The second round of the NBA Playoffs ended on Monday night, with the New York Knicks earning an emphatic win in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals and the Minnesota Timberwolves defeating the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
This takes us to the NBA games today, with a Game 1 matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder. With two great bouts on deck, we're making some predictions for each contest.
Donovan Mitchell downed 30-burgers
The Pistons will bring a level of physicality that could result in some game-to-game inconsistency for Donovan Mitchell. However, they do not have a standout defender like Scotty Barnes who can really cause problems for them. Mitchell averaged nearly 21 shots per game in the first-round series and we should see a similar amount in Game 1. We are projecting him to score over 32 points tonight, he will be the only Cavaliers player to score 20 points.
Detroit Pistons beat Cavaliers in Game 1
While Mitchell will do his best to help the Cleveland Cavaliers get a Game 1 win on the road, it's going to be a one-man operation. Both Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley will struggle with the physicality provided in Detroit's frontcourt with Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart. We also see that James Harden had an outing in which he turned it over 7 times while making only four shots. It would be relatively close in the fourth quarter, but Detroit won it.
- Prediction: Detroit Pistons 116, Cleveland Cavaliers 108
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reaches 50 points
We think there's a chance we'll see a 50-point game tonight. The Los Angeles Lakers have no answer for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander defensively. As highlighted by The Athletic's Law Murray, SGA scored 83 points and shot 55.2 percent from the field against Los Angeles in the regular season. He's willing to take more than 20 shots if necessary and it's almost a lock that he'll get to the free-throw line more than 10 times. In Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals on national television, SGA scored more than 48 points.
OKC Thunder blow out LA Lakers in Game 1
With Luka Doncic out, it looks like this is the only one-sided matchup in the NBA Conference Semifinals. The Lakers are relying heavily on Austin Reaves, who is recovering from injury, and 41-year-old LeBron James to carry this team forward. It worked against Houston, but is not going to have any success against a Thunder team that is deeper, better coached and more well-developed. Playing at home in Game 1, Oklahoma City would effectively win. When it's over, the only question will be whether the Thunder will have to deal with rust in the next round since it will be a short series.
- Prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder 122, Los Angeles Lakers 95
