Sunday’s NBA playoff slate features two games, with the Golden State Warriors visiting the Houston Rockets in Game 7 of their first-round series in the Western Conference and the Cleveland Cavaliers hosting the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Rockets won on the road at Golden State on Friday to force a decisive game in Houston, where the Rockets are 2.5-point favorites.
The winner advances to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves, who disposed of the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. Game 1 of their semifinals series is Tuesday.
The Denver Nuggets routed the LA Clippers in Game 7 on Saturday to reach the second round and will now face the Oklahoma City Thunder, who cruised to a 4-0 first-round series win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Game 1 of that second-round series is Monday, with the Thunder installed as 9.5-point favorites.
In the Eastern Conference, the No. 1 seed Cavs routed the Miami Heat in a four-game sweep and will host the Pacers on Sunday night to kick off their semifinals series.
The Pacers got past Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in five games.
The Cavaliers are 8.5-point favorites on Sunday and are -500 to win the series.
The New York Knicks will play the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics in Game 1 of their semifinal series on Monday. The Celtics are 8.5-point favorites Monday and -900 to win the series.
With the excitement ramping up, here are some of the bets that stand out for Sunday’s pair of games.
Odds are as of publication time. For the most up-to-date odds, visit ESPN BET
Bets that stand out for Sunday
Ty Jerome over 12.5 points (-120)
Sixth in the league this season in points off the bench, Jerome is a confident combo guard with freedom to find his own shot in this Cleveland offense. With the Pacers happy to push the pace, Jerome’s quick trigger in transition and ability to punish any added attention Indiana sends to the Cavs’ stellar frontcourt will prove valuable. A main motivator here is also the status of Darius Garland, who has been dealing with a toe injury and is listed as questionable to play. It appears likely that we see Garland this evening, but also likely that he’s not due for a full workload. Jerome would fill in the gaps when needed and has already proven capable in such situations. — Jim McCormick
Jarrett Allen over 24.5 total points, rebounds and assists (-120)
The Pacers sit ninth in rebounding percentage among playoff teams this season. The Cavaliers, as you might guess, are the top rebounding team in the postseason. A big part of the gap is Allen’s dominance in cleaning the glass. With Indiana having no answer to Allen’s size and with his ability to meet this prop without any scarce production, there are several paths to him hitting this number. — McCormick
Warriors at Rockets over 205.5 points (-107)
The Rockets have 42 more attempts from the stripe than the Warriors in this series, which speaks more to Houston’s aggressive style in the paint and on drives than any commentary about the whistle. With Houston shooting better from the field lately, a blend of free throws and scoring efficiency raises the ceiling in this contest. The Warriors are more efficient and effective on offense at home historically, which presents another optimistic angle for this total. The Rockets want this to be a grind, while I see a blend of both team’s intentions surfacing. — McCormick
Projections and Injury Reports
Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds by ESPN BET
Players in italics are available in a majority of ESPN Leagues
6 p.m. ET on TNT
Line: Pacers 8.5 (-107) | Cavaliers -8.5 (-107)
Money line: Pacers +290 | Cavaliers -380
Total: 229.5 (-104 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Cavaliers by 6.9, straight up 72%, 233.2 total points.
Injury Report:
Pacers: Isaiah Jackson, (OFS – Achilles)
Cavaliers: Darius Garland, (GTD – Toe)
Pacers projections:
Tyrese Haliburton, PG/SG: 38.7 FPTS (17.1 pts, 3.2 reb, 7.7 ast, 2.8 3PM)
Pascal Siakam, PF: 37.6 FPTS (21.5 pts, 6.8 reb, 4.2 ast)
Myles Turner, C: 24.0 FPTS (14.0 pts, 5.6 reb, 1.5 ast, 1.8 3PM, 2.4 blk)
Andrew Nembhard, PG/SG: 23.9 FPTS (10.8 pts, 3.3 reb, 4.5 ast)
Bennedict Mathurin, SG/SF: 21.8 FPTS (14.2 pts, 4.3 reb, 1.8 ast)
Obi Toppin, PF: 21.4 FPTS (10.6 pts, 4.5 reb, 2.5 ast)
T.J. McConnell, PG: 20.8 FPTS (9.1 pts, 2.5 reb, 4.1 ast)
Cavaliers projections:
Donovan Mitchell, PG/SG: 44.3 FPTS (24.3 pts, 5.0 reb, 5.6 ast, 3.1 3PM)
Darius Garland, PG: 35.9 FPTS (19.2 pts, 3.3 reb, 6.1 ast, 2.6 3PM)
Evan Mobley, PF/C: 29.4 FPTS (15.8 pts, 8.1 reb, 3.0 ast, 1.5 blk)
De’Andre Hunter, SF/PF: 26.7 FPTS (15.8 pts, 4.0 reb, 2.2 ast, 2.1 3PM)
Jarrett Allen, C: 25.2 FPTS (12.4 pts, 8.1 reb, 2.0 ast)
Max Strus, SG/SF: 21.4 FPTS (9.0 pts, 4.5 reb, 3.1 ast, 2.0 3PM)
Sam Merrill, SG: 15.8 FPTS (6.7 pts, 2.4 reb, 1.9 ast, 1.8 3PM)
8:30 p.m. ET on TNT
Line: Warriors 2.5 (-107) | Rockets -2.5 (-107)
Money line: Warriors +115 | Rockets -135
Total: 205.5 (-107 O, -107 U)
BPI Projection: Rockets by 1.3, straight up 54%, 214.3 total points.
Injury Report:
Warriors: None reported
Rockets: Jae’Sean Tate, (OUT – Ankle); Jock Landale, (OUT – Knee)
Warriors projections:
Stephen Curry, PG: 39.7 FPTS (21.2 pts, 3.9 reb, 5.6 ast, 3.8 3PM)
Jimmy Butler III, SG/SF/PF: 34.2 FPTS (17.0 pts, 4.9 reb, 5.2 ast)
Brandin Podziemski, PG/SG: 27.8 FPTS (12.3 pts, 5.2 reb, 3.5 ast)
Draymond Green, PF/C: 25.5 FPTS (9.4 pts, 5.3 reb, 4.8 ast)
Jonathan Kuminga, PF: 20.7 FPTS (12.1 pts, 3.3 reb, 2.3 ast)
Moses Moody, SG/SF: 18.9 FPTS (10.5 pts, 2.4 reb, 1.4 ast)
Buddy Hield, SG/SF: 18.6 FPTS (9.1 pts, 2.7 reb, 1.8 ast, 2.1 3PM)
Rockets projections:
Alperen Sengun, C: 36.0 FPTS (17.2 pts, 8.6 reb, 5.2 ast)
Fred VanVleet, PG: 30.0 FPTS (12.1 pts, 2.9 reb, 5.1 ast, 2.2 3PM)
Amen Thompson, SG/SF/PF: 29.0 FPTS (12.2 pts, 7.2 reb, 4.6 ast)
Jalen Green, SG: 25.9 FPTS (14.2 pts, 3.5 reb, 3.0 ast, 2.1 3PM)
Tari Eason, SF/PF: 24.7 FPTS (10.8 pts, 5.6 reb, 1.8 ast)
Jabari Smith Jr., PF/C: 21.5 FPTS (11.4 pts, 6.4 reb, 1.1 ast)
Dillon Brooks, SG/SF: 20.1 FPTS (11.6 pts, 2.5 reb, 1.7 ast, 2.0 3PM)
Source: espn.com