Eastern Conference dropped to 0-2 in this Series and the short-handed Cavaliers have to find a way to pick themselves up from the floor.
Darius Garland's absence has really hurt and he is expected to miss Game 3, while both Evan Mobley and De'Andre Hunter were also out of the lineup in Game 2. Both have been upgraded to Questionable, but there is no guarantee either suit up with just a day of rest between Game 2 and Game 3, and that is also a tough spot for Donovan Mitchell who left something out on the court with his huge effort to try and help his team tie up this Series.
He had 48 points in the loss and there were signs of fatigue at the end of Game 2, which is a worry for Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers. They will not have taken too much interest in the fact the officials feel they got a couple of late calls wrong as there is nothing that can be done now and Cleveland are already in a very tough spot as they head to Indiana for two games.
Last year the Indiana Pacers upset the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semi Finals and they have all of the momentum after Tyrese Haliburton's three pointer to win Game 2 by a single point. That point gives Indiana a huge advantage in the Series and they are in a good spot considering how well recent Game 3 hosts have done.
Small home underdogs have also had a lot of success in recent seasons in the Second Round of the Playoffs and there is no doubting that all of the momentum looks to be with a healthy and deep Indiana rotation.
Backing the home team with the points does offer some appeal, but there has to be a respect for the Number 1 Seed who had looked the better team for much of the last game in the Series. Losing will have stung and the Cleveland Cavaliers have to find a way to turn things around, although that challenge is much more difficult on the road.
Instead of backing a side, the suggestion is to play the 'under' despite the really unfortunate way Game 2 surpassed the total set- the officials became very whistle happy and that led to a combined sixty-five Free Throws being taken and 51 points were scored this way. You have to believe those taking charge will be aware of those numbers, especailly the fact that Cleveland had more attempts in Game 2 than both teams combined in Game 1.
Tougher plays being allowed may just keep that scoring down and the 'under' has gone 13-4 in Game 3 in the last seventeen occasions when a team has had a 2-0 lead. The 'under' is 19-9 in this Game in the Second Round and this has been the play in the next game of a Second Round Series when the previous game was decided by less than 11 points.
That trend is 1-2 so far in 2025, but remains a strong play at 35-20-1 in the Second Round and this may be a game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers that have Defensive units come up on top with potential fatigue building up.
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Denver Nuggets Game 3 Pick: They will not have been happy with the performance in Game 1 and the Oklahoma City Thunder came out and showed why they are considered favourites to win the NBA Championship in their response in Game 2.
The Thunder came out and punched the 2023 Champions Denver Nuggets right in the mouth from the opening tip and they were relentless in their play. Putting together a Playoff best 87 first half points, the Thunder controlled the game from opening tip to final whistle and the crushing victory has levelled up the Series before it heads to Colorado for two games.
No one will be panicking in Denver- the Nuggets know a two point win like they had in Game 1 or a 43 point win secured by the Thunder equates to a game each and it will all be about making adjustments for when the Series hits their home.
Nikola Jokic was not able to have the same impact in the second game of the Series as the Oklahoma City Thunder changed things up to guard him, while the feeling will also be that he is not likely to be called for two Offensive Fouls at home. Those led to an early ejection, but that may not be bad news for the Nuggets with Game 2 out of hand and Jokic being able to wash that off and get ready for this important game.
Winning would just keep the pressure on the Oklahoma City Thunder and this Denver team are capable as they have shown in the post-season already. However, they will need more from the role players being back at home and the reality is that they will need some help from the Thunder.
Last year the Playoff pressure was too much for Oklahoma City to handle, but they showed in Game 2 that this is a confident team that will have grown from the experience and the layers are wary of the Number 1 Seed.
They are right to respect them and the Thunder have the capabilities of taking games away from opponents very, very quickly.
It is always more challenging on the road and the Thunder only beat the Memphis Grizzlies by a combined 8 points in their two road wins in the First Round. Playing in Denver is that much more challenging with the conditions in mind and the Nuggets did win three of their four home games with the LA Clippers in the First Round to move into this Series.
In recent Second Round Playoff history, teams that have been beaten in their previous game and then playing at home have been strong teams to back. However, those are only 1-2 against the spread in 2025 and Oklahoma City Thunder have all of the momentum having dominated to such an extent on Wednesday evening.
Road favourites of at least 5 points are 7-2-1 against the spread in the Second Round of the post-season since 2013 and the Thunder can regain home court advantage at their first attempt.
