NBA Playoffs 2017: First-Round Predictions, Betting Odds For Every Series

The first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs gets underway Saturday afternoon, starting a two-month long postseason. With eight series on the schedule, there’s bound to be at least one or two upsets.

The top seeds are heavy favorites to move onto the second round. Not surprisingly, the Golden State Warriors have the best betting odds in the first round, followed by the San Antonio Spurs. The Cleveland Cavaliers are right behind the Spurs, even though they fell to the No.2 seed in the East at the end of the regular season.

Below are predictions for every first-round playoff series, as well as betting odds, courtesy of BookMaker.eu.

No.1 Boston Celtics (-1000) vs. No.8 Chicago Bulls (+600)

The Bulls are lucky to be in the playoffs, squeaking into the postseason with a .500 record. The trio of Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo has not meshed as the organization had hoped, and Chicago’s lack of perimeter scoring makes it difficult for them to put up a lot of points. No playoff team has made fewer three-pointers than the Bulls, while the Celtics are third in threes per contest. Boston is just too well coached and too well balanced to blow this series.

Prediction: Celtics in five

No.2 Cleveland Cavaliers (-1400) vs. No.7 Indiana Pacers (+675)

The Cavaliers might have lost the No.1 seed, but they are still the best team in the East. Ever since LeBron James began his string of six straight NBA Finals appearances, he’s lost just two total first-round games with four straight sweeps. Indiana doesn’t have much of a chance to make this a series, and they won’t do more than maybe steal a game at home.

Prediction: Cavs in five

No.3 Toronto Raptors (-400) vs. No.6 Milwaukee Bucks (+275)

The Bucks probably have the best chance of any team to pull off a notable upset in the first round. Finishing the season just two games above .500, Milwaukee has been one of the NBA’s best teams since Jabari Parker went down for the season with an injury, going 20-11 in his absence. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the league’s next superstar, and the Bucks can beat a Raptors team that has suffered two first-round exits in the last three years.

Prediction: Bucks in seven

No.4 Washington Wizards (-200) vs. No.5 Atlanta Hawks (+150)

Atlanta reached the playoffs with one of the NBA’s best defenses, while Washington can score with just about any team in the East. The Hawks should be able to steal a few games, but the Wizards’ backcourt will probably prove to be too much for Atlanta. John Wall and Bradley Beal have finally formed the twosome that Wizards fans have been hoping to see for years. Washington lost to Atlanta in the season opener, but they’ve since defeated the Hawks three times.

Prediction: Wizards in six

No.1 Golden State Warriors (-7000) vs. No.8 Portland Trail Blazers (+2500)

Predicting the Blazers to beat the Warriors in six games, Damian Lillard is probably the only person picking Portland to upset Golden State. With Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry both healthy, the Warriors should roll towards the second round. The Warriors finished 26 games ahead of the Blazers in the standings, and they have just one loss in the last month.

Prediction: Warriors in four

No.2 San Antonio Spurs (-1500) vs. No.7 Memphis Grizzlies (+750)

The Spurs swept the Grizzlies in last year’s first round, and there’s little reason to believe the 2017 playoffs will produce a different result. As a legitimate MVP candidate, Kawhi Leonard gives San Antonio the best player on the court by a wide margin. The Spurs rank 11 spots ahead of the Grizzlies in terms of offensive efficiency, and while Memphis’ defense is their strength, it still doesn’t compare to that of San Antonio, which has NBA’s best defense.

Prediction: Spurs in four

No.3 Houston Rockets (-375) vs. No.6 Oklahoma City Thunder (+260)

This should be the most exciting series of the entire first round. With their 64 combined triple-doubles in the regular season, no one was more fun to watch than Russell Westbrook and James Harden, who will likely finish first and second in MVP voting. Westbrook will probably win a few games by himself, but he doesn’t have enough help to beat the team that finished third in the league with 55 wins. With players like Sixth Man of the Year candidate Eric Gordon and center Clint Capela, Houston’s supporting cast will be the difference.

Prediction: Rockets in seven

No.4 Los Angeles Clippers (-180) vs. No.5 Utah Jazz (+135)

Both teams have a good chance to win this series, considering they finished the regular season with identical records. But given that L.A. has home-court advantage and the way they played against Utah this year, the Clippers are the safe bet. Los Angeles went 3-1 against the Jazz with all three wins coming by 13 points or more, proving they can win at Utah’s slower pace. Chris Paul would’ve been an MVP candidate if he remained healthy all year, and the trio of Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan will probably be too much for the Jazz if they can all stay on the court.

Prediction: Clippers in six