Last year, my NBA bets took a bit of a dip once the playoffs started. But not this year – I’m cruising. Here are your NBA Playoffs predictions and preview for Thursday, May 7th.
NBA Playoffs Predictions & Preview For Thursday, May 7th
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Detroit Pistons
Start Time – 7:00 PM EST
They made Game 1 a little more sweaty and bumpier than needed, but the Detroit Pistons are slowly but surely starting to look like their dominant regular-season selves once more. With four straight wins, only one of which was by single digits, the young, inexperienced Pistons seem to have found their playoff legs.
It helps that they’re playing the Cleveland Cavaliers, a team with lead players known to fold in the postseason. My line for Game 2 is Detroit -7.5, so the Pistons will win and cover.
Best Bet: Detroit -3 (-110)
Los Angeles Lakers vs Oklahoma City Thunder
Start Time – 9:30 PM EST
Speaking of cruising, the Oklahoma City Thunder did just that in Game 1 of their Western Conference Second Round series against the Los Angeles Lakers, beating them by 18 points.
Even with a healthy Luka Doncic, the Lakers would have been over their heads in this series. And a healthy Luka is not stepping through that door anytime soon. My line for Game 2 is Oklahoma City -17.5, so the cruising and the covering of the spread shall continue.
Best Bet: Oklahoma City -15 (-110)
2025/6 Overall Record: 202-162 (55%)
Profit (based on $100/bet): $2,009.86
Return on Investment: 6%
SGPN Daily Content for May 7th, 2026
Don’t Forget About our free picks pages, too!
COLLEGE BASKETBALL PICKS – THE PICKS POWERHOUSE
SOCCER PICKS – KICK IT ON THE PITCH
NASCAR PICKS – FEEL THE THUNDER
UFC PICKS – TAKE DOWN CORPORATE GAMBLING
