The 2023-24 NBA regular season came to an end on Sunday, and now the first six seeds in each conference are set, and the Play-In Tournament, which begins on Tuesday when the Pelicans(7th) host the Lakers(8th), the Kings(9th) host the Warriors(10th).
In the East, the 76ers(7th) host the Heat(8th), and the Hawks(10th) travel to Chicago to battle the Bulls(9th).
There is going to be a very good that won’t make the playoffs this season, which makes this season’s Play-In Tournament very interesting.
The Play-In Tournament schedule is below:
GAME
AWAY
HOME
ET
TV/R
Tuesday, April 16
1
Lakers
Pelicans
7:30 PM
TNT
2
Warriors
Kings
10:00 PM
TNT/R
Wednesday, April 17
3
Heat
76ers
7:00
ESPN
4
Atlanta
Chicago
9:30
ESPN/R
Friday, April 19
5
Winner of Game 4
Loser of Game 3
TBD
ESPN/R
6
Winner of Game 2
Loser of Game 1
TBD
TNT/R
Below is the complete playoff schedule, which begins on Saturday, April 20. According to the NBA, the times of the games will be announced at a later date.
Tuesday begins the final week of the NBA regular season, and just like every season, teams are battling it out for playoff seeding in both conferences.
Below are the playoff scenarios for Tuesday night’s games:
Western Conference:
Mavericks clinch a playoff spot with a win AND a loss by either Phoenix or New Orleans.
Mavericks clinch division title with a win AND a New Orleans loss.
Golden State is locked into a play-in game with a loss OR with a New Orleans win and a win by either Phoenix or Sacramento.
Clippers can clinch a playoff spot with a win OR a New Orleans loss.
Clippers can clinch division title with a win.
Lakers are locked into a play-in game with a loss AND with wins by any two of Phoenix, New Orleans and Sacramento.
Eastern Conference:
Pacers clinch a playoff spot with a win, a Miami loss, a Philadelphia loss and an Orlando win.
New York clinches a playoff spot with a win AND a Miami loss OR with losses by Miami and Philadelphia and an Orlando win.
Orlando clinches a playoff spot with a win AND with losses by any two of Miami, Philadelphia and Indiana.
Orlando clinches division title with a win AND a Miami loss.
Philadelphia is locked into a play-in game with a loss AND with wins by Orlando and Indiana.
The Washington Wizards have been very busy over the last few days. First, they dealt Bradley Beal, Isaiah Todd, and Jordan Goodwin to the Suns for Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, a few second-round picks, and multiple pick swaps.
Next, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Wizards traded away Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics.
In the deal, Boston will receive Porzingis and two first-round picks from the Grizzlies(2023, 2024). The Wizards get Tyus Jones from Memphis, Danilo Gallinari, Mike Muscala, and a second-round pick from Boston(35th overall); the Grizzlies get Marcus Smart from the Celtics.
The Wizards are not done dealing; according to Wojnarowski, Washington is finalizing a deal to send Paul to the Golden State Warriors for a package that includes Jordan Poole and future draft assets(2027 second-round pick, 2030 protected first-round pick).
For the Warriors, this deal feels like a salary dump. Last summer, they signed Poole to a four-year, $128 million contract extension. Poole averaged career-highs in points(20.4) and assists(4.5) in the regular season, but he struggled in the postseason.
The 24-year-old will have a more prominent role with Washington. Plus, things also seem to go south for Poole with the Warriors after Draymond Green punched him during training camp. In the end, the fourth-year guard needed a change of scenery.
Regarding the 38-year-old Paul, it should be interesting to see his role with the Warriors. Will he be a starter in Golden State, or will he come off the bench? Regardless, this will allow him to win an NBA title.
Of course, the Wizards continue to rebuild, which is not a bad thing. Washington has been treading water of the past few seasons and something had to change.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has been suspended one game without pay for stepping on the chest of Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis, the league announced on Tuesday.
Green will serve his suspension on Thursday when the Warriors host the Kings for Game 3 of the series at Chase Center.
Sacramento leads the series 2-0.
The incident occurred with 7:03 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Warriors’ 114-106 loss to the Kings in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series on April 17 at Golden 1 Center.
According to Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations, the suspension was partly based on Green’s history of unsportsmanlike acts.
Green’s actions were in response to Sabonis grabbing and holding Green’s right ankle after falling to the floor. Green received a Flagrant Foul 2 and was ejected, and Sabonis was assessed a technical foul.
Was it the right call? Probably. Green could have hurt Sabonis badly. However, was Sabonis completely innocent? No, he did grab Green’s leg. Overall, the league probably got it right.
