| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | May 22 – July 20, 2021 |
| Season | 2020–21 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Milwaukee Bucks (2nd title) |
| Runner-up | Phoenix Suns |
| Semifinalists | |
The 2021 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2020–21 season. With the COVID-19 pandemic impacting the NBA for the second consecutive year, the regular season was reduced to 72 games for each team and the start date of the playoffs was moved from its usual time in mid-April to May 22, 2021. It ended with the 2021 NBA Finals in July.
The 2021 NBA Finals matchup featured the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns. The Bucks won the NBA Finals in six games after being down 0–2, their first championship since 1971.
Both the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and the 2020 NBA Finals runner-up Miami Heat lost in the first round to the eventual finalists: the Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks, respectively. The Suns advanced to their first NBA Finals since 1993 after winning the Western Conference finals against the Los Angeles Clippers in six games; the Bucks also won the Eastern Conference finals in six games, against the Atlanta Hawks to reach their first NBA Finals since 1974.[1]
It was the first year the NBA used a 20-team playoff, with a two-stage system in both conferences, with 16 of the 20 teams advancing to the second stage. The first stage, the NBA play-in games, was a four-team playoff in each conference for the No. 7 to No. 10 seeds in each conference. In this format, the No. 7 and No. 8 teams need to win one game to advance to the second stage, with a double chance, while the No. 9 and No. 10 teams need to win two games to advance, eliminated by just one loss.
Overview
Notable updates to postseason appearances
- The Portland Trail Blazers entered their eighth consecutive postseason, which was the longest active streak in the NBA until their failure to qualify the following year.
- The Boston Celtics entered their seventh consecutive postseason.
- The Utah Jazz and Milwaukee Bucks (which entered their first Finals appearance since 1974) entered their fifth consecutive postseason.
- The Philadelphia 76ers entered their fourth consecutive postseason.
- The Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets entered their third consecutive postseason.
- The Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks entered their second consecutive postseason.
- The Washington Wizards made their first postseason appearance since 2018.
- The Atlanta Hawks (which entered their first Conference finals appearance since 2015) and Memphis Grizzlies made their first postseason appearance since 2017.
- The New York Knicks made their first postseason appearance since 2013.
- The Phoenix Suns made their first postseason appearance since 2010 and their first Finals appearance since 1993.
- The Houston Rockets missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years.
- The Toronto Raptors missed the playoffs for the first time in eight years.
- The Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers missed the playoffs for the first time in six years.
- The Orlando Magic missed the playoffs for the first time in three years.
- The San Antonio Spurs returned to the postseason after missing the playoffs the previous year, but were eliminated after losing to Memphis in the first stage of the Page–McIntyre system system tournament.
- The Golden State Warriors returned to the postseason after missing the playoffs the previous year, being the first team to be eliminated from the Page–McIntyre system tournament with the double chance. They were the No. 8 seed, losing to the No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers in the first game of the first stage, then losing to No. 9 Memphis in the second game of the first stage.
Notable occurrences
- The Memphis Grizzlies became the first No. 9 seed to advance to the playoffs, defeating the Golden State Warriors in the second game of the first stage play–in.
- The Milwaukee Bucks swept the Miami Heat in the first round, marking the 45th straight year a sweep occurred in the NBA playoffs. The last year a sweep did not occur in the playoffs was 1976.
- With Miami not winning a road game, their streak of winning a road game in a playoff series ends at 23, a streak that started in 2011. This record would be surpassed by the Warriors in the following year.
- The Mavericks–Clippers series was the first of the 2021 playoffs to have a Game 7, making it the 22nd consecutive NBA postseason to feature a Game 7. The last time a Game 7 did not take place in the playoffs was 1999.
- Not counting the 2020 NBA playoffs which was held at a neutral site, the Mavericks–Clippers series was the first in NBA history where the road team won the first six games of a best–of–7 and the first since 1995 to have the road team win the first five games of a best–of–7.
- Both 2020 NBA finalists (Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat) were eliminated in the first round. This was the third time overall and the first since 2007 that this had happened, in which the Miami Heat were also one of the finalists who were eliminated.
