Top Stories

• Magic force Game 7

• Mavericks eliminate Clippers

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Games of the day

Last Night’s Top Games! (link to the box scores of every game from yesterday)

Paolo Banchero scored 10 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, helping one of the NBA's youngest teams overcome Donovan Mitchell's 50 points and hold off the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-96 to force a decisive Game 7 in their first-round playoff series. Franz Wagner had 26 points and Jalen Suggs made six 3-pointers and finished with 22 for the Magic. Mitchell was magnificent for Cleveland, scoring all of his team's 18 points in the fourth quarter. Darius Garland finished with 21, but ultimately the Cavs were unable to overcome poor 3-point shooting (7 of 28). Game 7 is Sunday in Cleveland, where the Cavs won Games 1, 2 and 5 and clearly play better than on the road.

Luka Doncic had 28 points and 13 assists, Kyrie Irving scored 28 of his 30 points in a second-half surge and the Dallas Mavericks advanced to the second round of the playoffs with a 114-101 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. The fifth-seeded Mavericks beat the Clippers for the the first time in three first-round tries over the past five seasons and will open the Western Conference semifinals at Oklahoma City on Tuesday night. Paul George had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers, who won the first two times they played without Kawhi Leonard in the series but didn't have enough in the last two he was sidelined by right knee inflammation. James Harden had 16 points and 13 assists but was just 5 of 16 from the field and missed all six of his 3-pointers as LA was eliminated in the first round for the second consecutive season. Norman Powell scored 20 for the Clippers, and Ivica Zubac had 17 points and 11 rebounds. P.J. Washington scored 14 points with some big 3-pointers for the Mavs, going 4 of 8 from deep, and Daniel Gafford had 13 points with several buckets down low.

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Around the League

• One 1st round series to go, Game 7 between Orlando/Cleveland on Sunday. Game 1 between Minnesota and Denver is tonight.

• Injury Updates: Julius Randle (shoulder) is out for the season. Benedict Mathurin (shoulder) underwent surgery and is out for the season. We wish all these guys speedy and successful recoveries.

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NBA Playoff Matchups

Eastern Conference

(1) Boston vs (8) Miami: Boston wins 4-1

Jimmy Butler will likely miss most, if not all of this series.

(Game 1) Boston punched Miami in the mouth in Game 1, winning by 20 points. without Butler, the Heat don’t have the #1 option needed to carry their offense. Tyler Herro is too inconsistent and Bam Adebayo isn’t aggressive enough. This series might end up a sweep.

(Game 2) Miami set a franchise record for 3’s made to beat Boston (in the Garden no less). This was an unexpected win for the Heat and loss for the Celtics, and the homecourt advantage that Boston would’ve had all the way through the NBA Finals is gone. If Miami takes at least one game in FL, this series could end bad for the Celtics.

(Game 3) Boston got back on track with a 20 point win over Miami. If the Celtics can keep this defensive intensity, they can close the rest of this series pretty easily. Tatum will have to continue to be as aggressive as he has been the last game.

(Game 4) Miami got clamped again en route to another double digit loss at home. Without a historic night from 3 point range, or someone like Butler to be the main scoring option, Boston will be looking to see who they’ll play next round.

(Game 5) Even without Porzingis, Boston was too good for Miami to handle. Boston overpowered Miami in the paint, and the perimeter defense of the Celtics kept the Heat from staying in the game. The Heat get sent to the offseason unsure of their future, while Boston awaits the winner of Orlando/Cleveland.

Prediction: Boston in 5

(2) Knicks vs (7) 76ers: Knicks win 4-2

(Game 1) Joel Embiid’s knee is a concern, as are the non-Embiid minutes for Philly. If they don’t find a way to at least stay even with New York without Joel on the floor, they won’t last long.

(Game 2) Philly blew a 5 point lead with less than 30 seconds to go and gave that game to New York. Expect all the games to be close, and for the Sixers to take care of business at home.

(Game 3) Embiid dropped 50 to keep this series competitive, but even with that boost Philly only won by 9. Every game is going to be a gritty down to the wire contest unless one team just gets hot. Philly will need Maxey and Embiid to step up again to tie this series.

(Game 4) Jalen Brunson set the Knicks franchise high for points in a playoff game with 47, while Joel Embiid played all 24 mins in the 2nd half and didn’t score in the 4th quarter. If the Sixers don’t figure something out quick, their season ends after the next game.