However, the bigger picture is the Warriors are in trouble. If they lose Thursday and go down 3-0, this series is over, so they must get right. Expect an inspired effort without Green from the Warriors.
The Cleveland Cavaliers hosted the shorthanded Golden State Warriors on Friday night. The Warriors, who lost to the Celtics on Thursday night in OT, were without Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andrew Wiggins due to rest.
However, none of that mattered.
After trailing by double-digits for most of the second half, the Cavs, who were down by as many as 20 points, cut the Warriors’ lead to four with two minutes left in the fourth, but Ty Jerome hit a three on the next possession, and the Warriors defeated the Cavs 120-114 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Cleveland(28-19), who was without Donovan Mitchell(groin) for the second straight game, have lost two straight and three out of their last four.
Here’s The Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Line of the Cavs’ loss to the Warriors.
Darius Garland led the way for Cleveland with 31 points, nine assists, and two steals. Eighteen of Garland’s 31 points came in the first half. He didn’t shoot it that great(10/25 FG, 3/11 3-PT FG), but he did his part.
Defense: Cleveland gave up 120 points to Ty Jerome, Jordan Poole, Donte DiVincenzo, and others. Golden State lit them up from downtown. The Warriors made 23 threes and shot 54% from deep. Poole(5) and Jerome(3) made a combined eight threes. WOW!!
Rebounding: The Warriors outrebounded the Cavs 45-35. That’s unacceptable. That means you let Golden State outwork you!!
Third Quarter: Golden State shot 58% from the field, including 60% from deep in the third. The Warriors had their largest lead of 20 points in the quarter. Again, they just wanted it more!!
Even without Mitchell, this loss is super unacceptable. The Warriors sat pretty much their whole starting lineup. In many ways, the Warriors were willing to give this game up, but crazy things happen in the NBA.
This was the Cavs’ worst performance of the season! Again, Unacceptable!!
What’s Next:
Cavs host the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.
Best of the Rest:
-Poole led the Warriors with a game-high 32 points; Jerome had 22 points, DiVincenzo added 17 points, and Kevon Looney chipped in with four points and 17 rebounds.
Golden State had six players in double figures.
-For the Cavs, Caris LeVert had 22 points, including five threes. Evan Mobley added 17 points and eight rebounds.
-Ricky Rubio(injury management) did not play Friday night.
Before the start of their seven-game homestand, many said this was the point where the Philadelphia 76ers needed to take advantage of these games and make their move in the standings.
After four games, they have just done that, including Friday night’s 118-106 victory over the Golden State Warriors. The 76ers(16-12) have won four straight at Wells Fargo Center and are 10-1 in their last 11 home games.
Joel Embiid led the way with 34 points and 13 rebounds, and James Harden added 27 points, five rebounds, and nine assists.
Philly is getting it done without Tyrese Maxey(foot), and on Friday night, they were without Tobias Harris(back), but despite that, they keep on winning.
“It’s next man up mentality,” Embiid said. “We are missing our best player in Tyrese [Maxey]. Tobias has been great this year. He’s doing his thing, been efficient defensively; he’s been great. When you are missing these types of guys, it’s hard, but I think we have enough talent. Guys like Shake(Milton), Matisse(Thybulle), they’ve been playing really well. Can’t talk enough about De’Anthony [Melton]; he’s been amazing. All of them; D-House, George, Furk, all of those guys are definitely doing their job. I think the main thing is that everyone has bought in
76ers head coach Doc Rivers likes the direction the team is going in right now.
“We’re healthier; we’re getting there–slowly,” Rivers said. “We’re playing better basketball. We’ve kind of found, and we’re still not there because we need everyone back, but we’re finding who we are. I think our guys are finally seeing like this is who we are; this is how we have to play. They know it. They’re starting to visualize what we are, and that’s a good thing.”
P.J. Tucker, who had seven points and six rebounds, added: “I say the biggest thing is just our energy and effort towards each other, helping each other be successful. I always like saying, like Coach [Erik Spoelstra]’s favorite sayings, “enjoy somebody else’s success,” and I feel like that’s like huge when it comes to the bench, and everybody’s just having that good energy and that good comment towards everybody. I feel like that’s picked up a lot, and everybody’s spirit has gotten better as a team.”
Philadelphia is getting healthier and is starting to look like the team many thought they would be when the season started. They hope to keep the good vibes going on Monday night when they battle the Raptors.