- The Los Angeles Lakers first round loss to the Phoenix Suns marked the first time that the defending NBA champions was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs since the San Antonio Spurs in the 2015 playoffs.
- With the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Miami Heat eliminated in the first round (along with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, and Toronto Raptors failing to qualify for the playoffs), by the second round the 2021 playoffs ensured one team of its first championship in the 21st century.
- This Finals was the first since 1999 to not feature the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, or San Antonio Spurs.
- This Finals was the first since 2014 to not include Andre Iguodala, who had played in the past six finals with the Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat.
- For the first time in his 18-year career, LeBron James lost a first-round playoffs series when the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated by the Phoenix Suns in Game 6.[2]
- Damian Lillard set an NBA record of 12 three-point field goals made in a single playoff game, which was previously held by Klay Thompson in 2016.[3]
- LeBron James became the only player in NBA history to be in the playoff top 10 for all five major statistical categories (points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals).
- Chris Paul became the first player to reach 15 assists with 0 turnovers three separate times in the NBA playoffs.
- Nikola Jokić joined Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players with 30 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists in an NBA playoff game.
- Kevin Durant became the first player in NBA history with 45 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in a single playoff game. He also set an NBA record for most points in a Game 7 with 48 against the Milwaukee Bucks.[4]
- The Los Angeles Clippers became the first team in NBA history to overcome an 0–2 deficit twice in the same postseason. They also made it to the Western Conference finals for the first time in franchise history.[5]
- With the Clippers advancing to the Western Conference finals to face the Suns, this ensured that a Pacific Division team played in the NBA Finals for the seventh consecutive postseason.
- The Milwaukee Bucks won a Game 7 on the road for the first time in franchise history.
- Neither the first–seeded team nor the second-seeded team made the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight year.
- The Atlanta Hawks became the fourth team in the last 40 years to reach the conference finals with a midseason coaching replacement.
- Neither first–seeded team made the conference finals for the first time since 1994.
- Devin Booker joined Charles Barkley and LeBron James as the only players with 40–point triple–double in a conference finals game. He also joined Oscar Robertson and Luka Dončić as the only players with a 40–point triple–double before turning 25.
- Deandre Ayton became the first player in the shot–clock era with a 70+ FG% in any 12–game postseason span (min. 100 att), and the first since 1954–55 NBA season.
- Deandre Ayton became the first player in NBA history to average 15 points and 10 rebounds while shooting at least 65% from the field in a single postseason.
- Jae Crowder now owns the longest active finals streak when the Phoenix Suns made the NBA Finals, having also made it last year with Miami.
- Chris Paul became the oldest player in NBA history with 40+ points in a closeout game. He is also the second oldest player to drop 40 points in any playoff game.
- With Rajon Rondo losing in the Western Conference finals to the Suns, Shaquille O'Neal's 37–year streak of having a former teammate in the NBA Finals came to an end.
- The Phoenix Suns became the first team in NBA history to move on to the NBA Finals after missing the postseason in the prior ten seasons. They also held the worst record (.302 winning pct) in five seasons prior to an appearance in the final postseason round in the history of the NBA, NFL, NHL, or MLB.
- Both NBA finalists in the 2020–2021 season have not been in the finals for over two decades (the Suns in 1993, the Bucks in 1974).
- Trae Young became the second player in NBA history to average 28+ PPG and 9+ APG in a single playoff run (minimum 15 games, LeBron James in 2018).
- Trae Young tied LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki by scoring the 4th most points in a Conference finals game with 48 against the Milwaukee Bucks.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo became the 5th player in NBA history with 9+ 30/10 games in a single postseason since 1963.
- By winning the 2021 Eastern Conference finals, the Milwaukee Bucks are the only NBA franchise to win both the Eastern & Western Conference Titles. However, the Warriors franchise achieved the same deeds when the East and the West were called "Divisions", before they were realigned as "Conferences" in the 1970-71 expansion. Before 1970-71, the teams emerged from the East and West playoff brackets were called Eastern Divsion Champions and Western Division Champions, respectively. The Philadelphia Warriors won the Eastern Division in 1956, while the San Francisco Warriors won the Western Division in 1964 and 1967. The Golden State Warriors also won 7 conference titles after 1970-71.