(Game 5) Philly finally won a clutch game thanks to the heroics of Tyrese Maxey scoring a playoff career high 46 points. They can’t expect him to do that every game though, so they must clean up and play better together as a team. Jalen Brunson was oddly sloppy down the stretch, with multiple turnovers at the end of the game.

(Game 6) New York outplayed Philly in the clutch, despite Joel Embiid’s 39 points. The Knicks will face Indiana in the next round.

Prediction: Knicks in 6

(3) Milwaukee vs (6) Indiana: Pacers win 2-4

Giannis will miss at least Game 1, Dame can keep that team afloat in his absence.

(Game 1) Milwaukee showed the importance of experience when it comes to the playoffs. For Indiana, Pascal Siakam (the only one with playoff experience) had 36 and 13. Dame scored 35 in the first half and didn’t have to play much in the 2nd half.

(Game 2) Pacers steal one on the road, making games 3 and 4 the most important games of the series. Giannis needs to return soon to turn the tide in Milwaukee’s favor.

(Game 3) Khris Middleton pulled off 2 miracle shots and it still wasn’t enough to beat Indiana. And with Dame having a hurt knee AND achilles, the Bucks need some serious help. Tyrese Haliburton, although not shooting well, had 16 assists, carving up the Milwaukee defense.

(Game 4) In a similar situation to Philly with their MVP not being at 100%, Milwaukee is in danger of completely flopping in the 1st round after having championship aspirations when they acquired Damian Lillard.

(Game 5) The Bucks put together a team effort to lock down Indiana, and bought themselves more time. Giannis could return next game, and that could change the outcome of the series.

(Game 6) The absence of Giannis finally took its toll, with Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers taking down the injury-riddled Bucks. Now Indy will face off with New York in the semis.

Prediction: Bucks in 7

(4) Cleveland vs (5) Orlando: Series is 3-3

(Game 1) Orlando has the defense to keep the Cavs in check, but their lack of playoff experience in Game 1 was obvious. They will need to improve their 3 point shooting while cutting down the turnovers drastically. Cleveland has expectations Orlando doesn’t, so the 2 teams are playing for completely different reasons. (Cavs want Donovan Mitchell to stay)

(Game 2) Orlando’s inexperience continues to show in this slow paced slugfest. Even with their elite defense, the size of Cleveland inside is overwhelming.

(Game 3) Paolo finally broke through the playoff wall, dropping 31 and 14, setting new playoff career highs for both. Jalen Suggs had 24 points on 9-11 shooting, and the Cavs had a stinker of a game. Garland and Mitchell combined for 18 points on 8-26 shooting.

(Game 4) This series might end up going the full 7, as both teams have won both of their home games. Orlando, while havong offensive struggles, are playing great perimeter defense in bothering Mitchell and Garland. If Orlando can get consistent offense, they might be able to shock Cleveland.

(Game 5) Cleveland put Orlando away late, continuing the trend of the home team winning all their games. If they can at least do that, they’ll avoid being upset in the first round by a young Magic team.

(Game 6) Donovan Mitchell had over half his team’s points and was the only player to score in the 4th for Cleveland. If any other player contributed they could’ve closed this series out. Game 7 is on Sunday.

Prediction: Cavs in 6

Western Conference

(1) OKC vs (8) New Orleans: OKC wins 4-0

Zion Williamson will miss at least some of this series, which changes things dramatically.

(Game 1) Game 1 came down to the final buzzer. The size and versatility of the Pels made things tough for OKC all game. Count on every game this series to be close.

(Game 2) OKC made adjustments to their offense, and ran the Pelicans off the floor in Game 2. They also were more aggressive on defense, shutting down a dangerous New Orleans team and beating them by nearly 30.

(Game 3) OKC dismantled New Orleans again, going up 3-0, which all but guarantees them a series victory. This seems like it’ll be my only incorrect series prediction when it comes to the winner. CJ McCollum keeps stinking it up, shooting 7-22 in Game 3, while Brandon Ingram only shot 14 shots. New Orleans might get swept at this rate.

(Game 4) New Orleans did indeed get swept, no thanks to Brandon Ingram. The most important game of the year and he goes 2/14 with 8 points for the Pels. The Thunder haven’t even played super well, the Pelicans were just really bad without Zion. OKC plays the winner of Clippers/Mavericks in the next round.

Prediction : New Orleans in 6

(2) Denver vs (7) Lakers: Nuggets win 4-1

(Game 1) Denver beat LA for the 9th straight game, continuing to be a problem the Lakers can’t solve. No matter who LA throws at Joker he continues to dominate, so LA’s strategy should be to make him a scorer and shut everyone else down. Denver needs to push the pace in transition and keep LA in rotation in the halfcourt.

