NBA Playoffs 2016: Complete Monday TV Schedule, Odds and Predictions

This year’s NBA playoffs are still in search of consistently competitive games. However, more should be on the way despite early returns from the second round that might suggest the opposite.

In Game 1 of the conference semifinals, the San Antonio Spurs thrashed the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night, 124-92, and the Golden State Warriors did the same to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday afternoon, winning by a score of 118-106 that didn’t do Golden State’s dominance justice.

Let’s preview Monday night’s second-round games, first by looking at betting information for the two contests and then by breaking down how each of them will turn out:

Game Predictions

Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers

With eight days between games, the Cleveland Cavaliers should be rested and raring to go for Game 1 on their home court. Considering LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love played 41.3, 37.8 and 35.8 minutes per game, respectively, in the first round against a pesky Detroit Pistons squad, that extra rest should pay off.

On the other side, Atlanta finished a physical, defensive-minded six-game series with the Boston Celtics on Thursday and should also be rested. The problem, though? The Hawks don’t have the talent to stick with the Cavaliers.

When the two teams met in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, both squads had some injury issues, but Cleveland still had James, who has been …

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