Flash back to the spring of 1993. LeBron James and JJ Redick were just 8 years old, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was five years away from being born, and the top-seeded Phoenix Suns met the No. 8 seed Los Angeles Lakers in a best-of-five first round playoff series.
The Lakers, who were in their post-Magic, pre-Kobe years, were 20-1 underdogs to win the series against Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson & Co. Yet Los Angeles won the first two games in Phoenix to push the Suns to the brink of elimination. After Game 2, Phoenix coach Paul Westphal channeled his inner Joe Namath. “We’re going to win one Tuesday, and the next game is Thursday. We’ll win there and we’ll come back and we’ll win the series on Sunday.” He was right. Phoenix won the series en route to advancing to the NBA Finals.
That was the last time the Lakers were bigger longshots in a series than they will be this week. LeBron & Co. are 14-1 underdogs entering their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series against the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The series begins Tuesday with Game 1 at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
But Los Angeles already has won a series as a big underdog this playoff season, after knocking off the Rockets as a +550 underdog.
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While Thunder vs. Lakers is the marquee attraction on Tuesday, there are other options on a sporting landscape that includes another NBA playoff matchup, one NHL postseason game and a full MLB slate. Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Tuesday, May 5. All times Eastern.
NBA best bets, where to watch
Cavaliers at Pistons
Time: 7 p.m. | Location: Detroit | TV: NBCSN/Peacock
SportsLine pick — Model: Pistons -147 | Expert: Pistons -3 (Jeff Hochman)
Detroit and Cleveland tip off their first round Eastern Conference series at Little Caesars Arena. The Pistons are riding high after rallying from a 3-1 deficit against the Magic to win their first-round playoff series. Cade Cunningham was spectacular in the final three games for Detroit, scoring 45, 32 and 32. Hochman notes that his model projects the Pistons as 6.7-point favorites. “After dropping Game 1 at home against the Magic, Detroit will be super focused in this spot,” he says. The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, agrees. It says the Pistons win 69.0% of the time and assigns a B grade to the Detroit money line (-147).
Lakers at Thunder
Time: 8:30 p.m. | Location: Oklahoma City | TV: NBC/Peacock
SportsLine pick — Model: Lakers +15.5
If the 15.5-point spread holds, it would represent the largest spread in any game with LeBron James as an underdog, regular season or playoffs. In the first-round series against Houston, the Lakers showed improved defense over the regular season, allowing just 105.2 points per 100 possessions. That ranked fourth among all playoff teams and was more than 10 points better than their regular-season rating (115.5). Though Oklahoma City is a different animal, the SportsLine Projection Model says Los Angeles still has a 54.0% chance to cover and gives a C grade to Lakers +15.5.
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NHL best bets, where to watch
Wild at Avalanche
Time: 8 p.m. | Location: Denver | TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick — Model: Wild +167
Minnesota and Colorado face off in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series with the Avalanche leading 1-0. Though Colorado won Game 1’s shootout 9-6, the Wild’s Quinn Hughes is still playing Conn Smythe-caliber hockey. Hughes leads the NHL postseason in scoring with 11 points and is second in assists (eight). He has a point in six of the team’s seven playoff games and has posted three points in each of the past two. The SportsLine Projection Model gives Hughes and the Wild a 41.0% chance to win Game 2 and assigns a B grade to the Minnesota money line (+167).
MLB best bets, where to watch
Dodgers at Astros
Time: 8:10 p.m. | Location: Houston | TV: TBS | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick — Model: Astros +187 | Expert: Shohei Ohtani Over 6.5 Total Pitcher Strikeouts -140 (Angelo Magliocca)
The National League’s Pitcher of the Month and the American League’s Player of the Month square off when Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers face Yordan Alvarez and the Astros at Daikin Park. In 15 total at-bats against Ohtani, Alvarez is batting .333 with a 1.044 OPS and one home run. Magliocca notes that Ohtani is prominently featuring a split finger to lefties with a near 40% whiff rate. “The sweeper/fastball combo has also been great against righties, both above a 40% whiff rate,” he says. Meanwhile, the SportsLine Projection Model gives Houston a 45.0% chance to win and gives a B grade to the Astros money line (+187).
Looking ahead
NBA: 76ers at Knicks
Time: 7 p.m. Tuesday | Location: New York | TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick — Model: Knicks -6.5
The New York Knicks will look to stay hot and take a healthy 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series when they battle the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 2 on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. On Monday, the Knicks blew out the 76ers 137-98 in Game 1, led by 35 points from Jalen Brunson. New York has won its last four games by 16, 29, 51 and 39 points. The SportsLine Projection Model gives the Knicks a 67.0% chance to cover and assigns a strong A grade to New York -6.5.
