3 NBA sides best placed to make a first-round playoff comeback
Published:
The NBA postseason is fully underway with its first-round games and there isn’t a single series tied across any of the eight being contested.
While the leads that some sides hold look insurmountable – the Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls are all long odds-on chances to win their series – others have the distinct possibility of being overturned.
Here are the three clubs most likely to make a triumphant comeback from their current position of woe:
The Canadians trail the Washington Wizards 1-0. They were undone by their own poor-shooting in the first outing, along with a vintage performance from Wizards veteran Paul Pierce, but still managed to take the game to overtime despite those factors.
The Raptors won all three regular-season meetings with Washington heading into the playoffs and won’t have as tough a time putting the ball in the hoop again.
James Harden played a less dominant role than normal for the Houston Rockets as they took a 118-108 win over their Texas rivals in game one, but the MVP candidate receiving such scoring help from his teammates has been a rarity this season.
The game was far closer than the final score indicates, with the lead flip-flopping seven times and Dallas wiping out a 15-point deficit with 23-7 run in the second quarter. These two evenly matched sides are set to go the distance.
The Spurs’ first-round battle with the LA Clippers is the best matchup of the playoffs for a reason, as these two heavy-hitters served up a high-octane series opener that the Clips won 107-92.
Pedigree plays a large part in the belief that the Spurs will comeback. They are, after all, the defending NBA champions, playing against a franchise that has never gone beyond the second round in its history.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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