The NBA Semi-Finals continue Friday (AEST) as a pair of Game 2 matchups are scheduled to be played. It starts with the Cavaliers at Pistons in the east before shifting west for the Lakers at Thunder contest. Here are our best bets for both games!
NBA Playoffs Betting Tips: Friday, May 8th 2026
Cleveland Cavaliers at Detroit Pistons (9:10am AEST)
The Detroit Pistons took full advantage of home-court advantage in Game 1 as they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 111-101. Cade Cunningham led the way with 23 points and seven assists, while Tobias Harris scored 20 points. The Cavaliers got 23 points from Donovan Mitchell and 22 points from James Harden. After a monster game to close out Toronto, center Jarrett Allen was nowhere to be seen against the Cavs, scoring two points in 18 minutes as he battled foul trouble.
Both teams are healthy which is great for the series and the Cavs will need to make adjustments after the Pistons were in control for the majority of the opening game. Detroit is more physical than Cleveland with the likes of Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson bringing tenacious defense and physicality to the contest. The latter has shown he is the perfect all-round player, contributing on both sides of the court.
Cleveland needs more from Allen and Evan Mobley in Game 2. They cannot allow the Pistons to dominate on the offensive glass – the Pistons scored 19 second-chance points compared to the Cavs with 11. With confidence, and intimidating defense, and the crowd behind them, the Pistons look a strong chance of covering the -3.5 line to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
Pistons -3.5
$1.95 (2 Units)
Los Angeles Lakers at Oklahoma City Thunder (11:40am AEST)
The opening game went pretty much to script as the defending Oklahoma City Thunder beat down the Los Angeles Lakers 108-90 in Game 1. Most surprisingly, soon-to-be two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous Alexander only finished with 18 points. He had plenty of support from Chet Holmgren (24 points and 12 rebounds) and Ajay Mitchell (18 points).
The scary thing for the Lakers is that SGA rarely has two mediocre games in a row and is more likely to come out and drop 25 or more points here. Both teams didn’t get to the line that often, shooting a combined 25 free throws for the game. If SGA can draw contact more in Game 2, it’s going to be tough for the Lakers who continue to play without their best player Luka Doncic. LeBron James was excellent with 27 points, but Austin Reaves was a non-factor with just eight points on 3-16 shooting from the field.
OKC is an elite defensive team, the benchmark in the league, and LA’s best weapon has been offensive scoring throughout the season – during the Playoffs so far, the Lakers have been unable to score, consistently falling under 100 points for the game – Doncic’s absence is a large reason for this trend. That simply isn’t good enough to beat the best team in the league, and the Thunder could easily make this a blowout Game 2 victory. Despite a big line of -15.5, SGA almost certainly will play better, and this looks the most likely outcome.
Thunder -15.5
$1.92 (2 Units)
