The second round of the NBA playoffs has tipped off for most of the matchups. BetDSI Sportsbook has updated their odds to win the NBA Championship, so here is a look as the Cleveland Cavaliers get set to start their second round of action.
Golden State Warriors (+105) – The Warriors won the first game of their second-round series against New Orleans rather handily, and they’re still without Stephen Curry. The two-time MVP should be back on the court for Game 2 and with Curry, the Warriors have another gear to go to. They can afford to ease Curry back into the lineup and they should still beat the Pelicans easily enough.
Houston Rockets (+160) – The Rockets made light work of Utah in the first game of their second-round series as James Harden put in another MVP-type performance. The Warriors get the benefit of the doubt because of their track record, but there is no team better equipped to deal with them than the Rockets.
Toronto Raptors (+850) – The Raptors kick off their series with Cleveland on Tuesday after getting past Washington in six games. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry were good in that series, but they’re going to need all hands on deck to beat the Cavaliers, who have eliminated Toronto two years in a row. If Toronto’s vaunted bench plays to their potential, the Eastern Conference finals will be waiting for them.
Philadelphia 76ers (+1200) – The 76ers are down a game after losing their second-round opener in Boston. However, the 76ers don’t sound like a team that will get down on themselves after a loss and you should expect more from them in Game 2. With a duo like Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons leading the way, the 76ers still have the edge in this series.
Cleveland Cavaliers (+1300) – The Cavaliers needed LeBron James to be at his best to beat Indiana in seven games, and he was. Can he do it again, against a much-better Toronto team? The Cavaliers have a chance to win this series if someone else steps up….or maybe they simply need James to be the best player on the floor. That could absolutely happen.
Boston Celtics (+3000) – The Celtics pulled out an impressive Game 1 win over Philadelphia, thanks to a great performance from Jayson Tatum. But their defense is the biggest reason why they could win this series and they’ll need to keep that intensity up, especially when they go on the road.
Utah Jazz (+6000) – The Jazz were always doomed to lose Game 1 in Houston after a hard-fought six-game win over Oklahoma City. Then they had to travel to Houston and play 36 hours later. You should see a much-better performance from the Jazz in Game 2, win or lose.
New Orleans Pelicans (+8000) – The Pelicans will have to make some adjustments after their Game 1 loss at Golden State. But they really need Anthony Davis to be the best player on the floor to have any chance of beating the Warriors in this series. As good as Davis was in the sweep over Portland, the Pelicans need him to be even better against Golden State.
