Celtics Host Hobbled Heat
By Dan Bruno
The Boston Celtics play host to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference First-Round Playoffs at TD Garden on Sunday afternoon.
The Celtics finished the season far-and-away the top team in the East, with a whopping 14.0-game advantage over the second place team. Jayson Tatum led the way through the season, averaging 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.0 steals per game. Jaylen Brown averaged 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals, while Kristaps Porzingis averaged 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.9 blocks per game. The Celtics also have excellent stability in the backcourt with Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, who can each deliver on both ends of the court. Additionally, Peyton Watson, Al Horford and Sam Hauser provide solid support off the bench. The Celtics won the season series against the Heat, 3-0.
Meanwhile, the Heat finished the season with the eighth spot in the East and had to fight through the play-in to earn their shot at the first-round series. Jimmy Butler (knee) was injured in their first play-in game and after missing the last outing, is also sidelined heading into Sunday's action. On the bright side, the squad recently proved they can rally without their leader, coming up with an impressive 21-point win over the Bulls to secure the eighth seed. Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo took over in the last outing without Butler, and they will need to build off that performance to stand up against the their top-tier opponent. Herro averaged 23.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists across three meetings with the Celtics this season. Adebayo also had success against the Celtics, averaging 22.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.7 blocks over three meetings. The Heat will continue to lean on Jaime Jaquez, Nikola Jovic and Caleb Martin to step up, especially while Duncan Robinson (back) is listed as questionable for action, and Terry Rozier (neck) remains sidelined.
The Celtics finished the season far-and-away the top team in the East, with a whopping 14.0-game advantage over the second place team. Jayson Tatum led the way through the season, averaging 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.0 steals per game. Jaylen Brown averaged 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals, while Kristaps Porzingis averaged 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.9 blocks per game. The Celtics also have excellent stability in the backcourt with Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, who can each deliver on both ends of the court. Additionally, Peyton Watson, Al Horford and Sam Hauser provide solid support off the bench. The Celtics won the season series against the Heat, 3-0.
Meanwhile, the Heat finished the season with the eighth spot in the East and had to fight through the play-in to earn their shot at the first-round series. Jimmy Butler (knee) was injured in their first play-in game and after missing the last outing, is also sidelined heading into Sunday's action. On the bright side, the squad recently proved they can rally without their leader, coming up with an impressive 21-point win over the Bulls to secure the eighth seed. Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo took over in the last outing without Butler, and they will need to build off that performance to stand up against the their top-tier opponent. Herro averaged 23.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists across three meetings with the Celtics this season. Adebayo also had success against the Celtics, averaging 22.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.7 blocks over three meetings. The Heat will continue to lean on Jaime Jaquez, Nikola Jovic and Caleb Martin to step up, especially while Duncan Robinson (back) is listed as questionable for action, and Terry Rozier (neck) remains sidelined.
Mavericks and Clippers Set for Game 1 Showdown
The Dallas Mavericks take on the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday afternoon in Game 1 of their Western Conference quarterfinal-round series.
The Mavericks (50-32 reg. season) suffered a pair of double-digit losses to close out the regular season, but that was immediately preceded by a 12-1 stretch that positioned Dallas as the No. 5 seed. The Mavs' most recent time on the floor was a meaningless 135-86 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday afternoon, a game in which OKC was gunning for the No. 1 seed. Dallas sat all of its starters, especially ensuring the health and rest of the dynamic backcourt duo of Luka Doncic (career-high 33.9 PPG, 9.8 APG in regular season) and Kyrie Irving (25.6 PPG, 5.2 APG, 5.0 RPG, 1.3 SGP). This will be the star guard tandem's first playoff series since Irving joined the team at the trade deadline in the 2022-23 season.
The Mavericks will list Tim Hardaway (illness) as questionable for Sunday's game.
