NBA tipoff: Round 2 continues Saturday with Cavaliers-Pistons and Thunder-Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers felt like they weren't getting a fair whistle in their Game 2 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday.
It might take a lot more than friendly officiating to make this series a fair fight.
The Western Conference semifinals series moves to Los Angeles for Saturday's Game 3 and the Lakers hope a change of scenery can help them get back into the matchup against the defending NBA champion Thunder.
Oklahoma City looks as formidable as ever and is 6-0 in these playoffs. The Thunder have won five of those games by at least 10 points.
Over in the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers are in a similar situation on Saturday. They're in a 2-0 hole against the Detroit Pistons but now get to play in front of their home crowd.
— Game 3, Detroit at Cleveland, 3 p.m. EDT (NBC/Peacock)
Series: Detroit, 2-0.
Odds: Cleveland by 4.5.
The Pistons have won five consecutive postseason games for the first time since 2008 — and three of them were while facing elimination in Round 1. Cleveland is now 2-10 in conference semifinal games over the past three seasons.
— Game 3, Oklahoma City at LA Lakers, 8:30 p.m. EDT (ABC)
Series: Oklahoma City, 2-0.
Odds: Oklahoma City by 8.5.
The Lakers are furious with elements of the officiating right now, and that might go one of two ways in Game 3. They'll either come out inspired on Saturday and make this a series, or the anger could work against them.
— Game 4, New York at Philadelphia, 3:30 p.m.. EDT (ABC)
Series: New York, 3-0.
Odds: New York by 1.5.
The Knicks go for the four-game sweep on the road. Jalen Brunson scored 33 points in Game 3, delivering another big playoff performance. New York's fans — famous or not — have made themselves a big presence in Philadelphia. Mikal Bridges is having a big second-round series for the Knicks after struggling in the first round. He is averaging 19.3 points and shooting 64.9% from the field.
— Game 4, San Antonio at Minnesota, 7:30 p.m. EDT (NBC, Peacock)
Series: San Antonio, 2-1.
Odds: San Antonio by 4.5.
Victor Wembanyama delivered a masterful playoff performance in Game 3 with a career playoff-high 39 points, 15 rebounds and some game-wrecking defense. The Timberwolves need to find answers in a hurry when they host Game 4 before the series shifts back to San Antonio.
— Knicks 108, 76ers 94 for 3-0 series lead.
— Spurs 115, Timberwolves 108 for 2-1 series lead.
Injuries in the playoffs are never a good thing, but a comfortable lead in the second round gives the New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder some room to be patient.
The Knicks have the luxury not to rush back forward OG Anunoby, who is averaging 21.4 points per game in the postseason. He sat out with a strained right hamstring and remains day to day.
The top-seeded Thunder are in a similar position as they wait for high-scoring guard Jalen Williams to return from a hamstring injury. Second-year guard Ajay Mitchell has played well in Williams' absence, averaging 19.5 points and five assists against the Lakers.
A breakdown of this season's NBA awards:
— Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year: DeAndre Jordan, New Orleans.
— Hustle Award: Moussa Diabaté, Charlotte.
— Defensive Player of the Year: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio.
— Clutch Player of the Year: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City.
— Sixth Man of the Year: Keldon Johnson, San Antonio.
— Sportsmanship Award: Derrick White, Boston.
— Most Improved Player: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Atlanta.
— Rookie of the Year: Cooper Flagg, Dallas.
— Executive of the Year: Brad Stevens, Boston.
Among the announcements still to come:
— Most Valuable Player: Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama or Denver's Nikola Jokic.
— Coach of the Year: Detroit's J.B. Bickerstaff, San Antonio's Mitch Johnson or Boston's Joe Mazzulla.
Defending champion Oklahoma City (-165) is favored to win the NBA title, according to oddsmakers.
The Thunder are followed by San Antonio (+300), New York (+700), Detroit (+1600), Cleveland (+6600), Los Angeles Lakers (+10000), Minnesota (+12500) and Philadelphia (+25000).
— Sunday: NBA draft lottery.
— May 10-17: NBA draft combine.
— May 17 or 19: Eastern Conference finals begin on ESPN and ABC.
— May 18 or 20: Western Conference finals begin on NBC and Peacock.
— June 3: Game 1, NBA Finals on ABC. (Other finals dates: June 5, June 8, June 10, June 13, June 16 and June 19).
— June 23: Round 1, NBA draft.
— June 24: Round 2, NBA draft.
“I’m Linus. Jalen (Brunson's) my blanket,” first-year Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “He helps me relax at a lot of different times during the course of the game.”
— Wembanyama is averaging five blocks through seven playoff games. The Spurs star was at his best in the fourth quarter of Friday night's win, scoring 16 points and grabbing six rebounds.
— Detroit's Cade Cunningham is scoring 30.6 points per game in the playoffs, which leads the NBA. He is shooting nearly 41% from 3-point range.
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