2026 NBA playoffs second-round odds: Spurs favored by double-digits for Game 5 against Timberwolves – The Athletic
The Athletic has live coverage of Timberwolves vs. Spurs in Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
The second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs has featured two sweeps and two series that are very close. The Oklahoma City Thunder finished off the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, joining the New York Knicks in the conference finals.
While those two teams are favored to meet in the NBA Finals, it’s not yet known who their conference finals opponents will be. Cleveland tied up its series with Detroit on Monday, while San Antonio and Minnesota have a crucial Game 5 on Tuesday.
The Spurs are big favorites at home with a 10.5-point spread. How will Victor Wembanyama respond after getting ejected in the first half of Game 4?
This story will be updated throughout the second round as the odds change with the results for every game.
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Detroit Pistons vs. No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers
Series tied 2-2
Game 5: 8 p.m. ET, Wednesday
Series odds: Pistons -150, Cavaliers +125
The Cavaliers have played 11 games this postseason. The home team has won every game.
The Cavs went the distance in the first round against Toronto with a 4-0 record at home and an 0-3 record on the road. In this series, Cleveland is 2-0 at home and 0-2 on the road. That trend can’t continue if the Cavs are to advance. They need a win in Detroit.
For now, Cleveland did what it needed to do in Game 4 to even its series with Detroit. The Pistons return home for Game 5 and are favored by 3.5 points. Detroit is also favored to advance still, but it’s close to a coin flip.
As for Game 4, Donovan Mitchell had a masterpiece with 43 points, and James Harden was 5-for-9 from 3-point range as part of a 24-point night. The Pistons led by four at halftime, but Cleveland scored the first 22 points of the third quarter and never relinquished the lead.
No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers
Knicks win series 4-0
The Knicks really have hit overdrive in the last seven games. Since falling behind the Atlanta Hawks 2-1 in the first round, the Knicks have won seven straight games by an average of 26.4 points per game. Sure, that 51-point win in Game 6 in the Hawks is skewing that average a bit, but there are two other wins by 30 or more points in that run, and six of the seven wins were by at least 14.
This is why the Knicks are favored to make the NBA Finals. While the Pistons and Cavs are beating each other up, the Knicks have been on cruise control.
This makes two years in a row in the Eastern Conference finals for New York. Last year didn’t go so well, but Knicks fans will have renewed hope with the way the team has been playing.
The Knicks last made the NBA Finals in 1999.
Western Conference
No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 4 Los Angeles Lakers
Thunder win series 4-0
This could’ve been a fun series had Luka Dončić been available for the Lakers. It would’ve been a meeting of arguably the two best guards in the league.
Instead, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder brushed the Lakers aside with a four-game sweep, and Luka could only watch in street clothes. Monday’s Game 4 was the only competitive game of the series, but that’s hardly a consolation for LA.
The Lakers came back from 12 points down in the third quarter to build a five-point lead on a few occasions in the fourth quarter and led in the final minute, but LeBron James missed a potential go-ahead shot with 20 seconds left, and Austin Reaves missed a potential tying 3-pointer on the next Lakers possession.
While the Thunder are still the clear favorites to win the NBA title, the Lakers have to figure out what to do with their roster. No one got to see what this team could do in the playoffs with its best player, Dončić, which makes evaluating the roster a bit more complicated. Will they run it back or have to retool?
No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves
Series tied 2-2
Game 5: 8 p.m. ET, Tuesday
Series odds: Spurs -425, Timberwolves +320
Minnesota got the win it needed in Game 4, but San Antonio has reason to be feeling good about itself after that one. The playoffs aren’t the time for moral victories, but the Spurs led for most of the second half despite Victor Wembanyama getting ejected in the second quarter for an elbow.
Dylan Harper had 24 points on 11 shots off the bench, Stephon Castle had 20 points and De’Aaron Fox had a number of big shots to allow the Spurs to lead by as many as eight points in the fourth quarter. Ultimately, Fox was just 8-for-23 from the field (1-for-7 on 3-pointers) and Minnesota pulled ahead in the final few minutes.
For the Timberwolves, it’s a sigh of relief. Minnesota was on the verge of going down 3-1 and failing to capitalize on Wembanyama’s absence.
Anthony Edwards isn’t 100 percent due to knee issues, but he still carried the Timberwolves with 36 points.
Now the series heads back to Texas tied 2-2, but the Spurs remain strong favorites to advance.