- Chris Paul joins Michael Jordan as the only players with 30+ points and 9+ assists in an NBA Finals debut. Jordan accomplished this feat in 1991. He also joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Tim Duncan as players with 30+ points in an NBA Finals game age 36 or older.[6]
- Deandre Ayton became the fourth player in the shot-clock era (since 1955) with at least 20 points, 15 rebounds, and shooting 80+ FG% in an NBA Finals game (Bill Russell, Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain). Ayton joins Abdul-Jabbar as the only players to do so in their Finals debuts.
- Chris Paul scored or assisted on 54 points in Game 1, the 3rd most in an NBA Finals debut all time (Allen Iverson with 61 in 2001, Michael Jordan with 60 in 1991).
- The Phoenix Suns became the third team to make 20+ three-point shots in a Finals game, joining the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Golden State Warriors.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo joined Shaquille O'Neal as the only players with 40+ points and 10+ rebounds in back–to–back Finals games. He also scored 103 points through the first three Finals game of his career, ranking fourth behind Rick Barry (122), Allen Iverson (106), and Willis Reed (104).
- Devin Booker set a new record for most points for a player in his first NBA playoffs appearance, accumulating 601 points, overtaking Ricky Barry (521) and Julius Erving (518).
- The Suns became the first team in NBA history to lose a Finals game despite shooting better than 50% and keeping their opponent below at least 42%.
- Khris Middleton and Devin Booker became the 4th pair of opponents to put up at least 40 points in the same game.
- Devin Booker became the seventh player in NBA history to put up back–to–back 40 point games in the Finals. Booker is also the first Suns player to achieve this and is also the first overall to lose both of these games.
- Devin Booker's 82 points in Games 4 and 5 of the NBA Finals reflects the highest total of any player who lost consecutive Finals Games (John Havlicek and LeBron James each had 80 in consecutive games).
- Devin Booker joined Rick Barry as the only players to record at least ten 30 point games in their first postseason all time.
- The Suns became the first team in NBA history to lose a playoff game shooting at least 55% from the field and at least 60% from three.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton became the 2nd pair of teammates to record at least 500 points and 100 assists in a single postseason.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, and Khris Middleton became the 5th trio of teammates in NBA Finals history to record at least 25 points while shooting at least 50% from the field in the same game.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo became the 5th player in NBA Finals history to record at least 30 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, and 0 turnovers.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo became the 2nd player in NBA Finals history to record at least 3 games recording 40 points and 10 rebounds.
- With Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo winning a championship this year, they join Kostas Antetokounmpo (2020 with Los Angeles Lakers) as the only sibling trio in NBA history to win a championship.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo became the 7th player in NBA Finals history to record a 50-point game. He also tied Bob Pettit for the most points scored in a Finals closeout game.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo became the 5th player in NBA Finals history to record at least 30 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, and 0 turnovers.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo became the 1st player in NBA Finals history to record 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks in a game, then became the first to record 50 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks in a game.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded the second-most games in a single postseason scoring at least 30 points and 10 rebounds.
- Chris Paul became the 1st player in NBA history to blow four separate 2–0 series leads in a best–of–7 series.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo became the 3rd player in NBA history to win multiple regular–season MVPs, Defensive Player of the Year Award, and Finals MVP (Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Jordan)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo became the 2nd player in NBA history to win multiple regular–season MVPs and Finals MVP while playing at the power forward position (Tim Duncan).
- Giannis Antetokounmpo became the 1st player in NBA Finals history to average 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists while shooting at least 60% FG. In addition, he is the 1st player in NBA Finals history to average 30 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal while shooting at least 50% on field goals.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo became the 9th player in NBA history to win multiple MVPs and a Finals MVP. He joins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Tim Duncan as the only ones to do so at 26 years old or younger.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo became the first player in NBA history with 5 All-Star selections, 5 All-NBA selections, multiple MVPs, 1 Finals MVP, and 1 DPOY before turning 27 years old.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo tied Kevin Durant by averaging the 5th most PPG in an NBA Finals win with 35.2 (Durant averaged 35.2 PPG in 2017).
