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Two games in four days in Oklahoma City have the Lakers quickly trailing 2-0 in the series, a daunting deficit, considering the opponent they are facing and the fact that history is not on their side. The team that wins the first two of a series advances 92% of the time.

​The purple and gold are still without superstar Luka Dončić, who revealed he likely won’t return this series, while OKC continued to miss All-Star Jalen Williams.

​Building on Game 1, Game 2 followed a similar script. LA kept it close while holding the reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to another modest night. OKC’s shot-making took over in the fourth to take another double-digit win.

An important change between the two games came by way of Austin Reaves’ play. In just his fourth game back from a Grade 2 oblique strain, he found his offensive rhythm for a Lakers team in critical need of it.

After a nightmare Game 1 on Tuesday where Reaves finished 3-16 from the field for eight points, he surpassed that total in the first half on Thursday with 13. He ended the night putting up 31 points on 10-16 from the field and six assists, surpassing his previous playoff career high of 23.

​Reaves’ first two shots had shades of the previous matchups, overpenetrating and getting blocked by stingy rim protectors in Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. He eventually settled into his offense, finding rhythm and patience in the pick-and-roll.

​The Thunder play drop coverage with their bigs, while their guards aggressively chase the offensive playmaker over the screen. One of the shots available against that defense is the pull-up in the mid-range.

Watch below as the Lakers run their Spain action — the big man screening on the ball receives a back screen from an off-ball player. Luke Kennard, setting the Spain screen, ghosts while Jaxson Hayes rolls hard to the rim.

Reaves navigates around the screen and gets the foul on Cason Wallace with the basket.

​To address some of the issues, the Lakers made one key adjustment by running more actions with LeBron James as the main screener. It not only took one of their elite defensive bigs out of the on-ball action, but got LeBron going downhill while involving their two best players in the play.

Watch below as they run the action at the top of the key with shooters spaced and a big man in the dunker spot. Reaves comes around the LeBron screen, whose roll forces Hartenstein to tag and opens Hayes for the floater to put the Lakers up a point at the half.

They ran it again to start the third quarter, getting Reaves downhill for his patented floater.

Reaves and LeBron combined for half of the Lakers’ points and assists but had eight of the 20 turnovers.

Another key shot necessary against this coverage is the pull-up 3-pointer. Watch as Reaves comes off the screen from Deandre Ayton with the big man dropped back. He takes advantage of the open space and knocks down the shot.

Coming into this game, Reaves was just two for his last 17 before hitting 3-6 on Thursday.

“I thought he did a good job touching the paint,” head coach J.J Redick said postgame. “Those touch shots were there tonight. Got some good looks from three. Played a solid game. Obviously, he had five turnovers, but everyone in our team had turnovers.”

While there are no moral victories in the playoffs, nothing short of a win was more important than getting Reaves’ offense going as the series shifts to Los Angeles for Games 3 and 4. The Thunder won the first two battles, but the Lakers are hoping to win the war by finally getting their star guard back on track.

You can follow Raj on X at @RajChipalu

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While the NBA Playoffs might be unpredictable to the masses, BetMGM bettors are wallowing in money following several six-figure wins on Thursday.

According to BetMGM’s John Ewing, more than $700,000 was claimed in select spread bets from yesterday’s playoff matchups.

Key Takeaways

• BetMGM reported a series of nine ascending spread bets, all worth at least $20,000, on Thursday.
  
  
• The largest individual payout was $110,000 for a $100,000 wager on the Pistons at -4.5 (+110).
  
  
• The Thunder have a 62% implied chance to win the championship.

At least one bettor put their money where their mouth was, supporting the Detroit Pistons in Game 2 of their ongoing series with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the defending-champion Oklahoma City Thunder against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The first in the series of bets was headlined by a $100,000 wager on the Pistons to cover a 4.5-point spread at +110 odds. The full breakdown is shown below.

A bettor at @BetMGM wagered $225,000 on the @DetroitPistons in Game 2:

$50,000 on Pistons +1.5 (-190)
$35,000 on Pistons -1.5 (-150)
$20,000 on Pistons -2.5 (-130)
$20,000 on Pistons -3.5 (-102)
$100,000 on Pistons -4.5 (+110)

Pistons won Game 1 by 10 points

Gambling problem?…

— John Ewing (@johnewing) May 7, 2026

The user’s confidence paid off as the Pistons stormed ahead to a 2-0 series lead. Cade Cunnignham dropped 25 points and 10 rebounds in the winning effort, while Donovan Mitchell’s 31 points and six rebounds weren’t enough to overcome a 10-point disaster by James Harden. 

