After an electric first round of the NBA Playoffs that saw three Game 7s and several upsets, the second round has been largely chalk through four series.
Two teams, the New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder, are on the verge of sweeps with 3-0 series leads, while the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons appear to be in the driver’s seat of their respective series with 2-1 advantages.
On Sunday, can the underdog Philadelphia 76ers and Minnesota Timberwolves inject some life into these playoffs on their home floors?
For both teams, it depends heavily on the health of their star player.
After missing Game 2, Philadelphia’s MVP center Joel Embiid returned in Game 3, but was clearly not 100%, as he shot 7-for-17 from the floor and looked immobile defensively.
Anthony Edwards has played in all three games in his series, but is still rounding into form from his knee injury sustained in the first round against the Denver Nuggets.
Edwards’ typical burst and otherworldly athleticism seemed absent in Games 1 and 2, as he averaged just 15 points through two games while coming off the bench.
However, despite the loss, Game 3 was a major source of optimism for Wolves fans, as Edwards returned to the starting lineup and dropped 32 points.
To come out a winner during these NBA Playoffs, here are tonight’s TST Best Bets brought to you by BetOnline.ag. Click here to join. All new players get a 50% welcome bonus and up to $250 in free bets.
First Pick: Philadelphia 76ers +1.5 over New York Knicks
Rundown: In Game 4 of the 76ers’ first round series with the Celtics, Embiid made his much-anticipated return from injury in anticlimactic fashion, as Philadelphia was blown out and Boston took a 3-1 lead.
But after a game to reboot and find his footing in their series, Embiid turned in a vintage performance in Game 5, scoring 33 points while anchoring an elite defensive effort, and the rest was history.
While coming down from 3-0 is a much taller task than coming back from 3-1, expect a big game from the MVP center as Philadelphia fights for its life in Game 4.
Too many things went wrong for the 76ers in Game 3, as shooting 29% from beyond the arc and having just three bench points isn’t going to cut it against a red-hot Knicks team.
However, it’s unlikely New York is going to rattle off two immediate wins to close out the series with OG Anunoby out with a hamstring injury.
With Mikal Bridges putting together one of his strongest performances of the playoffs with 23 points in Game 3, the loss of OG Anunoby was mitigated. But against a desperate Philadelphia 76ers team in Game 4, expect the absence of his offensive and defensive impact to be felt much more heavily.
Second Pick: San Antonio Spurs -5 over Minnesota Timberwolves
Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
May 8, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) tries to keep the ball away from Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) in the second half during game three of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Target Center.
Rundown: Through three games, the gap between these two teams has been shown to be enormous.
Minnesota cannot sustain any type of offense when Victor Wembanyama is on the court.
It took until the 5:10 mark of the first quarter for the Wolves to score their first basket in Game 3, and Minnesota has scored 108 or fewer in every game this series.
Meanwhile, the Defensive Player of the Year in Wembanyama has used this series as his platform to make his case as the best player in the world.
While completely shutting down Minnesota’s interior scoring, the Frenchman put together arguably the most impressive game we have seen through these playoffs, dropping 39 points and 15 rebounds in Game 3.
The Spurs have covered as favorites in their last three road games, and expect that trend to continue behind another dominant performance from Wembanyama.