- Giannis Antetokounmpo became the 1st player in NBA history to win Most Improved Player, MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo became the fourth international player and third European player to win the Finals MVP, joining Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria) in 1994 and 1995, Tony Parker (France) in 2007, and Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) in 2011.
- The Milwaukee Bucks became the fifth team in NBA Finals history to overcome an 0–2 deficit and win the title. They also became the third team to win 4 consecutive games after being down 0–2. The last team to accomplish this feat is the 2006 Miami Heat.
- The Milwaukee Bucks became the second team in NBA playoff history to overcome an 0–2 deficit twice in the same postseason (2021 Los Angeles Clippers).
- The Milwaukee Bucks became the first team below the 2nd seed to win a championship since the Dallas Mavericks in 2011.
Format
The NBA Board of Governors approved a format for the 2020–21 season to have a play-in tournament involving the teams that ranked 7th through 10th in each conference. The 7th place team and 8th place team participate in the double-chance game, with the winner advancing to the playoffs as the 7-seed. The loser then plays the winner of the elimination game between the 9th place and 10th place teams to determine the playoff's 8-seed. The NBA's regular playoff format would then proceed as normal.[7]
Under the NBA's regular playoff format, the eight teams with the most wins in each conference qualified for the playoffs. The seedings were based on each team's record. Each conference's bracket was fixed; there was no reseeding. All rounds were best-of-seven series; the series ended when one team won four games, and that team advanced to the next round. All rounds, including the NBA Finals, were in a 2–2–1–1–1 format. In the conference playoffs, home court advantage went to the higher-seeded team (number one being the highest). Seeding was based on each team's regular season record within a conference; if two teams had the same record, standard tiebreaker rules were used. Conference seedings were ignored for the NBA Finals: Home court advantage went to the team with the better regular season record, and, if needed, ties were broken based on head-to-head record, followed by intra-conference record.
Playoff qualifying
On April 25, 2021, the Utah Jazz became the first team to clinch a playoff spot.[8] While noted in the below tables, division titles have no bearing on seeding.[9]
Eastern Conference
| Seed | Team | Record | Clinched | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play-in berth | Playoff berth | Division title | Best record in conference | Best record in NBA | |||
| 1 | Philadelphia 76ers | 49–23 | — | April 28[10] | May 14[11] | May 14[11] | — |
| 2 | Brooklyn Nets | 48–24 | — | April 27[12] | — | — | — |
| 3 | Milwaukee Bucks | 46–26 | — | May 4[13] | April 30[14] | — | — |
| 4 | New York Knicks | 41–31 | — | May 12[15] | — | — | — |
| 5 | Atlanta Hawks | 41–31 | — | May 12[15] | May 15[16] | — | — |
| 6 | Miami Heat | 40–32 | — | May 11[17] | — | — | — |
| 7 | Boston Celtics | 36–36 | May 12[15] | May 18[18] | — | — | — |
| 8 | Washington Wizards | 34–38 | May 14[19] | May 20[20] | — | — | — |
Indiana (34–38) and Charlotte (33–39) also secured play-in berths but did not advance to the playoffs.[21]
Western Conference
| Seed | Team | Record | Clinched | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play-in berth | Playoff berth | Division title | Best record in conference | Best record in NBA | |||
| 1 | Utah Jazz | 52–20 | — | April 25[8] | May 7[22] | May 16[23] | May 16[23] |
| 2 | Phoenix Suns | 51–21 | — | April 28[24] | May 14[25] | — | — |
| 3 | Denver Nuggets | 47–25 | — | May 3[26] | — | — | — |
| 4 | Los Angeles Clippers | 47–25 | — | May 3[27] | — | — | — |
| 5 | Dallas Mavericks | 42–30 | — | May 14[28] | May 7[29] | — | — |
| 6 | Portland Trail Blazers | 42–30 | — | May 16[30] | — | — | — |
| 7 | Los Angeles Lakers | 42–30 | May 16[30] | May 19[31] | — | — | — |
| 8 | Memphis Grizzlies | 38–34 | May 10[32] | May 21[33] | — | — | — |
Golden State (39–33) and San Antonio (33–39) also secured play-in berths but did not advance to the playoffs.[21]
Bracket
Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Teams with home court advantage, the higher seeded team, are shown in italics.
