TST Best Bets: May 9, 2026

Two teams down 0-2 face the brink of elimination on Saturday, as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers try to steer their respective series in their favor on their homecourts. 

For the Cavs, the solution may be as simple as being back in Cleveland, as they are undefeated at home and winless on the road so far this postseason. 

However, it seems to be almost too tall a task for the Cavs to secure a win with the level of play they have gotten from James Harden, who has 11 turnovers to just nine field goals in this series, while also being a major liability on the defensive end. 

While it was reasonable to expect Cleveland to get back into the series behind improved performances from its stars, the Lakers’ problems against the Oklahoma City Thunder appear far more difficult to solve.

Despite limiting soon to be back-to-back MVP Shai-Gilgeous Alexander to a slow start, relative to him, in this series, Los Angeles has lost each game by 18 points. 

Can being back at home be the answer for these two floundering championship hopefuls?

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First Pick: Oklahoma City Thunder -8.5 over the Los Angeles Lakers

Rundown: Missing Luka Doncic in their current form, the Lakers played exceptionally well through two and a half quarters against the Thunder in Game 2. 

LA was able to get Gilgeous-Alexander in foul trouble, and limited him to just 22 points in 28 minutes played. 

However, what that loss showed is how massive the defensive gap is in this series. 

With Gilgeous-Alexander out for almost all of the third quarter and the Thunder’s second best player Jalen Williams out with injury, OKC was still able to go on a massive run by turning its defense into offense. 

OKC has forced 18 and then 21 turnovers in Games 1 and 2 of this series, as LA does not have enough ballhandlers in the absence of their best player to deal with the ball pressure the Thunder can apply. 

We have yet to see Gilgeous-Alexander truly figure out this Laker defense, and once he does, things may start to look very grim for an LA team that has yet to be competitive in this series. 

Expect the Thunder to take a 3-0 lead decisively behind another elite defensive performance. 

Second Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers -5 over Detroit Pistons

Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

May 7, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) dribbles defended by Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) in the second half during game two of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena.

Rundown: You can’t fake the desperation of a team down 0-2, and after an emotional 3-1 comeback in the first round for the Detroit Pistons, Saturday’s contest seems like a classic letdown spot here. 

In that first round series, the Pistons struggled mightily on the road, going 1-2 straight up and against the spread, and the Cavs, as previously mentioned, are a starkly different team at home than away. 

Offensively, everything was shifted from the depths of the first round for Detroit. 

Outside of Cade Cunningham, the lack of offensive creators for the Pistons led to some ugly offensive performances, but against a significantly easier Cavs defense, the role players for Detroit have shined in this series. 

Duncan Robinson now has back-to-back games with five threes made, and Tobias Harris had an excellent Game 2 with 21 points and seven boards. 

As the old adage, role players play better at home, and a regression to the mean for Detroit's supporting cast against a desperate Cleveland team should result in a decisive Cavs victory.