Wednesday NBA Playoff games odds and betting trends

In the NBA‘s eight first-round playoff series openers this past weekend, the home team was favored in each and won six of the eight. The two that were upset were the Portland Trail Blazers by the New Orleans Pelicans and the Cleveland Cavaliers by the Indiana Pacers.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

LeBron James’ Cavaliers losing was the biggest surprise because it ended an amazing streak of 21 straight first-round victories for James dating to his Miami Heat days. It surely wasn’t James’ fault on Sunday as he had a triple-double of 24 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds but got very little support in the 98-80 blowout. The other four starters combined for just 25 points.

Game 2 is Wednesday back in Cleveland and the Cavaliers are 8-point favorites. This is the seventh time since 2011 that James has trailed in a postseason series against an Eastern Conference opponent. His teams have rallied to win each of the previous six, last in the 2015 conference semifinals against the Chicago Bulls. Of course, James-led teams have won the Eastern Conference an amazing seven straight times.