NBA Playoffs expert picks, odds for Monday’s Game 4s: Celtics at Cavaliers, Thunder at Mavericks

One high seed was in a position to get again on monitor on Friday, whereas one other is sinking right into a gap. Will Sunday’s Recreation 4s be extra of the identical after Boston and Dallas received, or will Cleveland and Oklahoma Metropolis even up their sequence?

The Boston Celtics enter Sunday’s Recreation 4 maybe happy it isn’t at dwelling. The Celtics had been dominant on the street and alleviated fears of one other playoff disappointment, for now.

Out West, Oklahoma Metropolis is in want of a win after dropping a second recreation in a row to the Dallas Mavericks. It is a true playoff take a look at for the Thunder. How will the younger workforce deal with it?

We have now odds, employees picks and previews for each of Sunday’s NBA Playoff video games.

All odds from BetMGM. Discover the perfect offers on StubHub for tickets.

No. 1 Boston Celtics at No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers

Easy methods to watch: 7 p.m. ET on TNT

Sequence odds: Celtics -10000, Cavs +1600

Boston leads sequence 2-1

The Celtics have been following related patterns this postseason. Not solely is Boston struggling to search out consistency at dwelling within the playoffs for the third 12 months in a row, however this 12 months’s squad has been in a position to make up for it on the street. The truth is, this Cleveland sequence is enjoying out equally to how the first-round sequence towards Miami went.

Within the first spherical, Boston received Recreation 1 by 20, then misplaced by 10 at dwelling in Recreation 2. They proceeded to win the following three video games comfortably.

To date on this sequence, Boston received Recreation 1 by 25, laid an egg in a 24-point loss at dwelling in Recreation 2 and responded with a double-digit win on Friday to achieve a 2-1 sequence lead. Will Boston hold the symmetry going with two extra wins towards Cleveland?

The Cavaliers are extra outfitted to compete with Boston than the Miami workforce that was enjoying with out its finest participant in Jimmy Butler. Nevertheless, Boston remains to be an enormous favourite to advance from this sequence. Boston is sort of favored by double digits on the street, which is uncommon.

Donovan Mitchell was nice for Cleveland in Recreation 3 with 33 factors, however he didn’t get a lot assist. Outdoors of Mitchell’s 7-for-12 exhibiting from three, the remainder of the Cavs shot 5-for-24 from 3-point vary. Yuck.

In the meantime, Boston’s dynamic duo of Jayson Tatum (33 factors, 13 rebounds) and Jaylen Brown (28 factors, 9 rebounds) was excellent. That’s the system for Boston. Now, it’s only a matter of that occuring two extra occasions to get Boston to its sixth convention closing in eight seasons.

Skilled picks for Celtics at Cavs

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No. 1 Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder at No. 5 Dallas Mavericks

Easy methods to watch: 9:30 p.m. ET on TNT

Sequence odds: Mavs -225, Thunder +180

Dallas leads sequence 2-1

Dallas is main this sequence, however the reason being much less about its two superstars, Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, and extra about P.J. Washington. Washington scored 29 factors in a Recreation 2 win and adopted that up with 27 factors in Saturday’s Recreation 3 win. That is coming from a participant who averaged 12.9 factors and scored greater than 25 factors simply 4 occasions within the common season.

Now the query is whether or not Washington can have one other large recreation or two if Dallas wants that.

Oklahoma Metropolis wants certainly one of its function gamers to place in a efficiency like Washington’s. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been carrying the Thunder, however he hasn’t been in a position to do it alone. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31 factors per recreation this sequence, however nobody else has emerged as one other offensive risk. The opposite 4 Thunder starters (Chet Holmgren, Josh Giddey, Lu Dort and Jalen Williams) are averaging beneath their common season scoring averages.

It’s not like Dallas has been blowing OKC away, however the Mavs have led each second within the fourth quarter of every of the final two video games.

Dallas is favored in Recreation 4, but it surely’s virtually a coin flip within the odds. Boston would be the clear favourite in each recreation of that sequence barring a number of accidents, however this one is shut within the odds each time.