The $225,000 in total spread bets that were submitted resulted in a $419,641.58 payout, or $194,641.58 in profit. 

A little over two hours after the Pistons wagers were reported, Ewing shared that another $190,000 in Thunder tickets had been accepted. Once again, the bold bettor was on the money. 

A bettor at @BetMGM wagered $190,000 on the @okcthunder to cover in Game 2:

$100,000 on Thunder -9.5 (-230)
$50,000 on Thunder -11.5 (-165)
$20,000 on Thunder -12.5 (-145)
$20,000 on Thunder -13.5 (-140)

Thunder won by 18 points in Game 1

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER

— John Ewing (@johnewing) May 8, 2026

The Thunder logged their second straight 18-point victory over the Lakers as three OKC members scored at least 20 points. Austin Reaves had 31 points in a losing effort scarred by controversial refereeing decisions.

PrizePicks, who is a OFFICIAL PARTNER OF THE NBA is calling out the refs for helping the Oklahoma City Thunder

That’s how bad this has become https://t.co/6NYNdTTKYJ

— LakersMuse (@LALMuse) May 8, 2026

The winning bets produced a $291,860.10 payout and $101,860.10 in profit.

Altogether, BetMGM paid $711,501.68 total and $296,501.68 in profit to the holder(s) of the tickets. It is unclear if the bets were placed by the same or different individuals.

Tracking the NBA playoff odds

Both the Pistons and Lakers were favored to win Games 1 and 2 at home. With both now up 2-0, they are unsurprisingly huge favorites to close out their series and advance to the Conference Finals.

The Thunder were the largest second-round favorites in the playoff bracket. They are now -10000 (99% implied chance) in odds to advance, while the Lakers are +1800 (5.3% chance).

The Pistons are a much longer -450, comparatively speaking, although they still have a 81.8% chance to advance. The Cavaliers are +340 (22.7% chance).

Elsewhere around the league, the San Antonio Spurs are -4.5 favorites entering Game 3 against the Minnesota Timberwolves with their series tied, 1-1. They’re also -325 (76.5% chance) to win the series despite dropping Game 1 as a 10.5-point favorite at home. The Timberwolves are +250 (28.6% chance) to win the series.

The Knicks, the second-largest favorite of the second round with -1200 series odds (7.7% chance), are 1.5-point underdogs in a road Game 3 on Friday night. Joel Embiid, who played in Game 1 but missed Game 2, is questionable.

NBA Finals odds picture

BetMGM has the Thunder leading NBA Finals odds at -165 (62.3% chance). The Spurs (+325), Knicks (+800), and Pistons (+1500) are the only teams with odds shorter than +5000.

While the Thunder are the clear-cut favorites, they still face a tall task getting out of the Western Conference. They are 6-0 against the Lakers across the regular and postseason, but they were only 2-2 against the Timberwolves and 1-4 against the Spurs.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

When a team loses in blowout fashion like the Lakers did in Game 2 against the Thunder, there isn’t just one reason.

There are plenty of things that didn’t go LA’s way in this contest. The Lakers had far too many turnovers with 21, multiple bench players didn’t give the team much, and Deandre Ayton struggled, scoring just three points in 27 minutes of play.

However, after the loss, Lakers head coach JJ Redick focused on a stretch in the third quarter when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sat and the Thunder went on a game-defining run.

“I talked about it a little bit yesterday, them being +9 in the non-Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) minutes and then in the second half, we just got blitzed. 32-14 [run], seven turnovers, they shot 14 free throws during that stretch. We’ll look at lineups, we’ll look at everything. Try to figure out how to be better in those minutes.”

After SGA’s reckless foul on Austin Reaves was deemed a flagrant, he was at foul No. 4 and was forced to sit. Reaves took three free throws and knocked them all down to give LA a five-point lead, their largest advantage of the night.

Instead of the Lakers taking advantage of OKC playing without their best player, it was the Thunder who went on a run.

Lugentz Dort knocked down a three, Chet Holmgren had an emphatic dunk, and when Jared McCain came into the game, he was an injection of offense, scoring eight points in five minutes.

A five-point Lakers lead turned into a 13-point deficit. In the fourth, SGA checked back in and had a double-digit advantage in hand. And when you put MVP in that kind of position in his house, he’s going to win.

As Redick mentioned, they will have to look at these non-SGA minutes and figure out how to win them. The Lakers have done a great job of limiting Shai, but role players like McCain are looking like stars against LA.

Clearly, they haven’t found a balance between slowing down OKC’s superstar while not letting other players take over the game.

