2026 NBA playoffs first-round series odds: Pistons still favored against Magic after Game 1 loss

Cade Cunningham scored 37 points in Game 1, but the Detroit Pistons lost at home to Orlando. Gregory Shamus / Getty Images Share article7It’s time for the NBA to hit its extra gear in the playoffs. The 16-team field is set following the Play-In Tournament, which featured several close games. Of the eight Game 1s that took place over the weekend, only one road team won and it was a big upset. The Orlando Magic knocked off the Detroit Pistons, the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Detroit is still favored to advance, but it’s tight. Monday features three games with the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets looking to take 2-0 series leads. 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. Series odds: Pistons -190, Magic +160 If there were already questions about the Pistons as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, they weren’t answered in Sunday’s series opener against Orlando. The Magic were the only road team to win in the eight Game 1s. Losing at home is one thing, but Detroit never led in Game 1, which is about as alarming as a playoff opener can be. Orlando had all five starters score at least 16 points. Detroit only had two players reach double figures in scoring. Cade Cunningham did his thing with 37 points, but didn’t get enough help. Detroit is still favored to advance, but it’s closer to a coin flip. Series odds: Celtics -1600, 76ers +900 Boston looked the part of Eastern Conference favorite in Sunday’s Game 1 victory against Philadelphia. The Celtics got 26 points from Jaylen Brown and 25 from Jayson Tatum. Tatum added 11 rebounds and 7 assists and Boston won so big that Tatum didn’t have to stress his minute total as he works his way back to full strength after his Achilles injury. The Celtics won by 32 and Philly will be searching for answers. With Joel Embiid out, the 76ers will need Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe to shoot better than a combined 1-for-9 from 3-point range. Philadelphia was an ugly 4-for-23 from beyond the arc. This all adds up to why Boston is favored by a whopping 14.5 points in Game 2. Series odds: Knicks -425, Hawks +330 The Knicks held serve comfortably in Game 1 against the Hawks. Jalen Brunson had 28 points and Karl-Anthony Towns scored 25 in a 113-102 win. The odds have this series as one of the tightest in the first round, but the Hawks never led in the second half and the Knicks led by as much as 19 in the fourth quarter. Atlanta got 49 combined points from CJ McCollum and Jalen Johnson, but the Knicks had a massive edge on the free throw line. The Knicks made more than twice as many free throws (25 to 12). New York is favored by 5.5 points in Game 2. Series odds: Cavaliers -800, Raptors +550 James Harden had 22 points and 10 assists in his first playoff game with Cleveland. Donovan Mitchell still led the Cavs with 32 points in a 126-113 win in Game 1, but Harden’s presence and performance means Mitchell doesn’t have to do it all for Cleveland. Cleveland led by as much as 24 in Game 1 and is an overwhelming favorite to advance after successfully defending home court in Game 1. Toronto didn’t show much to give any confidence that the Raptors could trouble Cleveland in this series. The most likely series outcome on DraftKings is currently the Cavs to win the series in five games (+215), followed by a four-game sweep at +270. Game 2: 9:30 p.m. ET, Wednesday Series odds: Thunder -20000, Suns +3000 It was business as usual for the Thunder in Game 1 on Sunday. Oklahoma City won 119-84 in a game that never appeared in doubt. The Thunder raced out to a 15-point lead after the first quarter and never looked back. Phoenix never got near single digits the rest of the way. OKC is already in virtual lock territory to win this series. The -20000 odds imply a 99.5 percent chance that the Thunder advance. Series odds: Spurs -2500, Trail Blazers +1200 Game 1 felt like a celebration for Spurs fans. Frost Bank Center in San Antonio was decked out with the Spurs’ 1990s-era logo and colors and the fans had matching bright shirts to match. As soon as Victor Wembanyama got drafted, it was assumed this day would come for the Spurs at some point. After winning 62 games in the regular season, we knew the Spurs would be a serious contender, but seeing it on a playoff stage still felt like the Spurs’ official return to championship contention. Wembanyama had 35 points in his playoff debut, including going 5-for-6 from 3-point range, which simply does not feel fair. The Spurs were already heavily favored to advance and Sunday night’s 13-point win did nothing to change that. Series odds: Nuggets -600, Timberwolves +450 Minnesota led Game 1 by 10 points after a quarter, but Denver tied the game by halftime and used a 14-0 run to pull away in the third quarter. The Nuggets won 116-105 to take the series lead and become an even more overwhelming favorite to advance. Nikola Jokić had a triple-double, of course, and Jamal Murray dropped 30 points. Murray’s route to 30 points was unorthodox, going 0-for-8 from 3-point range but making all 16 of his free throw attempts. Anthony Edwards also had a tough shooting night (7-for-19). If Minnesota is to pull off the upset in this series, it will need more from the star guard. Series odds: Rockets -225, Lakers +185 No Luka Dončić, no Austin Reaves, no problem for the Lakers in Game 1. Luke Kennard stepped up with 27 points in a 107-98 win, which buys the Lakers a little more time for Luka and Reaves to return from injury. Granted, Houston was without Kevin Durant so both teams are hoping to get back to full strength as soon as possible. Durant took warmups in Game 1 and is day-to-day so he could return soon. Despite the Lakers picking up the win in the series opener, Houston is still favored to win the series. That could flip if the Lakers go up 2-0, but Houston is favored to win on the road and even the series. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Dan Santaromita is a senior editor for sports betting who has worked at The Athletic since 2021. Dan previously worked at NBC Sports Chicago and ProSoccerUSA. He is a University of Missouri graduate who resides in Chicago. Follow Dan on Twitter @TheDanSanto