(Game 2) LA was up 20+ points in the second half, and ended up losing on a Jamal Murray buzzer beater. They can make this a series with a pair of wins at home.

(Game 3) Not much to say here, Joker is unguardable and the Lakers are bad. Lakers might not even take a game for the 2nd year in a row. But at least Dinwiddie and Vincent finally scored in this series, right?

(Game 4) LA lives to play another game behind good games from Lebron, AD, and D’Lo. No team has ever come back from beong down 0-3, but LeBron has done the impossible before. (They stand no chance)

(Game 5) Jamal Murray and Jokic are the Lakers absolute kryptonite, as Murray hit his 2nd game winner of the series to send LA packing. Denver plays Minnesota now.

Prediction: Nuggets in 5

(3) Timberwolves vs (6) Suns: Wolves win 4-0

(Game 1) Minnesota had the #1 ranked defense all year long for a reason. They shut every Sun but KD down completely, with Beal and Booker COMBINING for 32 points. A shutdown like that is unlikely to happen again to that extent, but with Anthony Edwards elevating like he always does in the Playoffs, and KAT playing as a legit second option, this series could be quick. Phoenix needs to get Booker and Beal going, as well as use Nurkic as a post playmaker. Both teams lost key pieces, as Kyle Anderson and Grayson Allen both sustained injuries that kept them from returning.

(Game 2) The Wolves defense clamp Phoenix again, and instead of one player beating the Suns, it was a complete team effort led by Jaden McDaniels 25 points. The Suns need to figure out a way to get open shots against the #1 ranked defense in the league, and they also need to crash the glass more.

(Game 3) Minnesota locked up and outshot Phoenix once again, going up 3-0 on the Suns, who were favored to win this series going into it. No Sun had more than 7 rebounds, while Gobert and KAT had 14 and 13 respectively. The Wolves will now look forward to Denver in the next round.

(Game 4) Phoenix kept this one close all game, but the Wolves overcame Devin Booker’s 49 points to send the Suns to Cancun early. Anthony Edwards scored 40, and now the Wolves defense will meet Denver’s offense will face off for the right to play in the WCF.

Prediction: Wolves in 4

(4) Clippers vs (5) Mavericks: Mavs win 2-4

No matter what the Clippers have thrown at Luka, he’s always cooked them worse than most teams. This year, LA added Harden and brought Westbrook back, and while they won’t really help guard Doncic, Dallas can’t stop all the weapons LA has now. In the end, it will all come down to Luka and Kyrie vs Kawhi and PG. Whichever duo elevates their team more will win their team the series. With Kawhi likely missing Game 1, Dallas might get a headstart.

(Game 1) LA came out hot, Russ and Harden having the same amount of points as the entire Maverick squad in the 1st half. Luka and Kyrie struggled, and Dallas was not good on either end of the floor. Don’t count on Luka continuing to struggle though.

(Game 2) Dallas overcame Kawhi’s return to even out the series. Luka bounced back, as expected, despite the looks LA threw at him. Game 3 in Dallas will be pivotal to gain control in this series.

(Game 3) PG and Kawhi combined for 16 total points, their lowest ever in a playoff game together. That was mostly thanks to Derrick Jones Jr and PJ Washington. Luka shot 7-25 but it didn’t even matter as Dallas cruised to an easy victory. Russ also shot 0-7 from the field, which is unnacceptable. PG and Kawhi will have to be aggressive and efficient in game 4 to avoid a 3-1 deficit.

(Game 4) Without Kawhi in Game 4, LA fought like they were cornered. They came out and punched Dallas in the mouth in the 1st quarter, with PG scoring more than the entirety of Dallas’ team. The Clips were up 20+ after 12 minutes, and although the Mavs fought back, LA won a nailbiter.

(Game 5) Clippers were without Kawhi again, and this game went much worse than the last one. Dallas beat them by 30 behind 35 from Luka. Now LA’s back is against the wall, as they have to win 2 straight games to advance.

(Game 6) Kyrie Irving had a 28-point 2nd half, and the Mavs eliminated the Clippers for the 1st time in the last 3 playoff matchups between them. Dallas plays OKC next.

Prediction: Clippers in 7

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Overtime Thoughts

Hoopgrids

Hoopgrids is a daily basketball trivia game. You cross match each category to find a player that fits both. The rarer the player, the lower the score. The goal is to get the lowest rarity score possible.