ESPN's basketball daily cheat sheet is your pregame destination before you lock in daily fantasy and betting decisions for that night's games. Here you'll find our top insights for the slate, including players to target for your daily fantasy rosters, along with game-by-game injury reports.
What you need to know for Sunday
If Game 7 is deemed "the best two words in sports," then what is the entertainment value of two Game 7s? We'll find out today.
Sunday delivers playoff matchups that will complete what have been physical, drag-out series, beginning with the top-seeded Detroit Pistons hosting the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic in a game that airs on ABC at 3:30 PM ET. This marks Detroit's first Game 7 since the 2005 Finals, as the Pistons look to follow the Philadelphia 76ers in overcoming a 3-1 series deficit.
If Orlando pulls off the upset, the Eastern Conference playoff bracket could be flipped after the first round. The Magic are positioned as sizable underdogs, but have been the more physical team at the point of attack and in the paint for much of the series.
Will the Magic overcome missing Franz Wagner while contending with the Pistons' resurgent rim protection and rebounding? Can Detroit match Orlando's physical play and keep the Magic off the offensive glass? A total hovering around 202 points suggests this could be a defensive-driven game.
The Toronto Raptors visit the Cleveland Cavaliers in a game that tips at 7:40 PM ET. Speaking to the level of competition in this series, the overall score is 669-669. The Cavaliers have a high offensive ceiling, yet the Raptors have leveraged size and athleticism advantages in recent games.
Can Cleveland's primary creators consistently generate efficient offense in the half-court against Toronto's relentless defense? Will the Raptors create enough secondary scoring to keep Cleveland from deploying hard doubles at Scottie Barnes?
As Saturday night's epic in Boston confirmed, few contexts in sports are as reliably riveting as a win-or-go-home NBA contest. The hope is that today's doubleheader builds on last night's momentum. With an eye toward uncovering compelling betting angles and daily fantasy decisions, let's take a look at the day ahead.
McCormick's Bets for Sunday
Ausar Thompson OVER 8.5 rebounds (-101)
Thompson has recorded at least nine rebounds in three straight games and has regularly seen 16 or more rebound chances in this series. In the league's player tracking data, a player is credited with a "chance" when they are within 3.5 feet of the ball between the moment it comes off the rim and when it is secured. Rebounding chances and realized rebounds come down to minutes, effort and positioning. With Thompson's playing time continuing to rise as the series has extended, he checks all three boxes.
Cleveland Cavaliers -7.5 points (-118)
The Cavaliers return home after a tight loss, setting up a bounce-back spot in a series where the home team is 6-0. The lower point total fits a Game 7 environment where possessions slow and scoring tends to compress late, favoring the team with two dynamic scoring guards. Cleveland's advantage in late-game offense and the home trend in this series align with the Cavaliers advancing.
James Harden OVER 6.5 assists (-114)
The Raptors have trapped Harden and sealed off passing lanes at their best defensively. Harden, however, is one of the league's best pocket passers and is due for some positive regression in realized assists. He is currently converting potential assists into actual assists at a lower rate than expected. If his teammates are more efficient in catch-and-shoot situations, this passing prop is achievable.
Top Daily Fantasy Values of the Day
$8,100+ Salaries
Cade Cunningham, PG, Detroit Pistons ($10,700)
Producing at least 43.8 DraftKings points in each game this series and at least 59 in each of the past two outings, Cunningham is the most bankable option in today's DFS player pool. Yes, the total in this game is low but Cunningham's heliocentric role drives strong usage and busy box scores. The ball will be in Cunningham's hands for nearly the entire game.
Scottie Barnes, PF, Toronto Raptors ($9,200)
Barnes simply can't match Cunningham's scoring ceiling, but he can produce a diverse line and flirt with a triple-double outcome in Ohio today. Like Cunningham, Barnes is the offensive engine for his team, which means plenty of potential assists in addition to strong rebounding opportunities.
$6,100-$8,000 Salaries
Tobias Harris, PF, Detroit Pistons ($6,600)
With at least six rebounds in each game of the series and at least 15 field goal attempts in all six showings, Harris has a strong combination of opportunity rates. The Pistons simply need his secondary scoring on a team otherwise built of old-school bigs and static shooters.
$3,500-$6,000 Salaries
Jarrett Allen, C, Cleveland Cavaliers ($5,600)
This pick is somewhat tied to Harden's passing prop, in that Allen and Evan Mobley are due for more success flying to the basket when the bearded one is running pick-and-roll actions. Harden's unmatched timing on pocket passes to Allen could show up early in this one.
Projections and Injury Reports
Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
Orlando Magic at Detroit Pistons
3:30 p.m. ET on ABC
Line: Magic +8.5 (-115) | Pistons -8.5 (-105)
Money line: Magic +260 | Pistons -325
Total: 202.5 (-105 O, -115 U)
BPI Projection: Pistons by 10.4, straight up 79%, 213.1 total points.
Injury Report:
Magic: Jonathan Isaac, (GTD - Knee); Franz Wagner, (OUT - Calf)
Pistons: Kevin Huerter, (GTD - Thigh)
Toronto Raptors at Cleveland Cavaliers
7:30 p.m. ET on NBC
Line: Raptors +8.5 (-118) | Cavaliers -8.5 (-102)
Money line: Raptors +240 | Cavaliers -298
Total: 211.5 (-108 O, -112 U)
BPI Projection: Cavaliers by 3.3, straight up 60%, 221.3 total points.
Injury Report:
Raptors: Chucky Hepburn, (OFS - Knee); Chucky Hepburn, (OFS - Knee)
Cavaliers: None reported