| First round | Conference semifinals | Conference finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Philadelphia* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E8 | Washington | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Philadelphia* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Atlanta* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | New York | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Atlanta* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Atlanta* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Milwaukee* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Milwaukee* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E6 | Miami | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Milwaukee* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Brooklyn | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Brooklyn | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E7 | Boston | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Milwaukee* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Phoenix* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Utah* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W8 | Memphis | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Utah* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | LA Clippers | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | LA Clippers | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Dallas* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | LA Clippers | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Phoenix* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Denver | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Portland | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Denver | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Phoenix* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Phoenix* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W7 | LA Lakers | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
- * Division winner
- Bold Series winner
- Italic Team with home-court advantage
First round
- Note: Times are EDT (UTC−4) as listed by NBA. If the venue is located in a different time zone, the local time is also given.
Eastern Conference first round
(1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (8) Washington Wizards
May 23 1:00pm |
| Washington Wizards 118, Philadelphia 76ers 125 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–27, 34–34, 31–38, 25–26 | ||
| Pts: Bradley Beal 33 Rebs: Bradley Beal 10 Asts: Russell Westbrook 14 |
Pts: Tobias Harris 37 Rebs: Ben Simmons 15 Asts: Ben Simmons 15 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 | ||
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA Attendance: 11,160 Referees: Eric Lewis, Pat Fraher, Kevin Cutler |
May 26 7:00pm |
| Washington Wizards 95, Philadelphia 76ers 120 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–35, 33–36, 23–23, 15–26 | ||
| Pts: Bradley Beal 33 Rebs: Rui Hachimura 7 Asts: Russell Westbrook 11 |
Pts: Simmons, Embiid 22 each Rebs: Dwight Howard 11 Asts: Ben Simmons 8 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 2–0 | ||
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA Attendance: 11,160 Referees: Marc Davis, Kevin Scott, Jacyn Goble |
May 29 7:00pm |
| Philadelphia 76ers 132, Washington Wizards 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 36–28, 36–30, 37–28, 23–17 | ||
| Pts: Joel Embiid 36 Rebs: Tobias Harris 13 Asts: Ben Simmons 9 |
Pts: Russell Westbrook 26 Rebs: Russell Westbrook 12 Asts: Russell Westbrook 10 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 3–0 | ||
Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C. Attendance: 10,665 Referees: James Capers, Ben Taylor, Michael Smith |
May 31 7:00pm |
| Philadelphia 76ers 114, Washington Wizards 122 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–28, 30–32, 19–32, 34–30 | ||
| Pts: Tobias Harris 21 Rebs: Tobias Harris 13 Asts: Tobias Harris 5 |
Pts: Bradley Beal 27 Rebs: Russell Westbrook 21 Asts: Russell Westbrook 14 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 3–1 | ||
Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C. Attendance: 10,665 Referees: Kane Fitzgerald, Courtney Kirkland, Sean Corbin |
June 2 7:00pm |
| Washington Wizards 112, Philadelphia 76ers 129 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–29, 34–36, 31–38, 18–26 | ||
| Pts: Bradley Beal 32 Rebs: Russell Westbrook 8 Asts: Russell Westbrook 10 |
Pts: Seth Curry 30 Rebs: Ben Simmons 10 Asts: Ben Simmons 11 | |
| Philadelphia wins series, 4–1 | ||
