Two Game 7’s take place on Sunday in the NBA playoffs for the right to advance to the second round.
Both do-or-die contests feature Eastern Conference squads, starting with the top-seeded Detroit Pistons returning home to battle the Orlando Magic.
The night affair showcases the Cleveland Cavaliers, looking to avoid an early exit against the injury-riddled Toronto Raptors. The winners of each of these games face each other in the conference semifinals.
We’ll break down two plays for the Sunday action. Remember to monitor the odds throughout the day, as the sides and totals market is constantly changing.
Here are the free NBA picks for Sunday, May 3. Odds Courtesy of DraftKings.
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- Magic/Pistons Over (201.5)
- Cavaliers (-8.5) vs. Raptors
Magic/Pistons Over (201.5) – 3:30 p.m. ET
Orlando’s offense disappeared in the second half of Friday’s 93-79 home loss to Detroit, preventing the Magic from advancing. The Magic led by 22 points at halftime, but were outscored in the second half, 55-19 as Detroit forced a Game 7 back at home.
How bad was Orlando’s offense in the second half of Game 6? The Magic missed 23 consecutive field goal attempts at one point and finished 4-of-37 in the final 24 minutes.
Will things turn around in Game 7 back in the Motor City? The total closed at 209.5 in Game 6 and never threatened the Over. Sunday’s total has dipped to 202.5, as two games in Detroit finished with 213 points (Game 1) and 225 points (Game 5).
The teams combined for 51 points in the first quarter of Game 6 before Orlando outscored Detroit, 35-12 in the second quarter. It’s unlikely the Pistons will have another quarter like that and the Magic certainly won’t put up 19 points in a half again.
As long as these teams avoid a major cold spell, this game can hit the Over on Sunday afternoon.
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Cavaliers (-8.5) vs. Raptors – 7:30 p.m. ET
The Raptors stunned the Cavaliers in the final seconds of overtime in Game 6 on Friday behind R.J. Barrett’s go-ahead 3-pointer. Toronto returns to Cleveland for Game 7 on Sunday night as the home team owns a perfect 6-0 record in the series.
Toronto’s leading scorer Brandon Ingram missed Game 6 with a heel injury and is questionable for Game 7. Barrett has stepped up to be the Raptors’ top scoring option at 24.3 points per game, while posting at least 22 points in each of the three games in Cleveland.
The Cavaliers have not covered in the last four games since cashing in each of the first two wins at home. Cleveland squandered late leads in two of the losses in Toronto with the only bad performance coming in the 22-point Game 3 loss.
Since the 2023 playoffs, nine of the last 11 Game 7 winners have advanced with a victory margin of at least 10 points. Chances are Cleveland won’t win a close game here, so we’ll lay the points with them to grab a blowout and advance to the second round.
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