Still, there’s time. This series is 2-0, but it’s first to four. With the Lakers coming back home to LA, Redick has to tinker with his lineups so he can concoct a winning formula. so that the next time his team is in an advantageous situation, they can capitalize on it.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

We are officially at the six-week mark from the NBA Draft, and this weekend will be one of the biggest hinge points of the entire offseason. After the draft lottery, teams will be able to shape their boards and start the wheeling and dealing that is sure to come. Before that is decided on Sunday, we decided to run one final pre-lottery mock draft for your Dallas Mavericks. Here’s how it went.

1. Atlanta Hawks (via NOP) – Darryn Peterson (G, Kansas)

Yes, this is indeed the pick that the Mavericks lost via coinflip. Yes, if this were to happen, I would turn into the Joker. Peterson immediately injects some juice into a guard room that desperately needs some revitalization.

2. Washington Wizards – AJ Dybantsa (F, BYU)

Even dropping to second, the Wizards are able to select a player who is at the top of many draft boards. AJ is the type of volume scorer that will help deliver Washington some juice next to Trae Young and Anthony Davis.

3. Indiana Pacers – Cam Boozer (F, Duke)

Indiana gets to land the player they were after all along at third overall. Boozer is the type of high floor player that Indiana would covet on a team that is looking to win immediately.

4. Golden State Warriors – Caleb Wilson (F, North Carolina)

Let the conspiracy theories begin! If the Dubs were to jump here, drafting Wilson is like drafting a Draymond Green starter pack, just way more wholesome and a much better athlete.

5. Brooklyn Nets – Keaton Wagler (G, Illinois)

After drafting five (!!!) players in the first-round last year, the Nets still have no one worth building around. Enter Wagler, who is the best lead guard in the class. Head coach Jordi Fernandez should have a great time working with him.

6. Utah Jazz – Mikel Brown Jr. (G, Louisville)

This was either going to be Brown Jr. or Flemings, but we’re going to give them Mikel here due to some real upside that is available here. Brown Jr. could easily be one of the three or four best players in the class if he medically clears, with a special combination of size and skill.

7. Sacramento Kings – Darius Acuff (G, Arkansas)

I get the sense that Acuff is at the top of the Kings board regardless, so landing him at seven is just some extra value on the pick.

8. Memphis Grizzlies – Kingston Flemings (G, Houston)

If there’s a team here that could do something funky, it’s Memphis, whose front office is known to be a bit different in their process. However, Flemings is too good to pass up in our opinion.

From here on through pick 18, be on trade alert. Most of these teams have multiple first round picks, and many of them do not necessarily need to take two players. The wheeling and dealing should start here.

9. Dallas Mavericks – Labaron Philon (G, Alabama)

Falling outside the top eight is a real disappointment for the Mavericks, as there is a pretty good tier drop from Flemings to whoever is next. Philon played in a pro-style system at Alabama, so he is very familiar with the pace and space game. However, if this were to happen, I’d be trying to trade back a few spots and pick up an asset, as Philon should still be available later in the lottery.

10. Chicago Bulls – Aday Mara (C, Michigan)

If anyone can crack the top eight here, I think it could be Mara. Mara is a force on the interior, deterring shots and drives in a way that no one else could in college. He also has a nice touch and great playmaking chops offensively, which will help drive his value.

11. Milwaukee Bucks – Brayden Burries (G, Arizona)

Burries is such a solid option for a Bucks team that will look to stabilize itself under Taylor Jenkins. This is a player who shot 56% on two’s, nearly 40% from deep and was an unbelievable rebounder for a guard. Burries will be in play for Dallas as well.

12. OKC Thunder (via LAC) – Yaxel Lendeborg (F, Michigan)

The Thunder don’t necessarily have a huge need as of yet, but if you peek around the corner you can see the potential roster turnover coming. OKC will likely not pay Isaiah Hartenstein and Lu Dort, and drafting Yaxel will immediately provide them a replacement option.

13. Miami Heat – Dailyn Swain (F, Texas)

There are many needs for this Heat team, but finding serviceable forward play should be towards the top of the list. Swain is an excellent slasher who showed some shot making upside at Texas.

14. Charlotte Hornets – Jayden Quaintance (C, Kentucky)

If healthy, JQ is one of the best prospects in this class. Landing in Charlotte with a medical staff that has been able to get LaMelo Ball healthy would be a big win for Quaintance, who played just four games this year.

15. Chicago Bulls (via POR) – Nate Ament (F, Tennessee)

After landing Mara earlier, the Bulls continue to bolster their front court by taking a big swing on Ament. Prior to the season, Ament was a top five talent. That’s still in there somewhere, it’ll just be up to the Bulls to get it out of him.