The Cleveland Cavaliers(8-4) concluded their five-game road trip in San Francisco against the Warriors(5-7), and behind the heroics of Steph Curry, who had 15 of his 40 points(6/11 3-PT FG) in the fourth, the Cavs fell to Golden State 106-101 at Chase Center.
Cleveland has now lost three straight.
Here’s the Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Line of the Cavs’ loss to the Warriors
Great:
Donovan Mitchell almost had a triple-double with 29 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, and two steals. Mitchell did his part, but it wasn’t enough.
Evan Mobley had a double-double with 20 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. This is his second double-double of the season. The Cavs used their size effectively against the Warriors, but again, it wasn’t enough.
Points in the Paint: Cleveland had a lot of success in the paint as they scored 54 points.
Not So Great:
Darius Garland: He was off again Friday night. He finished with 15 points and eight assists, but he was 5/19 from the field. Garland is 6/28 from the floor in the last two games, including 2/9 from deep.
Fourth Quarter Defense: Curry is Curry, and for most of the game, the Cavs defended well, but not in the fourth. Cleveland allowed 32 points in the fourth and allowed the Warriors to shoot 63% from the floor.
The final 4:38 of the game: After a Caris LeVert four-point play, which was ruled a flagrant foul, Cleveland had a six-point possession after a Jarrett Allen dunk, which put them up 95-87. However, just like they did against the Clippers, they couldn’t close. They were outscored 19-6 the rest of the way as Curry scored 13 of his 15 fourth-quarter points in the final 4:38 of the game.
Bottom Line:
The Cavs could not close the show in the final three games of this road trip. Cleveland had a 13-point lead late against the Clippers with five minutes left, couldn’t close against the Kings, and lost another lead late against Golden State. Cleveland could have easily gone 5-0 on this trip; instead, they went 2-3. It’s early, but this trip was a disappointment for sure.
What’s Next:
The Cavs return home to face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.
Best of the Rest:
All five of Cleveland’s starters scored in double figures Friday night. Jarrett Allen had 13 points and nine rebounds, and LeVert added 11.
Andrew Wiggins had 20 points; Draymond Green had two points, 13 assists, and nine rebounds, and Jordan Poole added 18 points.
On Wednesday, the NBA released its complete game schedule for the 2022-23 regular season.
The 77th NBA regular season will tip off on Oct. 18, 2022, and conclude on April 9, 2023. The 2023 NBA Play-In Tournament will take place from April 11-14, followed by the start of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 15.
Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Finals is scheduled to be played on June 1.
Opening Night
The regular season will begin on Oct. 18 with a doubleheader on TNT. In the first game, the Philadelphia 76ers will visit the reigning Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics (7:30 p.m. ET). In the second game, the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors will receive their championship rings before hosting the Los Angeles Lakers (10 p.m. ET).
Christmas Day
Five games will be played on Christmas Day for the 15th year in a row, with ESPN or ABC televising each matchup.
NBA on Christmas Day will tip off on ESPN as the Knicks host the 76ers (noon ET).
The next three games will air on both ESPN and ABC, with the Lakers visiting the Mavericks (2:30 p.m. ET).
The Celtics will host the Bucks in a 2022 Eastern Conference Semifinals rematch (5 p.m. ET).
The Grizzlies make their Christmas Day debut when they visit the Warriors in a 2022 Western Conference Semifinals rematch (8 p.m. ET).
The Christmas Day schedule will conclude with the Nuggets meeting the Suns in Denver on ESPN (10:30 p.m. ET).
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
TNT will present a doubleheader as part of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 16. In the first game, the Atlanta Hawks will host the Heat in a rematch of a 2022 Eastern Conference First Round series (3:30 p.m. ET). In the second game, the teams with the two best records in the 2021-22 regular season will meet when the Suns (NBA-best 64-18 last season) visit the Grizzlies (56-26 last season) at 6 p.m. ET, marking Memphis’ 21st annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Game.
NBA TV will also televise two games on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with the Celtics visiting the Charlotte Hornets (1 p.m. ET) and the Lakers hosting the Houston Rockets (10:30 p.m. ET).
Election Day
As Election Day approaches, the NBA and its teams will continue to encourage fans to make a plan to vote and participate in the civic process. New this season, all 30 teams will play on Monday, Nov. 7, on the day before Election Day, when the NBA will help promote voter participation.
NBA Rivals Week
Classic and budding rivalries between teams and players will take center stage for NBA Rivals Week during the week of Jan. 23. A new highlight of the regular-season schedule, NBA Rivals Week, will feature 11 nationally televised games across four networks over five days from Jan. 24–28. Rivalries will be the focus of all nine games across TNT, ESPN, and ABC that week, in addition to two games on NBA TV.
The complete game and broadcast schedule for NBA Rivals Week, which will include four rematches from the 2022 NBA Playoffs, is available here.
2022 NBA Finals Rematches
The Warriors and Celtics will meet for the first time since the 2022 NBA Finals on Dec. 10 in San Francisco on ABC (8:30 p.m. ET), the first of seven regular-season games on Saturday nights at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
The second and final regular-season matchup between the two defending conference champions will occur on Jan. 19 in Boston on TNT (7:30 p.m. ET).
Final Day of Regular Season
All 30 teams will play on the final day of the regular season(April 9). The seven games between Eastern Conference teams and the one interconference game (Rockets at Washington Wizards) will begin at 1 p.m. ET, and the seven games between Western Conference teams will start at 3:30 p.m. ET. ESPN will televise a doubleheader, with the matchups to be determined at a later date.
Schedule Highlights
All 30 teams are scheduled to make at least one appearance on TNT or ESPN in the 2022-23 regular season. The NBA on TNT, ESPN, ABC, and NBA TV will present flexible scheduling throughout the regular season to provide the most compelling matchups to a national audience.
The 2023 NBA All-Star weekend will be Feb. 17-19 in Salt Lake City.
Thanks to the play of Andrew Wiggins, the Golden State Warriors are one game away from an NBA title after defeating the Boston Celtics 104-94 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals at Chase Center on Monday night.
Golden State leads the series 3-2 and can close it out in Game 6 at TD Garden in Boston on Thursday night.
Wiggins scored a team-high 26 points to go along with a game-high 13 rebounds; this is Wiggins’ second consecutive double-double as he had 17 points and 16 rebounds in Game 4.
Golden State led 75-74 heading into the fourth, and they went on a 14-4 run to take an 89-78 lead after a Wiggins driving hook shot at the 5:38 mark; the eight-year veteran capped his performance with a driving dunk over Derrick White late in the game.
Wiggins finished the fourth with 10 points(5/6 FG), five rebounds, and he was +15.
With Steph Curry’s struggles from the field(7/22 FG), including 0/9 from deep, Wiggins had to pick up the slack. According to him, carrying the load in the Finals is a dream come true.
“It’s something I dreamt about for sure, being in the league, and this is the ultimate stage,” he said. “It doesn’t get bigger than this. I was out there being aggressive. It was a good game.”
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr added on Wiggins: “He’s just been fantastic, not just in this series but throughout the playoffs.”
In this series, Wiggins is averaging 18.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game and has done it on both ends of the court. According to StatMuse, he leads the Finals with 101 contested shots. Also, he is doing a good job on Jayson Tatum, who is shooting 5-21 (23.8%) in the fourth in this series.
Defense is all about energy and effort, and Wiggins has brought that throughout this series.
“He’s embraced the challenge of consistency and what he’s capable of doing on both ends of the floor.,” Curry said. “The fact that there’s opportunity for him to do what he’s doing because of the way that we play and because of the way that we’ve embraced him from day one. Try to paint a picture of what his skill set can do for us to reach the highest level. Bottom line is he’s just having fun playing basketball.
“That’s the biggest thing. Everything he’s been through in his career. All the talk about him as the No. 1 guy, No. 2 guy, No. 1 pick, all that type of stuff, I’m sure he’s enjoying this more than anything else he’s experienced in this league. That’s kind of what it’s all about.”
In 2020, Wiggins was traded from the Timberwolves to the Warriors. Draymond Green, who had eight points, eight rebounds, and six assists in Game 5, said Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, who coached Wiggins in Minnesota, gave him the stamp of approval.
“When he first came here, and I’ll never forget, it was when Thibs [Tom Thibodeau] wasn’t with the Knicks, and Thibs was like, you’re going to love him,” Green said.
“He competes. He defends. And he was telling us Jimmy loved him. And we all know how Jimmy Butler is. If you have any softness to you, Jimmy don’t like you. That’s how Jimmy is cut. He’s continued to show that. He’s continued to get better. He’s taken on every challenge that we have thrown in front of him. And that’s been huge. And we need him to do that for one more win.”
Golden State still has to get one more, and that one more won’t be easy. Boston is a tough, resilient bunch, and they won’t fold very easily. Initially, we had the Warriors in 7, and we’re sticking to that.
Notes:
Curry streak of a 233 games(regular season and postseason) with at least one made three was snapped Monday night. This is the first time in his career that he did not make a three in a postseason game.
