Basketball Betting: Conference Semi-Finals Action Under Way in NBA Playoffs

The NBA postseason field has been cut in half with the completion of the first round of the playoffs. Only one of the opening series went the distance. The Atlanta Hawks rallied from a 3-2 series deficit to get by the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games. There was only one significant upset in the opening round based on seeding. The seventh-seeded San Antonio Spurs took out the second-seeded Dallas Mavericks in six games. Eastern Conference All four top seeds in the East have reached the conference semi-finals. Top-seed Cleveland is a -800 favorite to advance to the conference finals against fourth-seed Boston. Last Saturday, the Cavaliers rallied from an 11-point third quarter deficit to pull out a 101-93 victory over the Celtics in Cleveland to open the best-of-seven series. The Cavs narrowly covered as a 7-point favorite in the contest. On the other side of the bracket, the second-seeded Orlando Magic are also a -800 choice over the third-seeded Hawks. Orlando is a 9-point favorite over Atlanta for Tuesday's Game 1 at Amway Arena. The Magic will have had a week off since its last game on April 26th against Charlotte in the opening round. To win the NBA title, Cleveland is the overall favorite at +110 while Orlando is next biggest contender in the East at +350. Western Conference The defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers were able to pull out a 104-99 win in Game 1 of its conference semi-finals series against the fifth-seeded Utah Jazz on Sunday. Despite the absence of two starters, Utah was able to cover as a 6.5-point underdog against the top seed in the West. LA is a -700 favorite to win the series heading into Tuesday's Game 2 at the Staples Center. The Lakers are a 6-point choice in that contest. In the other semi-final matchup in the West, the Spurs will try to upend the third-seeded Phoenix Suns. Even with the home court edge, Phoenix is just a narrow -120 favorite to win the series. Since 2003, the Spurs have defeated the Suns four times in the postseason. Phoenix has been installed as a 4-point home favorite for Monday's Game 1. The Lakers are the top NBA title choice in the West at +240. The two squads in the other series are also given a reasonable shot at capturing the crown. Phoenix is at +700 while San Antonio is a +900 choice to capture its fourth NBA championship since 2003.