Basketball Betting: Mavericks, Nuggets on the Brink of Elimination in NBA Postseason

While no team has yet advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs heading into this week, several are just a win away from moving ahead in the postseason. A couple of teams that were expected to mount a strong challenge in the Western Conference are in some trouble as the action continues over the next few days. Eastern Conference It appears that all of the top four seeds in the East are going to be able to reach the conference semi-finals. The top-seeded Cavaliers have a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Chicago Bulls heading into Game 5 of the series on Tuesday night in Cleveland. At odds of -110, the Cavaliers are still the favorite to win the NBA title. Second-seed Orlando can sweep its first round series with a victory at Charlotte on Monday. The Magic (+300) are only behind Cleveland in the NBA Championship futures pool. The third-seeded Atlanta Hawks could face an extended first round series against Milwaukee. The Hawks must win on the road on Monday evening to avoid a 2-2 series against the Bucks. In the other series in the East, the Celtics can finish off the Heat with a victory in Game 5 on Tuesday in Boston. Western Conference While form has held in the East, the West has been a lot more unpredictable. All four top seeds will need at least six games to advance to the conference semi-finals. The defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers (+340 to win NBA title) are getting a major challenge from the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder. After getting blown away in Game 4 on the road, the Lakers will face a pivotal Game 5 at home on Tuesday night at the Staples Center. LA is a -270 favorite to win what is now just a best-of-three series against the Thunder. The second-seeded Mavericks are down 3-1 in its series against the seventh-seeded Spurs heading into Tuesday's Game 5 in Dallas. The Mavericks have dropped to a 45/1 price to win the NBA championship. Denver has the same price to win the title after facing a similar obstacle as the Mavericks in its postseason series against the Jazz. The fourth-seeded Nuggets will try to stay alive on Wednesday night in Denver in Game 5. In the other series in the West, the Suns and Blazers are tied at two games apiece heading into Monday's Game 5 in Phoenix. With Brandon Roy back in action for the Blazers, the series could be heading towards a Game 7.