2026 NBA playoffs second-round odds: Pistons, Knicks favored in tight Eastern Conference series
The first round of the NBA playoffs featured three Game 7s and three upsets, according to what the odds had laid out before the round started. Will the second round live up to that excitement?
The two series in the Eastern Conference appear relatively wide open, with the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers series lined at nearly a coin flip. The New York Knicks are favored against the Philadelphia 76ers, but the odds aren’t that lopsided.
In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are heavy favorites against shorthanded opponents. On paper, those series could end up being short.
This story will be updated throughout the playoffs as the odds change with the results for every game.
No. 1 Detroit Pistons vs. No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers
Game 1: 7 p.m. ET, Tuesday
Series odds: Pistons -120, Cavaliers +100
Both teams enter this series after surviving Game 7s at home. The Pistons came back from 3-1 down to Orlando (and 24 points down in Game 6 while facing elimination) to avoid the embarrassment of losing as a No. 1 seed. The Cavaliers came back from 10 points down in the first half to get past Toronto in Game 7.
The Pistons have not gotten a lot of respect in the betting market despite being the top seed in the conference, but they are slight favorites to win this series. The first round didn’t do much to add confidence in Detroit, but it’s not like Cleveland looked like world-beaters either. At least the Cavs won every home game against the Raptors.
Detroit’s Cade Cunningham averaged 5.9 turnovers per game against the Magic, which was the most of anyone in the first round. He also averaged 32.4 points per game. For the most part, Cunningham didn’t get much help until Tobias Harris dropped 30 points in Game 7. Cunningham won’t be able to beat Cleveland by himself.
The James Harden experiment in Cleveland showed mixed results in the first round. Harden averaged 20.6 points, 6.1 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 5.1 turnovers in the first round. He gives Donovan Mitchell some much-needed help in scoring and creation, but the Cavs might need even more to get past Detroit.
No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers
Game 1: 8 p.m. ET, Monday
Series odds: Knicks -270, 76ers +220
We’ll never know if the 76ers would’ve beaten Boston in Game 7 if Jayson Tatum was healthy and available, but Philadelphia started to look like a contender by the end of that series. Embiid is still hard to guard, Tyrese Maxey is turning into an elite scorer and Paul George and VJ Edgecombe give Philly multiple options to balance the scoring load.
Embiid was third in the first round in scoring average at 28 points per game. Maxey was next at 26.9.
Still, the Knicks enter this series as the favorites. The Knicks are favored by a sizable 7.5 points for Game 1, although the series odds are giving Philly a roughly 3-to-1 underdog.