Saturday 10th May
Boston Celtics @ New York Knicks Game 3 Pick: Over the last couple of years, the Boston Celtics have walked with the mantra that this is a team that will live or die by the three point shot.
In 2024 they won the NBA Championship and Boston average 17 made threes at just shy of 37% hit rate in 2025 so their approach to Basketball has long felt justified.
Two games into the Second Round Series with the New York Knicks and there are now some huge questions being asked of the approach being taken by the team.
They are 2-0 down in the Series having had a couple of historical collapses- in both games the Boston Celtics have led by 20 points deep into the Third Quarter and failed to win either, becoming the first Playoff team to blow that margin of lead in consecutive post-season games.
Jayson Tatum described the second loss as 'inexcusable', especially as the pattern was eerily similar to the way Boston blew Game 1. They failed to hit a single Field Goal for a stretch of over eight minutes in the Fourth Quarter and ultimately that allowed the Knicks to hang around, rally and then score a couple of late Free Throws and make a big Defensive block to take a solid grip of the Series.
After a 15/60 effort from three point range in Game 1, Boston were 10/40 in Game 2 and the really big concern for the Celtics is the amount of open looks that were being missed. Failure to understand that and attempt to attack the rim meant the shooting was frigid at a key time for the second game in a row and there is a lot of pressure on the Celtics to avoid falling into a 0-3 hole.
For starters no NBA team have won a Series from 0-3 behind and the Boston Celtics will be well aware that none of the last five defending Champions have been past the Second Round the following year with four of those losing in this Round.
In saying all that, the Boston Celtics have to still be reminding themselves that they must have done something right to have 20 point leads in back to back games. Adjustments may be more to do with how they manage the game state when things do become a little icy from outside the three point arc and the Celtics will feel the Series can still be salvaged right now.
The New York Knicks have to be incredibly happy with how the first two games in the Series have gone and they will be hoping to have more consistent showings for the full four Quarters when playing two games at Madison Square Garden. Despite the obvious positives, the Knicks will know how quickly the outlook would change if they are not able to win at least one of the next two games at home and so there is some pressure on them too.
Players have stepped up at key times and the squad have come together to finally win some big games and that has to have boosted confidence.
Being at home will really help, but the Knicks will be aware that they still need to do more having been given considerable help by Boston to win both games.
With expectations being raised, it could be challenging for the Knicks to contain an angry Boston team that will be looking to remind everyone why they are Champions. You cannot expect the Celtics to continue to shoot as poorly from the three point arc as they have been, especially not with some of the open looks the team have been getting, and a Champions response is expected.
The Celtics are in a tough spot after the way things have developed in the Series, but they could become the latest road favourite of at least 5 points to display why the layers have so much faith in them. Assuming the team that finished with the second best record cannot keep blowing big leads, the Boston Celtics may get this Series moving back in their direction by taking Game 3 at The Garden.
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Golden State Warriors Game 3 Pick: They may have won Game 1 even after Steph Curry went down with an injury, but the Golden State Warriors are well aware of the challenges they face without their premier Offensive player. News has come out that Curry is set to miss at least the two games to be played at home in the Series with the hope he can suit up for Game 5, and so the Warriors have to find a way to score enough points to stay in the Series before he can return.
Game 1 was won thanks to the strong Defensive effort, along with the poor shooting produced by the Minnesota Timberwolves, but all of the Golden State fears came true in Game 2.
The Warriors only scored six fewer points in Game 2 compared with Game 1, but this time the Minnesota Timberwolves came out much stronger Offensively and took the game away from Golden State to level the Series. A much more efficient day shooting the three ball helped the Timberwolves as they got back to doing what they have for much of the season, and Minnesota will feel a lot better knowing Anthony Edwards avoided what looked like a Series-changing injury in the victory.
One day of rest between games will still be time to make adjustments, especially for the Golden State Warriors- they know that without Curry, the Timberwolves can put their strongest Defenders onto the likes of Jimmy Butler and Buddy Hield and that made it even more difficult for Golden State to generate enough points to remain competitive.
Draymond Green was frustrated with the officiating in Game 2, and also had a back and forth with a fan who had to be ejected, but the Warriors need one of their veterans to focus on the Basketball and keep the team ticking over until Steph Curry can return.
This is a big opportunity for the Timberwolves considering what they can do on the Offensive side of the court, but they have to stay focused. There is plenty of experience in the rotation after reaching the Western Conference Finals twelve months ago and Minnesota have the momentum.