| Philadelphia won 3–0 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||
This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the 76ers winning three of the first five meetings.[34]
| Philadelphia leads 3–2 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(2) Brooklyn Nets vs. (7) Boston Celtics
May 22 8:00pm |
| Boston Celtics 93, Brooklyn Nets 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–16, 32–31, 20–31, 20–26 | ||
| Pts: Jayson Tatum 22 Rebs: Tristan Thompson 10 Asts: Smart, Tatum 5 each |
Pts: Kevin Durant 32 Rebs: Kevin Durant 12 Asts: James Harden 8 | |
| Brooklyn leads series, 1–0 | ||
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York City Attendance: 14,391 Referees: Josh Tiven, Courtney Kirkland, Scott Wall |
May 25 7:30pm |
| Boston Celtics 108, Brooklyn Nets 130 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–40, 21–31, 35–38, 26–21 | ||
| Pts: Marcus Smart 19 Rebs: Tristan Thompson 11 Asts: Kemba Walker 7 |
Pts: Kevin Durant 26 Rebs: Brown, Durant 8 each Asts: James Harden 7 | |
| Brooklyn leads series, 2–0 | ||
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York City Attendance: 14,774 Referees: James Capers, Ken Mauer, Sean Corbin |
May 28 8:30pm |
| Brooklyn Nets 119, Boston Celtics 125 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–33, 25–28, 27–35, 35–29 | ||
| Pts: James Harden 41 Rebs: Kevin Durant 9 Asts: James Harden 10 |
Pts: Jayson Tatum 50 Rebs: Tristan Thompson 13 Asts: Jayson Tatum 7 | |
| Brooklyn leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 30 7:00pm |
| Brooklyn Nets 141, Boston Celtics 126 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–34, 40–26, 39–31, 29–35 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Durant 42 Rebs: Kyrie Irving 11 Asts: James Harden 18 |
Pts: Jayson Tatum 40 Rebs: Jayson Tatum 7 Asts: Marcus Smart 9 | |
| Brooklyn leads series, 3–1 | ||
June 1 7:30pm |
| Boston Celtics 109, Brooklyn Nets 123 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–31, 27–28, 28–27, 30–37 | ||
| Pts: Jayson Tatum 32 Rebs: Tatum, Thompson 9 each Asts: Jayson Tatum 5 |
Pts: James Harden 34 Rebs: James Harden 10 Asts: James Harden 10 | |
| Brooklyn wins series, 4–1 | ||
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York City Attendance: 14,993 Referees: Zach Zarba, Ben Taylor, Michael Smith |
| Brooklyn won 3–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, but the first since the New Jersey Nets relocated to Brooklyn and became the Brooklyn Nets in 2012, with the Nets winning the first two meetings.[35]
| Brooklyn leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(3) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (6) Miami Heat
May 22 2:00pm (1:00 pm CDT) |
| Miami Heat 107, Milwaukee Bucks 109 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 26–31, 28–27, 21–19, Overtime: 8–10 | ||
| Pts: Goran Dragić 25 Rebs: Adebayo, Ariza 12 each Asts: Jimmy Butler 8 |
Pts: Khris Middleton 27 Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 18 Asts: Khris Middleton 6 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 1–0 | ||
The Bucks struggled offensively against Miami, shooting only 16% (5–31) on three-point shots. The game went into overtime thanks to a game-tying, buzzer-beating layup by Jimmy Butler, but Milwaukee was able to pull away and win on a Khris Middleton jump shot, made with only 0.5 seconds left.
May 24 7:30pm (6:30 pm CDT) |
| Miami Heat 98, Milwaukee Bucks 132 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–46, 31–32, 27–29, 20–25 | ||
| Pts: Dewayne Dedmon 19 Rebs: Dewayne Dedmon 9 Asts: Adebayo, Butler, Dragić 4 each |
Pts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 31 Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 13 Asts: Jrue Holiday 15 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–0 | ||
The Bucks erupted for 46 points in the first quarter, setting a new franchise playoff record, en route to a dominating 132–98 victory. The Bucks would make 22 three-pointers, after making only 5 in game 1.
May 27 6:30pm |
| Milwaukee Bucks 113, Miami Heat 84 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–14, 23–22, 37–24, 27–24 | ||
| Pts: Khris Middleton 22 Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 17 Asts: Jrue Holiday 12 |
Pts: Jimmy Butler 19 Rebs: Adebayo, Butler 8 each Asts: Jimmy Butler 6 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 3–0 | ||
The Bucks would cruise to another convincing victory in game 3, to take a commanding 3–0 series lead on Miami. In games 2 & 3, the Heat led for only :17, out of 96 minutes of game time.
