NBA Playoffs expert picks, odds for Friday: Cavs at Magic, Clippers at Mavericks Game 6s

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The playoff picture in the two conferences is very different in the NBA Playoffs. Three Western Conference teams have already advanced, while the LA Clippers and Dallas Mavericks are mired in a dog fight. Home court has meant diddly squat, as the road team has won three of the five games. Dallas has a chance to advance with a win at home.

The Eastern Conference side of the playoff bracket features more longer series. The Boston Celtics were the only team to advance in five or fewer games.

Orlando needs to hold serve on Friday to force a Game 7 in Cleveland. The home team has won every game in the series between the Cavaliers and Magic.

Here's a look at the NBA Playoff schedule for Friday with odds, staff picks and previews.

All odds from BetMGM. Find the best deals on StubHub for tickets.

No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers at No. 5 Orlando Magic

How to watch: 7 p.m. ET on ESPN

Cleveland leads series 3-2

Series odds: Cavs -400, Magic +325

The first four games of this series looked like someone pressed the sim ahead button. Cleveland scored 97 and 96 points at home while limiting Orlando to 83 and 86 points. In Orlando, the Magic put up 121 and 112 points while holding the Cavaliers to 83 and 89 points. Orlando had the third-best home record in the Eastern Conference while only posting an 18-23 record on the road during the regular season.

In Game 5, home court held serve but there was a different tenor. Both teams scored over 100 points and it was the first time that the road team was more efficient shooting from the field and grabbed more rebounds. The big change was the absence of Jarrett Allen, who suffered a rib injury in Game 4 and was unable to play in Game 5. During the regular season, Allen missed the first five games and Cleveland lost three of those contests. They almost lost Game 5, if not for an incredible block by Evan Mobley on a Franz Wagner layup at the end of the game.

WHAT A BLOCK FROM EVAN MOBLEY 🔥

Spida hits 2 FT's… Cavs up 4 with 3.2 seconds remaining on NBA TV! pic.twitter.com/0NIuHYrIVg

— NBA (@NBA) May 1, 2024

Orlando handled Cleveland in the two games at home with a healthy Allen, so things look promising for Friday. Can they continue to stifle Donovan Mitchell, though? In the two games in Orlando, Mitchell attempted 16 and 14 shots, converting 37 percent and 35 percent. At home, Mitchell attempted 21, 22 and 23 shots, scoring 28, 23 and 30 points. If Mitchell can't get it going and Allen is out or less than 100 percent, a Game 7 looks to be likely.

The crowd is going to be raucous in Orlando, the role players should get a boost from the energy and the defense should be flying around like tentacles from an octopus that hasn't eaten in weeks.

Expert picks for Cavs at Magic

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No. 4 LA Clippers at No. 5 Dallas Mavericks

How to watch: 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN

Dallas leads series 3-2

Series odds: Mavs -800, Clippers +550

For the first time in a while, Kawhi Leonard looked spry and healthy this season, playing in back-to-backs. He finished playing in 68 regular season games, the first time over 60 games since 2016. Unfortunately, he missed the last eight games of the regular season due to soreness in his knee and wasn't able to play in the series opener.

The Clippers took care of business in Game 1 against the Mavericks, but lost the next two as Leonard returned and the team had difficulty adjusting to his presence. Leonard missed Game 4 and the Clippers tied up the series, only to get blown out in Game 5.

Whether Leonard plays in Game 6 is a big deal, but not a death knell. The Clippers have had two games playing with Leonard this series, so they will have likely made a concerted effort to hash out the issues. It's not like they didn't play a ton of games with each other during the regular season. The main issues would be the health and effectiveness of Leonard.

With or without Leonard, it comes down to the play of Paul George and James Harden. In Game 4, George shot 11-of-19 from the field for 33 points while Harden converted 12-of-17 from the field for 33 points. In Game 5, George went 4-of-13 while Harden shot 2-of-12.

Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving have been fantastic all series, and Dallas is going to be bedlam tonight, but the Clippers are extremely talented and have proven that they can win in Dallas.

Expert picks for Clippers at Mavs

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(Photo of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell: Jason Miller / Getty Images)