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The 2026 NBA Playoffs continue on Tuesday, May 5 with two more conference semifinal matchups. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons, fresh off wins in Game 7 in the first round, will clash in Game 1 in the Motor City while the Los Angeles Lakers visit the defending champions Oklahoma City Thunder for Game 1 of that series. Kevin Huerter remains questionable for Detroit, while Cleveland has a clean injury report. Luka Doncic is still sidelined for the Lakers and the Thunder will be without Jalen Williams.

We'll take a look at the best bets for Tuesday's Game 1s, with recommendations from the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every game 10,000 times. It has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past eight-plus seasons. The model entered the second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs on a sizzling 26-9 roll (74%) on top-rated NBA spread picks this season. Anyone following its NBA betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.

See the FanDuel promo code for a new-user offer before placing any NBA Playoffs bets on Tuesday.

NBA Playoffs picks, best bets for Tuesday, May 5

Pistons -3.5 vs. Cavaliers

Detroit overcame a 3-1 deficit in the first round against the Magic with three wins, highlighted by a massive comeback in Game 6. The Pistons have been able to lock in defensively, limiting Orlando to 94 points per game across Games 5-7. The Cavaliers struggled to close out the Raptors and had to fight back from an early deficit in Game 7, so this team is not clicking at a high level offensively. Even though the Pistons only covered this line once in four regular-season meetings against the Cavs, Game 1 at home is a good spot for Detroit to start out this series on a positive note. The Pistons cover the spread in 65% of simulations.

Donovan Mitchell Over 4.5 assists

Mitchell surpassed this line just once in the first round against the Raptors, and the Cavaliers need their guard to be scoring more than distributing. However, the SportsLine props model projects Mitchell for 4.8 assists and there's value here at a plus-money price. Mitchell has gone Over his assist line in his last 10 games as a road underdog, so there's reason to believe he can keep this up on Tuesday.

Lakers +15.5 vs. Thunder

This was a lopsided matchup during the regular season, with the Thunder winning all four meetings by an average of 29.25 points. The Lakers are without Doncic but that didn't hurt them much in the first round against the Rockets, and Austin Reaves' return will be a nice boost. The Thunder are coming off a sweep and have been getting plenty of rest but that could lead to some early rust. It's unlikely Los Angeles can steal Game 1 on the road, but the model has the Lakers covering this massive spread in 53% of simulations.

LeBron James Over 20.5 points

James went Over this particular line in four of the six games against the Rockets, and one of his Unders came at 19 points. He's been taking on a much larger role with Doncic out, and his usage is a good sign for the Lakers, but he only averaged 17.5 points per game in the regular season against Oklahoma City. If things get out of hand, there's a chance James plays fewer minutes than usual. The SportsLine props model has him at 21.8 points in Game 1.

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