2024 NBA playoffs roundtable: What to look at heading into huge Sport 6 matchups – ESPN

Stephen A. Smith explains why he sees the Knicks taking Sport 6 and profitable the collection in opposition to the 76ers. (2:11)
The primary spherical of the 2024 NBA playoffs has been nothing in need of thrilling, giving us the whole lot from sweeps to back-and-forth battles on each side of the bracket.
Within the Western Convention, the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder have already secured spots within the second spherical, with the Nuggets and Wolves beginning their collection on Saturday in Denver. The Dallas Mavericks and LA Clippers, in the meantime, continued their seesaw collection because the Mavericks dominated Sport 5 at Crypto.com Enviornment on Wednesday.
Additionally Wednesday, the Boston Celtics turned the primary Jap Convention group to succeed in the following spherical, ousting the Miami Heat in Sport 5. The remaining three spots are up for grabs, because the New York Knicks may have a second probability to shut out Philadelphia after the 76ers‘ electrifying Sport 5 comeback on Tuesday, led by a 46-point efficiency from Tyrese Maxey.
Our NBA insiders break down the largest storylines to look at going into these principal Sport 6 matchups as we spherical out the second week of the NBA playoffs.
MORE: Everything to know about the playoffs | Offseason guides for every team

Thursday, 6:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
With a win in Sport 5, the Bucks saved their season alive for no less than yet one more recreation and in flip gave their star duo further time to return to the ground. Each Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are “very close,” to returning, Bucks coach Doc Rivers mentioned after Sport 5, indicating the Bucks may have assist in Indianapolis.
Antetokounmpo has not performed on this collection, sidelined for the previous three weeks with a calf pressure. Lillard has been out since Sport 3 with an Achilles pressure.
But the Bucks turned the primary group in NBA historical past to win a playoff recreation with out their prime two scorers from the common season, they usually did so in convincing trend. Milwaukee reduce off Indiana on the quick break — profitable the transition factors battle 11-7 for the primary time all collection in opposition to the Pacers’ second-ranked offense — and smothered All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton with double-teams.
Lillard and Antetokounmpo had been scheduled for a exercise forward of Sport 6. The query for Milwaukee, even when it will get one or each of its famous person duo again on the ground, is whether or not it is going to be too late within the collection for it to make a distinction.
The Bucks should win an elimination recreation on the highway to a group that additionally bested them 4 of 5 occasions throughout the common season. However a veteran Bucks participant believes they’ve given themselves an opportunity by extending the collection, letting the Pacers know they won’t go house simply.
“We all know what we’re able to. We all know what now we have within the locker room and now we have guys that compete,” Bucks ahead Bobby Portis mentioned after Sport 5.
“There wasn’t any weight on our shoulders. I feel there’s extra weight on theirs.”
— Jamal Collier

Thursday, 9 p.m. ET (TNT)
In the case of this battle for I-95, the place ought to we start?
There have been two miraculous comebacks. The Knicks (Sport 2) and 76ers (Sport 5) rallied from five- and six-point deficits, respectively, with underneath 30 seconds remaining. The Knicks prevailed in regulation, whereas the Sixers did so in time beyond regulation.
The 2023-24 common season is full, and the postseason is underway. We’ve got the whole lot it’s essential observe alongside for one more epic title chase.
• What we’ve learned in the first round so far
• Pelton: How injuries have shaped playoffs
• MacMahon: The art of the decel move
• Tynes: What fuels Paolo Banchero
• Herring: Top 25 players in playoffs
There have been scoring bursts. A hobbled Joel Embiid dropped 50 factors in Sport 3, Jalen Brunson went for 47 in Sport 4 and Tyrese Maxey completed with 46 in his clutch Sport 5 efficiency. By way of 5 video games and 245 whole minutes, the 76ers, regardless of trailing the collection 3-2, have outscored the Knicks by two factors.
There are vital teaching selections to be made, most notably: Will Nick Nurse proceed to play Embiid, nonetheless restricted by his knee damage, your complete second half?
This primary-round slugfest has produced a little bit of the whole lot — even Knicks fans loudly making their presence felt in Philly — with every recreation a reminder that the one fixed on this collection is that each contest will come all the way down to the hustle performs and frantic last possessions.
— Tim Bontemps

Friday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Cleveland has constructed its benefit behind the league’s seventh-ranked protection, however to shut out this collection in Orlando, it has to attain extra. The Cavs lastly broke the 100-point mark in Sport 5, when Darius Garland raced out to 17 first-quarter factors and Donovan Mitchell completed with 28. Max Strus, who had struggled taking pictures, knocked down 4 3-pointers, and Marcus Morris Sr. added 12 factors off the bench.

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Yes, that game was sealed by an Evan Mobley block — his defensive presence is much more essential with Jarrett Allen’s status up in the air — however within the two video games the Cavs dropped in Orlando’s Kia Heart, they’d no reply for scoring runs by the Magic, who had the sixth-best house report within the league throughout the common season.
In Sport 4, Mitchell went scoreless within the second half, whereas the Cavs surrendered a 31-5 run within the third quarter and shot simply 4-of-17 from 3.
— Kendra Andrews

Friday, 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Luka Doncic did not need to hear it, interrupting a reporter’s query as quickly as the topic of the Mavericks’ final playoff collection in opposition to the Clippers was broached.
These groups had been in the identical place within the 2021 playoffs, when the Mavs took a 3-2 lead in a first-round collection and headed house for Sport 6. LA received the following two video games, eliminating Dallas for the second consecutive season.
“Current. Current. Not previous,” Doncic insisted after his 35-point, 10-assist efficiency within the Mavs’ Sport 5 blowout win.
Clippers star Paul George, not surprisingly, was way more keen to debate the current historical past between the 2 groups. He truly made a degree to carry it up after what may very well be the Clippers’ last house recreation at Crypto.com Enviornment until their prior Sport 6 highway success repeats itself.
“We have been right here earlier than — going to Dallas, being down 3-2,” George mentioned. “It is bought to be a win, and the one mentality now we have is to attempt to go get a win in Dallas.”
In that occasion three years in the past, Kawhi Leonard carried the Clippers to a Sport 6 victory. He matched his playoff profession excessive with 45 factors and performed smothering protection on Doncic down the stretch in that recreation.
However the Clippers cannot depend on that occuring once more. Leonard hasn’t been out there since Sport 3 due to persistent irritation in his proper knee, and he is not anticipated to return throughout this collection.
Earlier than this collection began, Doncic identified one other main distinction from the opposite occasions the Mavs and Clippers met within the playoffs.
“We’ve got Kai,” Doncic mentioned, referring to Kyrie Irving, his championship skilled co-star.
“We’ll get some relaxation after this one,” Irving mentioned. “Feelings are excessive, however we simply bought to be prepared for no matter’s going to be thrown at us.”
— Tim MacMahon

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