The Clippers (51-31 reg. season) enter the postseason as the No. 4 seed after a solid campaign, but after a stretch where they won seven of eight games, Los Angeles closed out the regular season with back-to-back losses. The Clips also enter this series with Kawhi Leonard's availability in question due to knee swelling that cost him the final eight contests. L.A. played the regular-season finale against the Rockets with only Terance Mann in the first unit as far as its normal starters, and the result was a 116-105 defeat. If Leonard can't suit up Sunday, it will naturally represent a major loss for the Clippers and lead to more responsibility for Paul George (22.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.5 SPG) and James Harden (16.6 PPG, 8.5 APG, 5.1 RPG, 1.1 SPG).
The Clippers are officially listing Leonard as questionable for Sunday's contest.
Sunday's game marks the fourth meeting between the teams this season. The Mavericks won two of the first three games.
The Mavericks (50-32 reg. season) suffered a pair of double-digit losses to close out the regular season, but that was immediately preceded by a 12-1 stretch that positioned Dallas as the No. 5 seed. The Mavs' most recent time on the floor was a meaningless 135-86 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday afternoon, a game in which OKC was gunning for the No. 1 seed. Dallas sat all of its starters, especially ensuring the health and rest of the dynamic backcourt duo of Luka Doncic (career-high 33.9 PPG, 9.8 APG in regular season) and Kyrie Irving (25.6 PPG, 5.2 APG, 5.0 RPG, 1.3 SGP). This will be the star guard tandem's first playoff series since Irving joined the team at the trade deadline in the 2022-23 season.
The Mavericks will list Tim Hardaway (illness) as questionable for Sunday's game.
The Clippers (51-31 reg. season) enter the postseason as the No. 4 seed after a solid campaign, but after a stretch where they won seven of eight games, Los Angeles closed out the regular season with back-to-back losses. The Clips also enter this series with Kawhi Leonard's availability in question due to knee swelling that cost him the final eight contests. L.A. played the regular-season finale against the Rockets with only Terance Mann in the first unit as far as its normal starters, and the result was a 116-105 defeat. If Leonard can't suit up Sunday, it will naturally represent a major loss for the Clippers and lead to more responsibility for Paul George (22.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.5 SPG) and James Harden (16.6 PPG, 8.5 APG, 5.1 RPG, 1.1 SPG).
The Clippers are officially listing Leonard as questionable for Sunday's contest.
Sunday's game marks the fourth meeting between the teams this season. The Mavericks won two of the first three games.
Bucks, Pacers Open Series In Milwaukee
The Milwaukee Bucks will host the Indiana Pacers at Fiserv Forum on Saturday evening in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
The Bucks finished with the third-best record in the Eastern Conference at 49-33. Even though Milwaukee looked like one of the best teams in the East for most of the campaign, there’s no question this was a tumultuous season for the franchise. The organization changed head coach midway through the season, replacing Adrian Griffin with Doc Rivers, and the team never seemed to gel completely despite having two superstars leading the way in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. Antetokounmpo is listed as doubtful for the series opener Sunday, but there’s a chance he could very well miss the entire series due to a calf injury. Other players will have to step up if that’s the case, as the Pacers can score with the best of them, meaning the Bucks will need to bring their “A” game if they don’t want to suffer an upset here.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf), Damian Lillard (groin) and AJ Green (ankle) are listed as questionable for Sunday’s game. Jaylin Galloway (ankle) is out for the rest of the season.
The Pacers finished with the sixth-best record in the Eastern Conference at 47-35, and they barely missed playing in the Play-In Tournament after winning four of their final games of the regular season. Thus, Indiana should be very confident in its chances here, especially knowing the Bucks are likely to be without Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Pacers will live and die by their offense, so players such as Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam will need to be at their best to carry the Pacers here. Indiana should also be confident due to its performances throughout the season against the Bucks, as the Pacers won four of the five head-to-head meetings in 2023-24, including a game during the In-Season Tournament. The playoffs are a different animal, however, and the Bucks have more experience than the Pacers in these situations. Indiana has nothing to lose, especially on the road, but if their offense clicks, then they could be in line to pull more than a few upsets along the way.
Bennedict Mathurin (shoulder) is out for the rest of the season for the Pacers.
The head-to-head regular-season series ended 4-1 in favor of the Pacers.
