NBA Playoff Thursday Preview: Three Games, Different Situations Across the Board

Thursday has three games, but they don’t really sit in the same category. Cleveland already has a 2-0 lead and hasn’t had to sweat much late in either game, while the other two series are tied 1-1 and still figuring themselves out. That alone changes how you look at each matchup going into Game 3.

Cleveland Cavaliers at Toronto Raptors — 8:00 PM ET, NBA TV — Cavaliers lead series 2-0

Cleveland is laying 2.5 points here with the total at 219.5 at top sportsbooks, and honestly, the first two games weren’t close enough to overthink much. The Cavs handled both at home, built leads early, and never really let Toronto get comfortable. It wasn’t one run that decided things — it was just steady control most of the way.

Now they go to Toronto, and yeah, the Raptors are better at home. The 24-17 record there during the regular season shows that. You should see more energy early, maybe a better defensive push in the first quarter.

But the bigger issue hasn’t changed. Cleveland is getting the shots it wants. That’s the problem. Toronto has the size to contest, but it hasn’t actually taken anything away yet. Cleveland is spacing the floor, moving the ball, and not forcing much.

If that continues, the location alone probably doesn’t fix it. Toronto needs to make this messy — slower, more physical, less clean looks. Otherwise, this starts to look like the first two games again.

New York Knicks at Atlanta Hawks — 7:00 PM ET, TNT — Series tied 1-1

This one is completely different from the Cleveland series.

Atlanta took Game 2 by a point, 107-106, and the line for this game basically tells you everything — Knicks by 1, total at 216.5. That’s as tight as it gets.

If you watched both games, Atlanta has had an easier time finding shots. Not wide open every possession, but cleaner looks overall. That showed up in Game 2. Ball movement, spacing, nothing complicated — just better chances.

New York won Game 1 (113-102) mostly because shots fell. That happens. It doesn’t always carry over, and it didn’t in Game 2.

Now it shifts to Atlanta. That usually helps the role guys more than anything. Shooting, confidence, just being in a familiar spot — small stuff, but it adds up.

The Knicks are going to try to slow it down. That’s their identity. Half-court, physical, grind it out. Atlanta hasn’t really been dragged into that kind of game yet, and that’s probably where this gets decided.

Denver Nuggets at Minnesota Timberwolves — 9:30 PM ET, Amazon Prime Video — Series tied 1-1

This is the one where you really don’t have much difference at all.

Denver is a 1.5-point favorite, total sitting at 232.5 at this point, and the scores back that up — 119-114 Minnesota in Game 1, then 116-105 Denver in Game 2. Nothing wild, just two teams trading games.

Recent matchups have looked like this too. Points on both sides, pace not really slowing down much, and neither team able to create a real gap.

Denver has been strong when favored this season, over 70% wins in those spots, but Minnesota has held up physically and kept things close enough to matter late. That’s been consistent.

Now they’re in Minnesota, and that usually means more defensive pressure, a little more intensity overall. But Denver isn’t changing what it does. Everything still runs through Jokić, and it’s been working enough.

This probably comes down to a few stretches again. A run, a couple stops, a few shots falling — that’s been the difference so far.

Final Look

Cleveland has already taken control of its series. The other two haven’t. That’s really what defines Thursday’s slate more than anything else.