One No. 1 seed got a first-round sweep on Saturday when Oklahoma City finished off Memphis. Now, the other No. 1 seed, Cleveland, goes for its first-round sweep. The Cavaliers are favored to win in Miami and advance.
After that, the Golden State Warriors aim to take a 3-1 series lead against the Houston Rockets. The Warriors won Game 3 without Jimmy Butler and could have him back for Game 4.
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Here’s a look at the schedule, picks from our staff and the odds for Monday’s pair of playoff games.
Viewing guide for Monday
| Game | Tip-off (ET) | TV | Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Cavs at Heat |
7:30 p.m. |
TNT |
Max |
|
Rockets at Warriors |
10 p.m. |
TNT |
Max |
Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub.
Cleveland Cavaliers at Miami Heat Game 4
Cavs lead series 3-0
Series odds: Cavs -10000, Heat +8000
It’s too early in this postseason to make any declarative statements about whether or not Cleveland is ready to be a true championship contender, but the top seed in the Eastern Conference has looked the part in three games against Miami.
Other than a blip near the end of Game 2, the Cavs have been in cruise control against the Heat. Cleveland is up 3-0, has scored more than 120 points in all three games and has had at least a 19-point lead in each game.
Saturday’s Game 3 demolition removed any doubt that this could become a competitive series. The Cavs won by a whopping 37 and now have a chance to get a sweep without LeBron James for the first time ever (LeBron’s Cavs racked up 10 playoff sweeps).
Miami went 16-for-34 from 3-point range in Game 3 and still got obliterated. That’s not a good sign.
Tyler Herro will probably have to go nuclear for Miami to have any shot. He only had 13 points on Saturday. Even then, it looks like Game 4 is largely about semantics. A Miami win would only be postponing the inevitable.
Expert picks
Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors Game 4
Warriors lead series 2-1
Series odds: Warriors -425, Rockets +325
No Jimmy Butler, no problem for Golden State in Game 3. The Warriors took the lead in the series with a 104-93 win on Saturday, and now could have Butler in tow with a chance to take a decisive 3-1 series lead.
Butler suffered a glute contusion from a hard fall in the first quarter of Game 2. The Warriors were down seven at the time and lost by 15. With Butler out on Saturday, Golden State fell behind by 13, but a masterpiece from Stephen Curry (36 points on 12-for-23 shooting with nine assists and seven rebounds) brought the Warriors back. Buddy Hield (17 points) and Gary Payton II (16 points) helped pick up the scoring slack in Butler’s absence.
If Butler is to return, this young Houston team could be in trouble. The Warriors are favored at home to take that commanding series lead. The Rockets will need the Jalen Green rollercoaster to hit the upswing again. Green had 7 points in the series opener, 36 in the Game 2 win and then only 9 in the Game 3 loss.
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Expert picks
Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Photo of Stephen Curry: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