Much like the Celtics and Thunder, Minnesota are favoured by the amount of points where road teams have had success in the Second Round of the Playoffs over the last twelve years. They have the momentum of the win in Game 2 and the Timberwolves have the shooters that can take this game away from an Offensively-challenged host.
You cannot dismiss how well teams who have lost their last game and then play at home have performed in the Second Round of the post-season, but the Timberwolves have a significant edge with Steph Curry missing from the home rotation and they can regain home court advantage in Game 3.
Sunday 11th May
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Denver Nuggets Game 4 Pick: They have contained Nikola Jokic as well as they would have wanted, but the Oklahoma City Thunder will be very disappointed that they are still 2-1 down in this Western Conference Second Round Series.
They played well in Game 3, although more can be expected from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but it was not well enough and the defeat will have stung.
Bouncing back was the task when dropping Game 1 and that is the same challenge for the Thunder in Game 4 as they look to return home with the Series level. Falling 3-1 behind would have many of the Thunder players and fans thinking back twelve months when they were upset in this Round as the Number 1 Seed and so there is pressure on the top Seed.
Being at home has helped the role players have a bigger impact on Game 3 and that is encouraging for the Denver Nuggets as they bid for the upset. While Nikola Jokic will continue to attract the Defenders, it is up to the likes of Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr to punish the Thunder by knocking down their shots.
Denver will know that the Oklahoma City Thunder are likely going to pose a much sterner test Offensively than they offered in Game 3 and especially with Gilgeous-Alexander to offer much more than he did. He has shown all season that he can recover from tough outings, as have the team, and the Thunder may be the latest big road favourite to produce a win.
They failed in that spot in Game 3, but Game 4 favourites have been on a very good run in the Second Round of the post-season.
It also should be noted that teams leading the Series going into Game 4 are on a 11-25-1 run against the spread and the top Seed is sure to be much more focused to turn this Series back around.
Last year, teams that had lost their previous game and then played on the road finished with an 8-4 record against the spread- teams in that spot are 2-0 against the spread this season and the Oklahoma City Thunder may keep that perfect record moving through another game.
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Indiana Pacers Game 4 Pick: After the way Game 2 ended, there was never going to be any let up from the Cleveland Cavaliers even when building a huge lead in Game 3. The top Seed could not afford to drop to 0-3 in the Second Round Series and Donovan Mitchell refused to let that happen.
Importantly for the Cavaliers, they had Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and De'Andre Hunter all back and contributing and it does feel the Series has shifted in favour of Cleveland even as they trail.
A day of rest between games is perhaps not ideal, but those three players look to have come out of Game 3 without picking up any new issues and that should mean Cleveland are looking to pick up from where they left off.
All of the adjustments have to be made by the Indiana Pacers- there is this sense that the big comeback in Game 2 has papered over some of the problems they are having. They have clearly been the poorer of the two teams over the last couple of games, and Indiana cannot expect for Cleveland to blow a big lead as they did in Game 2 with the depth in the rotation now back closer to where they would like.
Tyrese Haliburton has to do more if the Pacers are going to win this Series and all of the momentum is now against them.
As mentioned in the other game to be played on Sunday, teams leading a Series have not been very good in Game 4 in the Second Round, while the favourites have tended to come out strong in this spot.
Big road favourites have tended to come out strong in the Second Round of the post-season and the Cleveland Cavaliers should return home with this Series squared up.
Monday 12th May
Boston Celtics @ New York Knicks Game 4 Pick: Back to back poor shooting days cost the Boston Celtics as they fell into a 0-2 hole, but they are defending Champions and there has not been a sense of panic around the team. Instead the demands were to show better and the Celtics bounced back to crush the New York Knicks in Game 3 and avoid having to become the first NBA team to win a Series from 0-3 behind.
One win will have Boston feeling more settled, but they are back out at Madison Square Garden on Monday for Game 4 and there is still some pressure on the team.
Credit has to be given to the Coaching staff and the players for coming out in Game 3 and getting to the rim for easy two pointers rather than settling for threes from the opening tip. It has been a real feeling that Boston lost the first two games of this Series by failing to attack the basket and earning some easier points as the three pointers were failing to drop and that execution in Game 3 might have opened things up for the shooters.
Boston still chucked up 40 three pointers, but the players managed to hit 20 of them having been restricted to 25% from the distance prior to that.
