2024 NBA playoffs - Bets, lines and stats for Monday - ESPN

The NBA comes off of back-to-back quadruple-headers over the weekend with a three-game slate on Monday. Two of the games are potential eliminations, with the top two seeds in the Western Conference both having the chance to close out their competition.

In the East, the Heat stole Game 2 against the Celtics but were blown out in both other games. Can the Heat get hot again and tie the series up? Can the Pelicans avoid the sweep? And can the Lakers live to fight another game against the defending NBA champs?

Let's dig deeper and identify some angles of interest in Monday's games.

Bam Adebayo over 19.5 points (-105). Adebayo has been consistent as a scorer against the Celtics this season, averaging 22.3 PPG in six total games (three regular season, three playoffs) with between 19 and 27 points in all six contests. The 19-point game was back in January and came in only 29 minutes of play; he has scored at least 20 points in all three playoffs games so far. Expect more of the same on Monday.

If you are feeling conservative, Adebayo over 18.5 points is available on ESPNBET at -135.

Oklahoma City Thunder -5.5 over New Orleans Pelicans (even). After a hard-fought, two-point win in Game 1 of the series, the Thunder have outclassed the Pelicans by a total of 53 points in the past two games. In the calendar year 2024, including the playoffs and the regular season, the Thunder are 5-0 against the Pelicans with an average win margin of 17.2 PPG. They've won three of those five games by at least 21 points, and two of those three blowouts were on the road in New Orleans.

I look for the Thunder to follow in the Timberwolves' footsteps and finish off a comfortable sweep on Monday.

Los Angeles Lakers +7.5 points over Denver Nuggets