16. Memphis Grizzlies (via PHX) – Allen Graves (F, Santa Clara)

Graves is an advanced stats demon, making him a likely favorite among a very analytical Grizzlies front office. The sweet shooting big would be a great get for Memphis.

17. OKC Thunder (via PHI) – Cam Carr (G/F, Baylor)

If we drafted Hartenstein’s replacement with Yaxel, this is Lu Dort’s replacement. Carr is a very good offensive player with solid defensive chops. He’ll get groomed nicely in OKC.

18. Charlotte Hornets (via ORL) – Bennett Stirtz (G, Iowa)

Charlotte could use a steady hand both with and behind LaMelo Ball, and Stirtz would be that. He is a floor general with some additional self-creation pop. Stirtz was excellent at the rim, shooting 72% in the restricted area this season.

19. Toronto Raptors – Hannes Steinbach (F/C, Washington)

After pushing Cleveland to seven games, the Raptors can examine where they need to go from here. The fatal flaw in that series, beyond injuries to Ingram and Quickley, was the center spot. Collin Murray-Boyles was awesome, but they had nothing beyond him. Steinbach would immediately provide help on the glass and some offensive pop.

20. San Antonio Spurs (via ATL) – Morez Johnson Jr. (F, Michigan)

This was either going to be Morez or Karim Lopez, but we will give the Spurs a Michigan man. Johnson was excellent for the Wolverines, playing alongside Aday Mara and Yaxel Lendeborg. He’ll use that to play alongside Wembanyama, which would create a truly terrifying front court.

21. Detroit Pistons (via MIN) – Ebuka Okorie (G, Stanford)

Okorie has been a favorite of draft twitter for a while now. He is a bit small at 6’2”, but the man is an absolute microwave. This added pop would help Cade Cunningham in a major way, allowing another creator on the floor that has to be respected. Detroit is also uniquely created to cover for a small guard with their defensive structure.

22. Philadelphia 76ers (via HOU) – Karim Lopez (F, Mexico/New Zealand Breakers)

The Sixers are able to take a guy at 22 who has lottery potential. That’s good value for a team that desperately needs help on the wing.

23. Atlanta Hawks (via Cleveland) – Chris Cenac Jr. (F, Houston)

After selecting Darryn Peterson first overall, Atlanta gets to bolster their front court with a tenacious rebounder in Cenac. A lineup that includes Jalen Johnson, Cenac and Onyeka Okongwu is awfully scary!

24. New York Knicks – Meleek Thomas (G, Arkansas)

The Knicks guard room is truly terrible, so taking Thomas here is a good get. Playing next to Acuff, he’s already shown he can play nicely off of a small guard. He can use that to play off of Brunson.

25. Los Angeles Lakers – Tarris Reed Jr. (C, UConn)

The Lakers desperately need athleticism, which Tarris can certainly provide. This is a very smart player that has already played in a pro system with Hurley.

26. Denver Nuggets – Koa Peat (F, Arizona)

So, you’re scared by Aaron Gordon not being able to play in games that matter? Well, why not draft the closest thing to him in Peat. Koa is an unreal athlete that just needs to hone his skill a bit, and playing next to Jokic while learning from AG is a good start in doing that.

27. Boston Celtics – Luigi Suigo (C, Spain/Mega Superbet)

Boston needs a big and are just arrogant enough to reach on Luigi, who is a 7’4” mountain of a man. If he doesn’t go pro, expect to see him in college next year.

28. Minnesota Timberwolves (via DET) – Tyler Tanner (G, Vanderbilt)

Tanner is one of my favorite players in the class. While sitting at just 6’0” tall, Tanner is a great on-ball initiator who has no issues creating for others or getting his own buckets. Minnesota has a glaring guard need, and this helps fix that.

29. Cleveland Cavaliers (via SAS) – Tounde Yessoufou (F, Baylor)

Cleveland is a confounding situation, as the Harden and Mitchell duo finds itself down 0-2 to Detroit. We’ll give them Tounde, who is a great defender that has untapped potential on the offensive end.

30. Dallas Mavericks (via OKC) – Isaiah Evans (G, Duke)

A sophomore that has experience playing with Cooper Flagg already, Evans would provide instant spacing to a rotation that desperately needs it.

What Celtics fans should watch for in 2026 NBA Draft Lottery originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery is scheduled for Sunday, May 10 at 3 p.m. ET, and the results could have a massive impact on the balance of power across the league for years to come.