May 29 12:30pm |
| Milwaukee Bucks 120, Miami Heat 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 35–38, 34–21, 29–18 | ||
| Pts: Brook Lopez 25 Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 12 Asts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 15 |
Pts: Bam Adebayo 20 Rebs: Bam Adebayo 14 Asts: Jimmy Butler 10 | |
| Milwaukee wins series, 4–0 | ||
Though Miami built a 7-point lead at halftime, the Bucks went on a 24–6 run in the third quarter to take a lead they would not relinquish, leading to a four-game sweep of the Heat.
| Milwaukee won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Heat winning the first two meetings.[36]
| Miami leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(4) New York Knicks vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks
May 23 7:00pm |
| Atlanta Hawks 107, New York Knicks 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–16, 28–34, 19–23, 36–32 | ||
| Pts: Trae Young 32 Rebs: Clint Capela 13 Asts: Trae Young 10 |
Pts: Alec Burks 27 Rebs: Julius Randle 12 Asts: Derrick Rose 5 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 1–0 | ||
Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY Attendance: 15,047 Referees: Tony Brothers, Ed Malloy, Derrick Collins |
May 26 7:30pm |
| Atlanta Hawks 92, New York Knicks 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–20, 30–24, 18–32, 17–25 | ||
| Pts: Trae Young 30 Rebs: Clint Capela 12 Asts: Trae Young 7 |
Pts: Derrick Rose 26 Rebs: Julius Randle 12 Asts: Rose, Randle 4 each | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY Attendance: 16,254 Referees: David Guthrie, Rodney Mott, Tom Washington |
May 28 7:00pm |
| New York Knicks 94, Atlanta Hawks 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–29, 13–29, 28–28, 22–19 | ||
| Pts: Derrick Rose 30 Rebs: Julius Randle 11 Asts: Derrick Rose 5 |
Pts: Trae Young 21 Rebs: Clint Capela 12 Asts: Trae Young 14 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 30 1:00pm |
| New York Knicks 96, Atlanta Hawks 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–25, 23–28, 22–35, 25–25 | ||
| Pts: Julius Randle 23 Rebs: Julius Randle 10 Asts: Julius Randle 7 |
Pts: Trae Young 27 Rebs: Clint Capela 15 Asts: Trae Young 9 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 3–1 | ||
June 2 7:30pm |
| Atlanta Hawks 103, New York Knicks 89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–21, 31–26, 22–15, 29–27 | ||
| Pts: Trae Young 36 Rebs: Clint Capela 15 Asts: Trae Young 9 |
Pts: Julius Randle 23 Rebs: Julius Randle 13 Asts: Rose, Barrett 5 each | |
| Atlanta wins series, 4–1 | ||
Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY Attendance: 16,512 Referees: Kane Fitzgerald, Courtney Kirkland, Brian Forte |
In Game 1, Trae Young hits the game-winning floater with 0.9 seconds left.
| New York won 3–0 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Knicks winning the first two meetings.[37]
| New York leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Western Conference first round
(1) Utah Jazz vs. (8) Memphis Grizzlies
May 23 9:30pm (7:30 pm MDT) |
| Memphis Grizzlies 112, Utah Jazz 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–24, 32–19, 34–31, 29–35 | ||
| Pts: Dillon Brooks 31 Rebs: Jonas Valančiūnas 13 Asts: Ja Morant 4 |
Pts: Bojan Bogdanović 29 Rebs: Rudy Gobert 15 Asts: Mike Conley Jr. 11 | |
| Memphis leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 26 10:00pm (8:00 pm MDT) |
| Memphis Grizzlies 129, Utah Jazz 141 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–36, 27–38, 43–29, 32–38 | ||
| Pts: Ja Morant 47 Rebs: Valančiūnas, Anderson 6 each Asts: Ja Morant 7 |
Pts: Donovan Mitchell 25 Rebs: Rudy Gobert 13 Asts: Mike Conley Jr. 15 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Vivint Arena, Salt Lake City, UT Attendance: 14,200 Referees: Kane Fitzgerald, James Williams, JB DeRosa |
