NBA Playoff Best Bets: Cavaliers vs Pistons and Spurs vs Timberwolves Picks

For someone whose bushy beard screams bravado, Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden sure can be understated sometimes.

Consider what he told TV audiences Wednesday after the visiting Cavs stormed back to steal a pivotal Game 5 of an Eastern Conference semifinal against the top-seeded Detroit Pistons.

“Great time to win the game,” Harden said. “Great time to have a first road win.”

Mm hmm.

Indeed, Cleveland bearded a double-digit deficit in the closing minutes of regulation to force OT before prevailing. A win Friday on their home floor, where the Cavaliers are 6-0 in the playoffs, would send them to the conference finals.

Later, San Antonio can advance to the Western Conference finals with a victory at Minnesota.

Let’s press on with some Best Bets. Odds are via FanDuel.

DETROIT PISTONS AT CLEVELAND CAVALIERS, 7 p.m. ET

Pardon the derivative, but the Cavs have rocked at Rocket Arena over the past four months. They’re 19-3 there since Jan. 23, building the NBA’s best home winning percentage during that span.

Yes, Detroit stymied Orlando in a previous road elimination game, winning 93-79 in Game 6 of the first round. But that was the middling Magic. The Cavaliers are jelling in the nick of time and flexed their depth and mental toughness to win on Wednesday, with Harden (30 points) and Donovan Mitchell (21) leading five scorers in double figures.

Now Cleveland gets two chances to do what Orlando couldn’t: eliminate a Pistons team that was good enough to race to a 15-point first-half lead in Game 5 but inconsistent enough to fritter away a nine-point advantage with two-plus minutes to go.

“Crazy team defensively. And we’ve seen what they’ve done; they came back from (down) 3-1,” Harden said. “From the beginning of the game, we’ve got to make sure our mindset is right and we do the small things, the small details, in order to finish the series.”

Cavaliers -3.5 (-114)

Pistons star Cade Cunningham is averaging 30 points in 12 games this postseason after scoring 25 points per game in a six-game, first-round loss to the New York Knicks last spring.

Detroit’s unquestioned leader pumped in a game-high 39 points Wednesday, and his current scoring average is the highest in club playoff history.

With the season on the brink and other teammates injured or slumping, Cunningham won’t break. He’s shooting 44.4% in the postseason, including 42.4% from deep. That compares to 42.6% and 17.9% a season ago.

Cade Cunningham 30+ points (+164)

SAN ANTONIO SPURS AT MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES, 9:30 p.m. ET

Minnesota trails 3-2 in the series and is teetering for a few reasons: the Timberwolves have struggled to build a consistent second scoring option behind Anthony Edwards, the Spurs start Victor Wembanyama, and Minnesota has suffered from mental lapses down the stretch.

“Game plan mistakes that we keep making,” Edwards said, “and it’s too late in the series to make these mistakes.”

Wembanyama is averaging 20.4 points, 11.2 rebounds and 4.2 blocks in the playoffs. He also has company within a three-headed scoring monster that includes guards Stephon Castle (18.7 points) and De’Aaron Fox (18.6).

The Spurs move on to earn a date with reigning champion Oklahoma City in the West finals.

Victor Wembanyama 20+ points and Spurs -4.5 (+101 as part of two-leg parlay)