The Orlando Magic needed to battle hard just to earn a spot in the 2026 NBA Playoffs, defeating the Charlotte Hornets to secure the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference after having lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in a matchup for the seventh seed. They’re now one victory away from becoming just the seventh eighth-seeded team to upset the No. 1 seed in league history.
Orlando attempts to win its first playoff series since 2010 when it visits Little Caesars Arena to take on the Detroit Pistons at 7 p.m. ET in Game 5 of their first-round series. The Magic, who have lost seven consecutive postseason matchups since sweeping the Atlanta Hawks in the 2010 conference semifinals, split the first two contests in Detroit before winning twice at home to take a shocking 3-1 series lead.
By posting a 94-88 victory on Monday behind a 22-point performance from Desmond Bane, Orlando is in position to become the first No. 8 seed to knock off a No. 1 seed since the Miami Heat accomplished the feat against the Milwaukee Bucks three years ago. Since first-round series were expanded to best-of-seven in 2003, it has occurred only four times.
The Pistons, who finished four games ahead of the Boston Celtics for the top seed in the East with the third-best record in the NBA at 60-22, have gone even longer without a playoff series win than the Magic. Detroit hasn’t emerged victorious in a series since 2008, losing five straight since defeating Orlando in that year’s conference semis.
Two other first-round series continue Wednesday, including the matchup between the Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers. The home team won each of the first four games, and the Cavaliers hope the trend continues as they host the Raptors at Rocket Arena for Game 5 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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Three first-round series of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs resume Wednesday, one of which is the showdown that has the Pittsburgh Penguins facing the Philadelphia Flyers in the latest installment of the “Battle of Pennsylvania”. The Flyers, who already have failed to eliminated their in-state rivals twice after having taken a 3-0 series lead, welcome the Penguins to Xfinity Mobile Arena for Game 6 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Eight games are on MLB’s evening schedule, with the New York Mets (10-19) looking to clinch the series win when they host the Washington Nationals (13-17) at 7:10 p.m. ET for the middle contest of their three-game set at Citi Field. The Mets lost 15 of 17 games before routing the Nationals 8-0 in Tuesday’s opener as Juan Soto and Bo Bichette both homered and drove in two runs.
The Pistons are 10.5-point favorites against the Magic in the latest consensus NBA odds, while the Cavaliers are 9.5-point favorites over the Raptors. The Flyers are -121 favorites on the money line versus the Penguins and the Mets are -163 favorites against the Nationals.
Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Wednesday, April 29. All times Eastern
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NBA best bets, where to watch
Magic at Pistons
Time: 7 p.m. | Location: Detroit | TV: Prime Video
SportsLine pick — Model: Pistons -10.5 (-105)
Dating back to the regular season, the Pistons have won five of their last six games at home. Four of those victories were convincing ones, with Detroit defeating its opponents by 11 or more points. Including Game 2 of this series, all three of the Pistons’ triumphs over the Magic in 2025-26 were by at least 14 points. The SportsLine Projection Model sees another comfortable for the Pistons as they cover the spread in 66% of its simulations as they attempt to stave off elimination.
Raptors at Cavaliers
Time: 7:30 p.m. | Location: Cleveland | TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Over 217.5 (-112) | Expert: RJ Barrett Over 19.5 points (-114, Larry Hartstein)
While neither team reached the 95-point plateau in Game 4, each of the first three games of the series were high-scoring affairs. The Raptors and Cavaliers, who were fourth in the NBA in scoring during the regular season with an average of 119.5 points, combined for 239 in the opener, 220 in Game 2 and 230 in Game 3. The SportsLine Projection Model believes the teams will get back on track offensively as its simulations have the Over hitting almost 57% of the time. Toronto’s RJ Barrett eclipsed the 20-point mark in each of the first three games and is averaging 24.3 in the series, and SportsLine expert Larry Hartstein (+2219 on his last 99 NBA player prop picks) likes the forward to score at least 20 points on Wednesday.
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NHL best bets, where to watch
Penguins at Flyers
Time: 7:30 p.m. | Location: Philadelphia | TV: TNT | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick — Model: Penguins ML (+100)
The Penguins know what it’s like to squander a 3-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, as they did just that against the New York Islanders in 1975. The Flyers also are familiar with the dubious feat as they overcame an 0-3 deficit to stun the Boston Bruins in 2010. Pittsburgh is halfway toward becoming the fifth team in NHL history to win a postseason series after having lost the first three games, and the SportsLine Projection Model feels the club will move one step closer to achieving that goal as the Penguins win Game 6 in 66% of its simulations.
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MLB best bets, where to watch
Nationals at Mets
Time: 7:10 p.m. | Location: New York | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick — Model: Over 7.5 (+101)
The Mets went Over this projected total on their own in Tuesday’s series opener and nearly did it in the fourth inning alone as they staged a seven-run rally in the frame to seize control of the game. The Nationals are one of the highest-scoring teams in the majors, ranking fourth with 156 runs. They also are tied with the Houston Astros for most runs allowed with 179. Of Washington’s 30 games this season, at least eight total runs were scored in 26 of them, and the SportsLine Projection Model thinks that number will increase to 27 on Wednesday as its simulations have the Over hitting almost 75% of the time.
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