May 29 9:30pm (8:30 pm CDT) |
| Utah Jazz 121, Memphis Grizzlies 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–22, 28–29, 34–34, 25–26 | ||
| Pts: Donovan Mitchell 29 Rebs: Rudy Gobert 14 Asts: Mike Conley Jr. 8 |
Pts: Ja Morant 28 Rebs: Valančiūnas, Anderson 13 each Asts: Ja Morant 7 | |
| Utah leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 31 9:30pm (8:30 pm CDT) |
| Utah Jazz 120, Memphis Grizzlies 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–31, 25–23, 41–33, 20–26 | ||
| Pts: Donovan Mitchell 30 Rebs: Royce O'Neale 9 Asts: Donovan Mitchell 8 |
Pts: Ja Morant 23 Rebs: Jonas Valančiūnas 12 Asts: Ja Morant 12 | |
| Utah leads series, 3–1 | ||
June 2 9:30pm (7:30 pm MDT) |
| Memphis Grizzlies 110, Utah Jazz 126 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–47, 24–28, 25–31, 34–20 | ||
| Pts: Brooks, Morant 27 each Rebs: Jackson Jr., Morant 7 each Asts: Ja Morant 11 |
Pts: Donovan Mitchell 30 Rebs: Rudy Gobert 15 Asts: Donovan Mitchell 10 | |
| Utah wins series, 4–1 | ||
| Utah won 3–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Jazz and the Grizzlies.[38]
(2) Phoenix Suns vs. (7) Los Angeles Lakers
May 23 3:30pm (12:30pm MST) |
| Los Angeles Lakers 90, Phoenix Suns 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–32, 20–21, 23–28, 22–18 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 18 Rebs: Andre Drummond 9 Asts: LeBron James 10 |
Pts: Devin Booker 34 Rebs: Deandre Ayton 16 Asts: Booker, Paul 8 each | |
| Phoenix leads series, 1–0 | ||
Phoenix Suns Arena, Phoenix, AZ Attendance: 11,824 Referees: Kane Fitzgerald, Bill Kennedy, Rodney Mott |
May 25 10:00pm (7:00pm MST) |
| Los Angeles Lakers 109, Phoenix Suns 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–24, 23–23, 26–25, 30–30 | ||
| Pts: Anthony Davis 34 Rebs: Andre Drummond 12 Asts: LeBron James 9 |
Pts: Devin Booker 31 Rebs: Deandre Ayton 10 Asts: Cameron Payne 7 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
May 27 10:00pm (7:00pm PDT) |
| Phoenix Suns 95, Los Angeles Lakers 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–27, 12–16, 23–33, 32–33 | ||
| Pts: Deandre Ayton 22 Rebs: Deandre Ayton 11 Asts: Booker, Paul, Payne 6 each |
Pts: Anthony Davis 34 Rebs: Davis, Drummond 11 each Asts: LeBron James 9 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–1 | ||
May 30 3:30pm (12:30pm PDT) |
| Phoenix Suns 100, Los Angeles Lakers 92 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–24, 31–26, 27–15, 19–27 | ||
| Pts: Chris Paul 18 Rebs: Deandre Ayton 17 Asts: Chris Paul 9 |
Pts: LeBron James 25 Rebs: LeBron James 12 Asts: LeBron James 6 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
June 1 10:00pm (7:00pm MST) |
| Los Angeles Lakers 85, Phoenix Suns 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–34, 10–32, 27–26, 22–23 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 24 Rebs: Andre Drummond 13 Asts: LeBron James 7 |
Pts: Devin Booker 30 Rebs: Ayton, Booker, Craig 7 each Asts: Chris Paul 6 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 3–2 | ||
June 3 10:30pm (7:30pm PDT) |
| Phoenix Suns 113, Los Angeles Lakers 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 36–14, 26–27, 27–35, 24–24 | ||
| Pts: Devin Booker 47 Rebs: Devin Booker 11 Asts: Chris Paul 12 |
Pts: LeBron James 29 Rebs: LeBron James 9 Asts: Gasol, James 7 each | |
| Phoenix wins series, 4–2 | ||
| Phoenix won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the 13th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning eight of the first 12 meetings.[39]
| LA Lakers leads 8–4 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(3) Denver Nuggets vs. (6) Portland Trail Blazers
May 22 10:30pm (8:30 pm MDT) |
| Portland Trail Blazers 123, Denver Nuggets 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–30, 23–31, 38–25, 27–23 | ||
| