Opening Odds and Spreads for Each Game 1 of 2020 NBA Playoffs First Round Series

• Seven of eight NBA playoff series are set; and their Game 1 odds and spread have been released as well
• The Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers will meet in a play-in round to determine which team will face the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference
• See all the odds and predictions in the following story

The NBA playoffs are finally here. The bubble burst for three teams on Thursday – the Washington Wizards, San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns were all sent packing. Another team will be expunged from the 2020 NBA Championship odds following the play-in competition between the Portland Trailblazers and Memphis Grizzlies.

The winner of that showdown gets the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference. However, the other seven series are set in stone. Odds have been released for Game 1 in all of those series.

The defending champion Toronto Raptors are given the best odds of opening with a victory. Toronto is an overwhelming -590 favorite to dispatch the Brooklyn Nets.

2020 NBA Playoffs First Round Series Game 1 Odds

Odds taken Aug. 14th. Table will be updated when more spreads become available.

The closest call is the Western Conference series between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder. The Rockets are the -120 chalk. The Thunder open with a betting line of +102.

Raptors Ready for Another Run?

Yes, Kawhi Leonard is a very talented player – but you know what? With or without Leonard, the Raptors have proven they’re a very talented team.

Toronto enters the playoffs as the #2 seed in the East. That’s the same starting point from which the Raptors launched their run to the 2019 NBA title.

Update:

We’re hoopin’ at 1:30p tomorrow. https://t.co/NvcjqQvpof

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) August 13, 2020

The Raps will enter the postseason as the first NBA team since the 1973-74 Buffalo Braves with five players averaging 15 PPG. Those Braves played some home games in Toronto that season. On top of that balanced scoring, Toronto also owns the NBA’s #2 defense.

No team arrived to the bubble as bereft of talent as the Nets. They’re missing Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Spencer Dinwiddie, Taurean Prince, Wilson Chandler and DeAndre Jordan. That’s the team’s top two scoring leaders (Irving, Dinwiddie) and their top rebounder (Jordan). Durant, a past NBA scoring champion and MVP, missed all season with an Achilles injury he suffered in last year’s NBA Finals.

Since 2007, Nets have won 2 playoffs series (and 1 series since moving to Brooklyn). Both have been against the Raptors. https://t.co/yk8w6Yw1vU

— Mike Schneid (@msschneid) August 13, 2020

Despite that, the Nets were a resilient bunch in the bubble. They posted wins over the Lakers, Clippers and Bucks. But now it gets real. The only playoff series win by the Nets since moving to Brooklyn was over Toronto back in 2014.

The Raptors simply have too much depth for the depleted Nets to overcome. Brooklyn will win a game from Toronto in this series but it won’t be Game 1.

Pick: Toronto Raptors (-590)

Bringing Down the Thunder

Does Houston have a problem? It would appear so.

Rockets star Russell Westbrook is going to miss the start of their series with the Thunder due to a strained right quadriceps muscle. Speculation is that the injury is serious enough that he could miss a few games of this set.

Rockets expect Russell Westbrook to miss at least the start of the playoffs, source said. https://t.co/WrslB1EesE

— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) August 13, 2020

This development makes an already fascinating series even more intriguing. It was a trade between the Thunder and the Rockets last summer that brought Westbrook to the Rockets, sending Chris Paul in the other direction.

Oklahoma City was supposed to be in a rebuild and expected to be among the NBA’s worst teams this season. Instead, the Thunder have run neck and neck with Houston in the standings.

They lost Russell Westbrook. They lost Paul George. ESPN "experts" gave them just a 0.2% chance of making the playoffs.

One year later, they are prepping for a first round playoff matchup against the Rockets as the 4th seed. Mad respect for this Thunder team! 👊⚡️ pic.twitter.com/csxI3PKCHz

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 13, 2020

The partnership of Westbrook and James Harden gave Houston the anticipated offensive uptick but scoring the basketball was never an issue for the Rockets. Defense and rebounding remain this team’s major flaws.

The Thunder won two of three regular-season meetings from Houston. So much of Houston’s offense runs through Westbrook. You know Paul will be seething to gain revenge.

Pick: Oklahoma City Thunder (+102)

Time For Nuggets to Get Tasty

Residing just outside the upper echelon of the NBA West, is this when the Denver Nuggets announce their presence as legitimate contenders?

Facing the Utah Jazz, this is a perplexing set. Denver swept the season series, winning all three games. However, all three games were decided by six points or less.

It’s official: The Nuggets will play the Jazz in the first round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs. pic.twitter.com/V9BLmddrWr

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 13, 2020

The weakness in the Nuggets’ game is their defense. Denver’s defensive rating of 100.3 was 16th in the league. Offensively, the Nuggets (.474) and Jazz (.471) shoot almost the same from the floor. Utah is the NBA’s second-best three-point shooting team at .380.

Neither Denver (3-4) or Utah (3-5) have shown much game in the bubble.

Game 1 of Nuggets-Jazz will start Monday at 1:30 ET on ESPN. It's the first game of the NBA playoffs.

— Mike Singer (@msinger) August 13, 2020

The consistent winner of the matchup between versatile Denver center Nikla Jokic and two-time NBA defensive player of the year Rudy Gobert of the Jazz will determine the outcome of this series.

Pick: Denver Nuggets (-146)