Basketball
NBA Playoffs 2026: 9/4 Fancy Heads Best Bets In Postseason First Round
William Hill News preview the opening round of the 2026 NBA playoffs, with our tipster giving his best bets on the upcoming series of the season.
The 2026 NBA playoffs tip-off on Saturday evening (UK time). There aren’t many better times to be a European hoops fan than the first weekend of the playoffs – there are four games on each of Saturday and Sunday, with at least two at watchable times.
Let’s take a look ahead at the eight first-round series matchups and deliver some NBA playoff predictions:
Eastern Conference
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors: Cavaliers to Win 4-1 (9/4)
Anything other than a straightforward win would raise further alarm bells for the Cavaliers. Cleveland has arguably three of the four best players in the series.
Toronto had an excellent regular season, competing hard on defense and generating solid-to-good offense behind the playmaking of Scottie Barnes and shot-making of Brandon Ingram. The Raptors are clearly facing a talent differential here, though, and that’s going to be very tough to overcome.
A 22-30 record against teams above .500 reflects where this Raptors team is. It’s not a stretch to say they are the most favourable first-round opponent in the Eastern Conference, and Cleveland should take full advantage.
New York Knicks vs. Atlanta Hawks: Over 5.5 Total Games (4/6)
The Pistons and Sixers have pushed the Knicks to six games in each of the last two years. Since 2000, the Knicks have one playoff series win where they have dropped less than two games.
Atlanta added CJ McCollum to its high-upside young core. This iteration of the team has no playoff experience, but McCollum has been a very useful piece since the trade, and the tandem of Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jalen Johnson will be fun to watch under the brightest lights.
The Knicks are a middling halfcourt defence and struggle defending in transition. Atlanta, admittedly with help from a favourable schedule, finished the season very strongly. The underdogs can make New York work for their second-round spot.
Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers: Celtics to Win 4-1 (2/1)
Tyrese Maxey got a helping hand from VJ Edgecombe, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Andre Drummond as the Sixers booked a playoff spot on Wednesday. Andre Drummond and Adem Bona produced big plays at both ends to compensate for Joel Embiid’s absence, too.
Embiid’s availability for this series is uncertain, but it’s very unlikely he plays before Game 3 and even that might be too soon. With Embiid playing at the level he was before surgery, Philadelphia would have a fighting chance. Without him, Philly is depending on magic from Maxey.
Jayson Tatum has looked remarkably close to his All-NBA best. Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Neemias Queta, and Payton Pritchard have enjoyed wonderful seasons. Unfortunately, an Embiid absence has is dictating the Sixers’ playoff story once again.
Detroit Pistons vs. Charlotte Hornets/Orlando Magic
Charlotte and Orlando meet on Friday to decide who faces the Pistons in the first round. Detroit would much prefer to face a highly dysfunctional magic team that just melted down offensively against the Sixers in the first phase of the play-in.
The Hornets could pose problems for the Pistons. Charlotte has been the best team in the NBA (by net rating) in 2026 and would love to go toe-to-toe with Detroit in the latest instalment of a burgeoning NBA rivalry.
Detroit will be heavily favoured against either opponent, but the Hornets should at least force the series to six games if their threes are falling. If it’s Orlando, we’d jump on Pistons -2.5 on the series handicap.
Western Conference
Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves: Six Total Games (9/4)
Minnesota has reached consecutive Conference Finals and knocked out the Nuggets two years ago. It was tempting to take Denver to win 4-2 at 7/2, but the insurance of a Minnesota win that comes with six total games means the shorter odds are worthwhile here.
A healthy Denver is the stronger all-around team. Peyton Watson is going to miss the start of the series at least, and Aaron Gordon’s health has been a season-long concern for the Nuggets.
The least we can expect is a hard-fought series when these two teams meet. Denver certainly has the upper hand, though, even with Watson sidelined.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets: Over 5.5 Total Games (17/20)
Are the Lakers playing games with the availability of Austin Reaves and Luka Dončić? Or are they really out ‘indefinitely’? Without them, the Lakers have little to no chance in this series, but that doesn’t mean they will go down in four or five games.
Los Angeles is +9 per 100 possessions when LeBron James is on the floor without Reaves or Dončić. Houston, despite a stellar record down the stretch, isn’t a perfect team, and could trip itself up with its clunky halfcourt defense (19th in halfcourt points per play).
If Reaves or Dončić return for Game 3 or later in the series, the Lakers have a very real chance of progressing. JJ Redick’s team would be favoured if their core three were healthy.
San Antonio Spurs vs. Portland Trail Blazers: Spurs to Win and Under 4.5 Games (9/4)
This won’t be a close series. San Antonio was sensational in the regular season – they are +18.3 with Victor Wembanyama on the floor without Luke Kornet, and +6.3 when Kornet is on the court without Wemby.
A 30-4 run to finish the season was a signal of how great this Spurs team is. The defense is elite when Wembanyama is on the floor, and the Frenchman has plenty of offensive help with De’Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell, and Stephon Castle as shot creators.
Portland is simply overmatched. The play-in win capped a strong season in difficult circumstances, but this will be over quickly.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Golden State Warriors/Phoenix Suns
Neither of the Warriors or Suns, who meet in the play-in tournament on Friday, have any chance of stopping the Thunder. Golden State is more likely to win a game, though that depends on Steph Curry going nuclear like he did on Wednesday.
Phoenix was a nice story in the regular season. Devin Booker is less likely to carry his team to a win than Curry, so there’s a good chance the Thunder cruise to a series sweep if they get the Suns in the first round.
Oklahoma City is the deserving favourite to win the title. There was no team in the play-in tournament that had any chance of slowing the Thunder down.
*Odds subject to change – prices accurate at the time of writing*
