LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers begin their quest to try to take down the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the New York Knicks are on a historic heater.
The NBA playoffs continue Tuesday with a pair of Game 1s in the second round, with the Lakers-Thunder and Cavaliers-Pistons getting their series started.
The Thunder and Pistons are the top seeds in their respective conferences, though they had very different experiences in the first round. Oklahoma City crushed the Phoenix Suns in a four-game sweep while the Pistons were pushed to seven games before getting past the Orlando Magic.
The Knicks get a day to rest after becoming the first team in NBA history to win three straight playoff games by at least 25 points. New York routed the Philadelphia 76ers 137-98 in Monday's Game 1.
Tuesday's schedule
— Game 1, Cleveland at Detroit, 7 p.m. EDT (Peacock/NBCSN)
Odds: Detroit by 3.5.
Both teams are coming off seven-game grinds in Round 1, and will have to refocus quickly. At least it won't be a long trip for the Cavaliers; by air, their flight to Detroit is only 96 miles.
— Game 1, LA Lakers at Oklahoma City, 8:30 p.m. EDT (NBC/Peacock)
Odds: Oklahoma City by 15.5.
A team with LeBron James, as a 15.5-point underdog, in a playoff game? The only thing that has come close to that in the last 15 years is when James and Cleveland were 12.5-point underdogs to Golden State in an NBA Finals game in 2018.
Wednesday's schedule
— Game 2, Philadelphia at New York, 7 p.m. EDT (ESPN)
Odds: New York by 6.5.
Jalen Brunson scored 35 points in the opener as the Knicks rolled in Game 1. The 76ers — who had a gritty effort to overcome the Celtics in the first round — will need to bounce back with a similar performance.
— Game 2, Minnesota at San Antonio, 9:30 p.m. EDT (ESPN)
Odds: San Antonio by 9.5.
Anthony Edwards made an unexpected return from a knee injury for the Timberwolves and helped the team to a Game 1 win. The Spurs will need a little more offense in Game 2 to supplement Victor Wembanyama's monstrous defensive presence.
Monday recap
— Knicks 137, 76ers 98 for a 1-0 New York series lead. Philadelphia tries to respond after a beatdown.
— Timberwolves 104, Spurs 102 for a 1-0 Minnesota series lead. Anthony Edwards to the Spurs: “I'm back!”
Awards watch
A breakdown of this season's NBA awards:
— Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year: DeAndre Jordan, New Orleans.
— Hustle Award: Moussa Diabaté, Charlotte.
— Defensive Player of the Year: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio.
— Clutch Player of the Year: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City.
— Sixth Man of the Year: Keldon Johnson, San Antonio.
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— Sportsmanship Award: Derrick White, Boston.
— Most Improved Player: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Atlanta.
— Rookie of the Year: Cooper Flagg, Dallas.
— Executive of the Year: Brad Stevens, Boston.
Among the announcements still to come:
— Most Valuable Player: Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama or Denver's Nikola Jokic.
— Coach of the Year: Detroit's J.B. Bickerstaff, San Antonio's Mitch Johnson or Boston's Joe Mazzulla.
Betting odds
Defending champion Oklahoma City (-140) is favored to win the NBA title, according to oddsmakers.
The Thunder were followed by San Antonio (+350), New York (+900), Detroit (+1700), Cleveland (+2000) and the Los Angeles Lakers (+2500). Philadelphia (+3500) is next, followed by Minnesota (+10000).
Some neighborly rivalries are underway
Expect plenty of fans of visiting teams in the stands around the NBA during Round 2, especially in the Eastern Conference.
By car, it's only 100 miles between the arenas in Philadelphia and New York and only 168 miles between the arenas in Detroit and Cleveland. That means it'll be relatively easy for fans who want to hit the road to do some cheering.
The West series aren't exactly drive-able. It's 1,248 miles between arenas in San Antonio and Minneapolis, and 1,330 miles between the ones in Los Angeles and Oklahoma City — but Lakers fans are everywhere, so it surely won't be all Thunder fans in OKC.
Key dates
— May 10: NBA draft lottery.
— May 10-17: NBA draft combine.
— May 17 or 19: Eastern Conference finals begin on ESPN and ABC.
— May 18 or 20: Western Conference finals begin on NBC and Peacock.
— June 3: Game 1, NBA Finals on ABC. (Other finals dates: June 5, June 8, June 10, June 13, June 16 and June 19).
— June 23: Round 1, NBA draft
— June 24: Round 2, NBA draft
Quote of the day
“Same as last series. They don’t get any extra points for going up big tonight,” 76ers veteran Paul George said after their lopsided loss to the Knicks. “We’ll be ready for Game 2.”
Stats of the day
— Wembanyama had 11 points and 15 rebounds and set an NBA postseason record with 12 blocks in San Antonio's Game 1 loss. He’s the third player to get a triple-double in the playoffs including blocks since the league began tracking blocks in 1973-74.
— The Knicks shot 63% from the field in their Game 1 win, including a blistering 51% (19 of 37) from 3-point range.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
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