The Bucks finished with the third-best record in the Eastern Conference at 49-33. Even though Milwaukee looked like one of the best teams in the East for most of the campaign, there’s no question this was a tumultuous season for the franchise. The organization changed head coach midway through the season, replacing Adrian Griffin with Doc Rivers, and the team never seemed to gel completely despite having two superstars leading the way in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. Antetokounmpo is listed as doubtful for the series opener Sunday, but there’s a chance he could very well miss the entire series due to a calf injury. Other players will have to step up if that’s the case, as the Pacers can score with the best of them, meaning the Bucks will need to bring their “A” game if they don’t want to suffer an upset here.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf), Damian Lillard (groin) and AJ Green (ankle) are listed as questionable for Sunday’s game. Jaylin Galloway (ankle) is out for the rest of the season.
The Pacers finished with the sixth-best record in the Eastern Conference at 47-35, and they barely missed playing in the Play-In Tournament after winning four of their final games of the regular season. Thus, Indiana should be very confident in its chances here, especially knowing the Bucks are likely to be without Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Pacers will live and die by their offense, so players such as Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam will need to be at their best to carry the Pacers here. Indiana should also be confident due to its performances throughout the season against the Bucks, as the Pacers won four of the five head-to-head meetings in 2023-24, including a game during the In-Season Tournament. The playoffs are a different animal, however, and the Bucks have more experience than the Pacers in these situations. Indiana has nothing to lose, especially on the road, but if their offense clicks, then they could be in line to pull more than a few upsets along the way.
Bennedict Mathurin (shoulder) is out for the rest of the season for the Pacers.
The head-to-head regular-season series ended 4-1 in favor of the Pacers.
Thunder Host Pels in Game 1
The Oklahoma City Thunder play host to the New Orleans Pelicans in the Western Conference First-Round Playoffs at Paycom Center on Thursday.
The Pelicans (49-33) suffered a tough loss in the opening game of the Play-In Tournament but bounced back by beating the Sacramento Kings in an elimination game on Friday. That earned them the eight-seed in the Western Conference, getting stellar performances from Brandon Ingram, Jonas Valanciunas and Ttey Murphy. Those guys have been good all season, but what they really need is some health for Zion Williamson. The All-star is nursing a hamstring issue and it's unclear if he'll be able to suit up in this series. It was an uphill battle before his injury but it'll be nearly impossible for New Orleans to win this seven-game series without him.
The Thunder (57-25) shocked the NBA world when they finished with the best record in the Western Conference. That was a massive goal of this team when they went into rebuild mode nearly a decade ago, and they're finally seeing some rewards from that lengthy process. Getting youngsters like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Josh Giddey and Chet Holmgren has set the foundation for that rebuild, but they're much further along than anyone could've anticipated. That says a lot about this organization because getting SGA and all of those draft picks for Paul George was one of the greatest management decisions in NBA history.
These teams played three times in the regular season, with Oklahoma City winning two of three.
The Pelicans (49-33) suffered a tough loss in the opening game of the Play-In Tournament but bounced back by beating the Sacramento Kings in an elimination game on Friday. That earned them the eight-seed in the Western Conference, getting stellar performances from Brandon Ingram, Jonas Valanciunas and Ttey Murphy. Those guys have been good all season, but what they really need is some health for Zion Williamson. The All-star is nursing a hamstring issue and it's unclear if he'll be able to suit up in this series. It was an uphill battle before his injury but it'll be nearly impossible for New Orleans to win this seven-game series without him.
The Thunder (57-25) shocked the NBA world when they finished with the best record in the Western Conference. That was a massive goal of this team when they went into rebuild mode nearly a decade ago, and they're finally seeing some rewards from that lengthy process. Getting youngsters like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Josh Giddey and Chet Holmgren has set the foundation for that rebuild, but they're much further along than anyone could've anticipated. That says a lot about this organization because getting SGA and all of those draft picks for Paul George was one of the greatest management decisions in NBA history.
These teams played three times in the regular season, with Oklahoma City winning two of three.