Tomorrow, the first round of the NBA playoffs begins.
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Lots of intriguing matchups. Can the remodeled Atlanta Hawks test the star-studded New York Knicks? In the Houston Rockets-Los Angeles Lakers series, which all-time great will end with the upper hand, Kevin Durant or LeBron James? There’s an entire Wikipedia page dedicated to the last 20 years of the Denver Nuggets-Minnesota Timberwolves’ rivalry.
Time to lock in. Our NBC Sports crew analyzes the series below. Throughout the NBA playoffs, we’ll have you covered here and, as always, on the NBC News website.
Eastern Conference
1. Detroit Pistons vs. No. 8. Orlando Magic or Charlotte Hornets: Are people sleeping on the Pistons? A respected NBA writer told me he may pick against them in the first round, especially if Detroit pulls Charlotte as an opponent. The Pistons were second in net rating during the regular season, finishing behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. Detroit should win this series handily, but watching the Pistons’ offense (particularly their outside shooting) get a stress test will be interesting.
2. Boston Celtics vs. No. 7. Philadelphia 76ers: Joe Mazzulla is a deserved Coach of the Year candidate, leading Boston to 56 wins despite Jayson Tatum missing most of the season and an offseason makeover. Any concerns about Jaylen Brown and Tatum meshing well after Tatum’s return from a torn Achilles should be left in the regular season. The Celtics outscored opponents by 107 in 318 minutes Brown and Tatum shared the floor together this year. Philly, meanwhile, will be playing at a significant disadvantage as Joel Embiid sits while recovering from an emergency appendectomy.
3. New York Knicks vs. No. 6. Atlanta Hawks: This may be the best matchup of the first round in the East. Since trading away Trae Young in January, Atlanta posted a 27-15 record. New York’s record in that time period was 29-15. Who closes games for the Knicks will always be interesting. The Hawks have one of the best five-man groups in the league, while New York’s quintet of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns posted a so-so 2.3 net rating in 541 minutes.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5. Toronto Raptors: Because of injuries and trades, Cleveland could enter the playoffs lacking cohesiveness, as coach Kenny Atkinson has had to mix and match lineups all season long. The Raptors, who finished with the fifth-best defense in the league, will likely try to get the Cavs in the mud for a slugfest of a series. There will be a palpable pressure on Cleveland, which has an expensive roster that’s disappointed in the postseason over the last few years.
Western Conference
1. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8. Phoenix Suns or Golden State Warriors: The NBA hasn’t had a repeat champion since 2017-18, but the Thunder, with the league’s best defense and likely the repeat MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, are poised to end the streak. If you’re looking ahead, the Thunder have the most favorable path to the Finals in all the West. Potential showdowns against the Spurs, Nuggets and Timberwolves wouldn’t take place until the third round.
2. San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 7. Portland Trail Blazers: Victor Wembanyama makes his playoff debut. Need we say more? Well, he certainly did, when asked about his team’s playoff inexperience. “We don’t have experience right?” he said. “Screw it. We’re still gonna play 100% and try to win this championship. Screw it.” After Feb. 1, San Antonio went 28-2 when Wembanyama played. It’s the only team to have Oklahoma City’s number this season, winning four of the five matchups.
3. Denver Nuggets vs. No. 6. Minnesota Timberwolves: These teams will meet in the third postseason in the last four years in what is likely the West’s most competitive opening-round series. Nikola Jokić averaged a triple-double, and Jamal Murray is coming off his best regular season ever to help Denver end the season on a 12-game win streak. Minnesota limped through the last month, but star Anthony Edwards and key defender Jaden McDaniels are healthy again, and the Timberwolves know how to win in the playoffs after consecutive conference-final trips.
4. Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 5. Houston Rockets: Don’t take for granted a series pitting LeBron James against Kevin Durant. (How many more will there be?) With Austin Reaves and Luka Dončić both injured, the Lakers’ late-season revival rests on the 41-year-old James turning back the clock and reverting back to Los Angeles’ No. 1 option. He averaged 25 points, 11 assists and 6.8 rebounds while his co-stars were out to finish the season. The Rockets have been unpredictable since center Steven Adams was hurt early in the season, but will try to win scoring inside by using the league’s tallest roster.
Title on the Line
This is it. The title is on the line as Manchester City host Arsenal in one of the biggest Premier League games in years.
Fans across the world will stop and watch with equal amounts of hope, anxiety and fear. Only one team has the momentum with a handful of games to go: Pep Guardiola’s City are purring and have timed their best form of the season like the serial winners that they are. City have a 78% win-rate across their final 10 league matches since Guardiola arrived in 2016. And the Gunners, as usual, are limping toward the finish line. Can they get it done this time?
Arsenal has a six-point lead atop the table but that could be cut to zero if they lose Sunday and City win their game at Burnley on Wednesday. City will then likely be ahead on goal difference. They are the clear favorites to win this game, but how will they edge Arsenal? The midfield duo of Rodri and Bernardo Silva hold the key. Their role is also so important in feeding the red-hot front four of Jeremy Doku, Rayan Cherki, Antoine Semenyo and Erling Haaland.
As for Arsenal, they look scared and they may be running out of steam again. Under Mikel Arteta in the last six years, they have had a 55% win-rate in the last 10 games of the season. A few weeks ago, they looked nailed on to win the quadruple. But injuries (Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber being out have been huge), a lack of confidence and fluidity and, well, just the pressure of being Arsenal and not winning the league title in 22 years, have seen nerves creep in. They lost at home to Bournemouth last weekend and scraped into the Champions League semifinals against Sporting Lisbon after an exhausting, nervy 0-0 draw. Their fans are scrambling as they contemplate the possibility of their team becoming the first in Premier League history to finish second four years in a row.
No pressure, lads, it’s just one game.
What we’re reading
- Guardians rookie Parker Messick had his no-hit bid broken up last night in the 9th inning.
- FIFA and New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill are pointing fingers at each other over the $100-plus World Cup train tickets.
- Ex-NBA player and coach Damon Jones is set to be the first person to plead guilty in a sweeping federal gambling and sports betting probe.
- USA Today fired a reporter for her comments on Dianna Russini.
- Ex-Alabama football player is accused of wearing wigs to impersonate NFL stars in a fraud scheme.
- The Dallas Wings shut down questions about the personal relationship between its stars Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers.
- Dodgers pitcher Will Klein got a custom glove with a Pokeman card implant.
- The NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer Alex Ovechkin is “pretty sure” he’ll be back next season.
- Mike Trout reminded everyone he’s still really good at hitting with his five homers at Yankee Stadium this week.
What we’re watching
In the NBA Play-In Tournament, we have two win-or-go-home games tonight. All times are Eastern:
- 7:30 p.m.: No. 8 Orlando Magic vs. No. 9 Charlotte Hornets, on Amazon Prime
- 10 p.m.: No. 7 Phoenix Suns vs. No. 10 Golden State Warriors, on Amazon Prime
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