2026 NBA playoffs second-round odds: Cavs favored to even series against Pistons

Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers are small favorites at home against the Detroit Pistons in Game 4. Jason Miller / Getty Images Share article26There was one sweep in the NBA playoffs on Sunday and there could be another on Monday. The New York Knicks took care of business, to say the least, against the Philadelphia 76ers with another utter demolition on the road in a close-out game. Now, it’s Oklahoma City’s turn. The Thunder are up 3-0 on the Los Angeles Lakers and favored to get the sweep on Monday. Also on Monday, the Cleveland Cavaliers try to even their series against the Detroit Pistons. This story will be updated throughout the second round as the odds change with the results for every game. Series odds: Pistons -250, Cavaliers +200 Just when James Harden was getting the brunt of the blame for Cleveland’s two losses in Detroit, he went out and won Game 3 down the stretch. The 36-year-old scored on three straight possessions in the final two minutes, and those seven points were crucial to keep a lead. The Cavs won 116-109, at least entertaining the idea of getting back in this series. Cleveland still has a lot of pressure to win Game 4 at home, and Detroit is still the clear favorite to advance, but facing a close finish in a must-win situation, Harden delivered. Donovan Mitchell did most of the work up to that point with 35 points, but Harden was the closer and finished with 19. Cade Cunningham had a triple-double for Detroit (27 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists), but had turnovers on three straight possessions late that were devastating. Cunningham finished with eight turnovers. The Cavs are favored by 3.5 points for Game 4. The Knicks really have hit overdrive in the last seven games. Since falling behind the Atlanta Hawks 2-1 in the first round, the Knicks have won seven straight games by an average of 26.4 points per game. Sure, that 51-point win in Game 6 in the Hawks is skewing that average a bit, but there are two other wins by 30 or more points in that run and six of the seven wins were by at least 14. This is why the Knicks are favored to make the NBA Finals. While the Pistons and Cavs are beating each other up, the Knicks have been on cruise control. This makes two years in a row in the Eastern Conference finals for New York. Last year didn’t go so well, but Knicks fans will have renewed hope with the way the team has been playing. The Knicks last made the NBA Finals in 1999. Series odds: Thunder -20000, Lakers +7000 It’s been nine years since a team started the playoffs 7-0. The Thunder have done that without a close game. LeBron James’ 2017 Cleveland Cavaliers are the last team to start a postseason 7-0. That year, the Cavs swept the first two rounds and won the conference finals in five games before losing the NBA Finals in five games to the Golden State Warriors. It seems far less likely the Thunder would meet a similar fate, if only because the top challenger appears to be in OKC’s conference. Regardless, it appears this series is over after the Thunder won Game 3 in Los Angeles 131-108. For the second game in a row, the Lakers led at halftime and then got blown away in the second half. The Thunder put up 74 points after the break to put the game away before the final few minutes. The odds for the series are unsurprisingly extreme. At -20000, you’d have to put $1000 on the Thunder to advance in order to win $5. Series odds: Spurs -425, Timberwolves +320 Minnesota got the win it needed in Game 4, but San Antonio has reason to be feeling good about itself after that one. The playoffs aren’t the time for moral victories, but the Spurs led for most of the second half despite Victor Wembanyama getting ejected in the second quarter for an elbow. Dylan Harper had 24 points on 11 shots off the bench, Stephon Castle had 20 points and De’Aaron Fox had a number of big shots to allow the Spurs to lead by as many as eight points in the fourth quarter. Ultimately, Fox was just 8-for-23 from the field (1-for-7 on 3-pointers) and Minnesota pulled ahead in the final few minutes. For the Timberwolves, it’s a sigh of relief. Minnesota was on the verge of going down 3-1 and failing to take advantage of Wembanyama’s absence. Anthony Edwards isn’t 100 percent with knee issues, but still carried the Timberwolves with 36 points. Now the series heads back to Texas tied 2-2, but the Spurs remain strong favorites to advance. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms