Tonight’s NBA playoff slate
- The April 22 NBA playoff schedule featured No. 8 Orlando at No. 1 Detroit at 6 p.m. ET, then No. 8 Phoenix at No. 1 Oklahoma City at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. - The day’s matchups are part of eight first-round series now underway across the league. - Marcus Smart said he's “grateful” to be back in the playoffs and is helping the Lakers exceed expectations this postseason. (jsonline.com) (lebronwire.usatoday.com)
Three first-round playoff games are on Thursday, April 23, with New York at Atlanta, Cleveland at Toronto and Denver at Minnesota as every series begins to take shape. (nba.com) The Knicks and Hawks tip at 7 p.m. Eastern in Game 3 with that series tied 1-1 after Atlanta’s 107-106 win in Game 2. Cleveland visits Toronto at 8 p.m. Eastern with a 2-0 lead, and Denver plays at Minnesota at 9:30 p.m. Eastern with that series tied 1-1. (nba.com) Wednesday’s slate ended with Detroit beating Orlando 98-83 to even that Eastern Conference series at 1-1, while Oklahoma City beat Phoenix 120-107 to take a 2-0 lead in the West. (nba.com) That leaves all eight first-round matchups underway since the playoffs opened on April 18, after the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament ran from April 14 through April 17. The league is using the standard 2-2-1-1-1 format, with the better regular-season team hosting Games 1, 2, 5 and 7. (nba.com) The bracket has already split into two early patterns. Cleveland, Oklahoma City and the Los Angeles Lakers are up 2-0, while Detroit-Orlando, Boston-Philadelphia, New York-Atlanta, Denver-Minnesota and San Antonio-Portland are all level at 1-1. (espn.com) The Lakers do not play again until Friday, April 24, but Marcus Smart has become part of the postseason story after helping Los Angeles take a 2-0 lead over Houston. Smart said he was “grateful” to be back in the playoffs after what he called “a couple of dark years.” (lebronwire.usatoday.com) In Game 2 on Tuesday, April 21, Smart scored 25 points with five 3-pointers and seven assists as the short-handed Lakers beat the Rockets 101-94. LeBron James led Los Angeles with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. (espn.com) Friday’s schedule keeps that staggered rhythm going, with Boston at Philadelphia at 7 p.m. Eastern, the Lakers hosting Houston at 8 p.m. Eastern and San Antonio at Portland at 10:30 p.m. Eastern. By then, Thursday’s three games will have set the next pressure points in a bracket that is only one week old. (nba.com)