They will need to make sure they avoid going through the stretches of misses that have been a feature of the first two games, but Boston will certainly take some confidence from the fact they have been dominant in all three games played.
This is something that the New York Knicks will have to change if they are going to make the Eastern Conference Finals- becoming the first team to win consecutive Playoff games when trailing by at least 20 points might have papered over some of the cracks that had the Knicks dropping into such a hole and the Game 3 defeat is a reminder of how much better they need to be to close out the defending Champions.
Karl-Anthony Towns is going to have to play through the pain having picked up a hand injury, while the New York Knicks just have to find a way to slow down the Celtics when they do get into a rhythm.
Big comebacks are memorable and will excite the fans, but the Knicks cannot keep getting themselves into a tough position within games. That is the challenge for the home team against an opponent that has matched up very well with New York all season.
Road favourites of at least 5 points have improved to 9-2-2 against the spread in the Second Round of the Playoffs since 2013 and the Boston Celtics should come out with plenty of confidence after finally holding onto a big lead earned.
As with the first two Game 4s being played, New York have to overcome a really big trend that has developed against teams leading a Series through three games.
Barring plenty of help from the Boston Celtics, that may be asking too much of this current New York Knicks team and the road team can level the Series up before returning home later this week.
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Golden State Warriors Game 4 Pick: A three pointer with less than 5 seconds remaining in Game 3 meant the game finished as a push when it came to the early lines handed out by Vegas. The Minnesota Timberwolves will not care less about that and the most important outcome for them on Saturday evening was making sure they had taken back home court advantage that had been lost in Game 1 of the Series.
The Golden State Warriors are trying to find a way to keep this Series alive until Steph Curry is able to return and they put a lot of emphasis on a physical Defensive performance.
Jimmy Butler and Jonathan Kuminga both had big Offensive performances, but the support around them was not good enough to make up for the absence of Curry. Some of the role players are going to have to do more after Golden State failed to hit 100 points for the third time in a row in the Series and the Minnesota Timberwolves have shown they can stand up to the physical test.
It will feel important for the Timberwolves to try and close this Series before Steph Curry can return and offer his team a huge boost in confidence.
He is expected to miss Game 4 and the hope is that Steph Curry can be back when the Series moves back to Minnesota, but the hope for the Warriors is that they are at 2-2 and not facing an elimination game. That may mean Curry wanting to push through and return, although that is not always ideal when dealing with a sore hamstring.
Before all that, the Warriors have to make the adjustments to try and knock Minnesota out of their stride, but it feels a tough ask.
The Timberwolves have shown they can win in a couple of different ways and the health of the team has to give them the advantage. Teams leading a Series have not been at their best in Game 4 of the Second Round, but the Timberwolves are another big road favourite and those teams are still getting on top in this Round.
Game 3 winners have produced a 14-6 record against the spread in Game 4 across the last twenty attempts and the Minnesota Timberwolves can move to the brink of reaching the Western Conference Finals for a second year in a row.
MY PICKS: 04/05 Cleveland Cavaliers - 8.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
05/05 Boston Celtics - 9 Points @ 2.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
05/05 Oklahoma City Thunder - 9.5 Points @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)
06/05 Cleveland Cavaliers-Indiana Pacers Under 229.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
06/05 Minnesota Timberwolves - 7 Points @ 2.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
07/05 Boston Celtics - 10.5 Points @ 1.95 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
07/05 Oklahoma City Thunder - 11.5 Points @ 2.00 Bet Fred (1 Unit)
08/05 Minnesota Timberwolves - 10 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
09/05 Indiana Pacers-Cleveland Cavaliers Under 229.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet Fred (1 Unit)
09/05 Oklahoma City Thunder - 5 Points @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)
10/05 Boston Celtics - 5.5 Points @ 1.91 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)
10/05 Minnesota Timberwolves - 5 Points @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)
11/05 Oklahoma City Thunder - 6.5 Points @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)
11/05 Cleveland Cavaliers - 5.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet Fred (1 Unit)
12/05 Boston Celtics - 6.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
12/05 Minnesota Timberwolves - 5 Points @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)
Second Round: 4-11-1, - 7.27 Units (16 Units Staked, - 45.44% Yield)
First Round: 20-19, - 0.72 Units (39 Units Staked, - 1.85% Yield)
Play In Tournament: 3-3, - 0.28 Units (6 Units Staked, - 4.67% Yield)
