The first Monday of this season's NBA playoffs gives us three games, two early ones in the Eastern Conference and a later game out West.
The home team won all eight Game 1s, leaving the road teams to scramble for a win to avoid a difficult-to-overcome 0-2 hole. All eyes will be on Joel Embiid and his availability on Monday, after he tweaked his injured knee for the second straight game in his last outing. And of course, the Lakers will be searching for their first win over the Nuggets since ... well, since the dinosaurs roamed the earth.
Without further ado, let's dig further into the matchups and find some angles of interest for the inaugural manic Monday of the NBA playoffs.
Donovan Mitchell OVER 25.5 points (-125). Mitchell struggled with injury through the last month-plus of the regular season, but he seemed to find his form as the calendar moved into April. Mitchell has now scored at least 29 points in each of his past three games, including his final two of the regular season as well as Game 1 against the Magic. In his four matchups against the Magic this season, Mitchell is now averaging 28.0 PPG with at least 30 points scored in both games played in Cleveland.
76ers +5.5 points at Knicks (-105). This is a risky play, because it relies heavily on the health and availability of Embiid (questionable, knee), and the 76ers haven't been fully reliable reporting the status of injuries. But, if Embiid can go, the 76ers are the road team most likely to break through and get that first victory in these playoffs. In Game 1, the 76ers got off to a fast start and were down just three points at the 2:49 mark of the second quarter when Embiid hurt his knee on a highlight dunk. They would be outscored 9-0 for the rest of the quarter to go down 12 points before Embiid returned and helped the 76ers outscore the Knicks by five in the second half. If Embiid can play the entire game -- a big if -- the 76ers should be very competitive on Monday. According to BPI, the Knicks should be favored, but only by a 1.8 point margin that falls within the spread.
LeBron James UNDER 8.5 assists (-120). The Lakers have lost nine straight games to the Nuggets, including five straight in the playoffs, and the pressure is building for them to break through with that first victory. LeBron and Anthony Davis led the Lakers to a fast start in Game 1, but the Nuggets caught them and passed them early in the second half on their way to a comfortable victory. I expect LeBron to come out aggressive again in Game 2, but moreso as a scorer than a distributor. In four games against the Nuggets this season, LeBron has averaged 7.3 APG, but has gone over eight assists only once in those games.
Projections and Injury Reports
Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com.
Orlando Magic at Cleveland Cavaliers
7 p.m. Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland
Records (Against the Spread)
Magic: 47-35 (50-32-0)
Cavaliers: 48-34 (37-44-1)
Line: Cavaliers (-5.5) Total: 202.5
Money Line: Magic (+185), Cavaliers (-220)
BPI Projection: Cavaliers by 5, straight up 66%, 203.7 total points.
Injury Report:
Magic: None reported
Cavaliers: Craig Porter, (OUT - Ankle); Dean Wade, (OUT - Knee); Ty Jerome, (OUT - Ankle)
Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks
East 1st Round - Game 2
7:30 p.m. Madison Square Garden, New York
Records (Against the Spread)
76ers: 47-35 (48-34-0)
Knicks: 50-32 (44-37-1)
Line: Knicks (-5.5) Total: 205.5
Money Line: 76ers (+180), Knicks (-220)
BPI Projection: Knicks by 1.8, straight up 56%, 204.2 total points.
Injury Report:
76ers: Joel Embiid, (GTD - Knee); Tyrese Maxey, (GTD - Illness); De'Anthony Melton, (OUT - Back); Robert Covington, (OUT - Knee)
Knicks: Duane Washington Jr., (OUT - Knee); Julius Randle, (OUT - Shoulder)
Los Angeles Lakers at Denver Nuggets
10 p.m. Ball Arena, Denver
Records (Against the Spread)
Lakers: 47-35 (38-44-0)
Nuggets: 57-25 (38-42-2)
Line: Nuggets (-7.5) Total: 224.5
Money Line: Lakers (+240), Nuggets (-290)
BPI Projection: Nuggets by 5.3, straight up 67%, 218.4 total points.
Injury Report:
Lakers: Anthony Davis, (GTD - Back); LeBron James, (GTD - Ankle); Cam Reddish, (OUT - Ankle); Christian Wood, (OUT - Knee); Jarred Vanderbilt, (OUT - Foot); Jalen Hood-Schifino, (OUT - Back)
Nuggets: Vlatko Cancar, (OUT - Knee); Collin Gillespie, (OUT - Knee)