There are a lot of teams that already have playoff-caliber rosters that are in the lottery, headlined by the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder, who own the Los Angeles Clippers’ lottery pick.

The 2026 draft class is also considered very strong, with a couple potential franchise players at the top.

The Boston Celtics are not in the lottery, even though some people expected them to be in it before the season. The C’s greatly exceeded regular season expectations before blowing a 3-1 lead and losing their first-round playoff series to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Let’s look at some of the ways the draft lottery could impact the Celtics even though they don’t own one of the 14 picks.

Pacers could add star player to championship core

USA TODAY Sports

The Pacers went through a “gap year” in 2025-26 due to Tyrese Haliburton missing the entire season while recovering from an Achilles tear in Game 7 of last year’s NBA Finals. Indiana has a strong core led by Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith, Ivica Zubac and Andrew Nembhard. This group came within one victory of a championship last year and played the Celtics tough in the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals.

The Pacers finished with the second-worst record this season, giving them an opportunity to add an elite young player to that aforementioned core of veterans.

But they actually don’t even have an amazing chance to keep their own first-round pick. That’s because when they acquired Zubac from the Los Angeles Clippers in February, Indiana sent L.A. its 2026 first-rounder protected for picks No. 1 through No. 4, and No. 10 through No. 30.

There’s a 52 percent chance the Pacers land a top-four pick and a 48 percent chance it slides down to No. 5 or No. 6 and goes to the Clippers.

The Pacers should be a top contender in the East next season if Haliburton is close to the player he was before his Achilles injury. But if they get a top-four pick, the Pacers could be a legit title threat for the foreseeable future, and that obviously would not be a good scenario for the Celtics.

It would benefit Boston and the other top teams in the East if the Pacers fell outside the top four and were forced to give up their lottery pick to the Clippers.

Giannis Antetokounmpo trade implications

If you’re a fan who wants the Celtics to trade for Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, there are a couple teams you don’t want to win the lottery.

The Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat have been speculated as potential Antetokounmpo trade destinations in the past, and both teams are in the lottery this year. The Warriors have a 9.41 percent chance of a top-four pick but only a 2.0 percent chance to win the lottery. The Heat have a 4.78 percent chance of a top-four pick and a 1.0 percent chance of getting the No. 1 pick. Safe to say, both teams need a miracle to jump up in the lottery.

The Bucks don’t control their own first-round pick, but there is a chance they could still get a top-four selection. Milwaukee gets the least favorable of its own pick and the New Orleans Pelicans’ pick, with the better one going to the Atlanta Hawks. If both the Bucks’ and Pelicans’ picks end up in the top-four, then Milwaukee would have a high lottery pick, which it could use to surround Antetokounmpo with a talented young rookie or package in a trade for a veteran player.

Now, the odds of both the Bucks’ and Pelicans’ picks both jumping into the top four are pretty slim, but it is at least possible.

Speaking of the Hawks, they have been thrown into mock trade proposals as a potential third team in an Antetokounmpo deal. Many of these mock trades include the Hawks trading the Pelicans’ pick and getting a star in return. But if the Hawks win the lottery, how much incentive would they have to trade that pick? Why not just take A.J. Dybantsa or Cameron Boozer and keep building on the success the franchise enjoyed this past season? If the Hawks added a Dybantsa or Boozer type of player, they could be a threat to win the East next season, which wouldn’t be good for the C’s.

So, to recap, any Celtics fan that wants Antetokounmpo should be rooting for the Warriors, Heat, Pelicans and Bucks picks to not end up in the top four.

Best-case scenario for Celtics?

The most ideal lottery outcome for the Celtics is likely one of the bottom teams in the Western Conference winning the lottery. They’re obviously not in the same conference as the Celtics and probably wouldn’t be a threat to trade for Antetokounmpo.

The Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings both have the second-best lottery odds at 14 percent each. The Memphis Grizzlies are next at 9.5 percent.

The OKC factor

Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

If the Celtics are going to be a title contender in the short term, they might have to go through the Oklahoma City Thunder at some point. The defending champs are loaded with high-end talent at every position, including 2024-25 league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

OKC, as currently constructed, could be the best team in the league for three to five more years. The scary part of that is the Thunder could potentially add another top-tier player to their already stacked roster by winning the 2026 lottery.

The Thunder own the Los Angeles Clippers’ unprotected 2026 first-round pick as part of the Paul George trade in 2019. It is the gift that keeps on giving for the Thunder.

There is a 7.11 percent chance of that pick jumping into the top four and a 1.5 percent chance it ends up No. 1 overall. Those odds aren’t great, but remember, the Mavericks won the lottery last year with just a 1.8 percent chance.

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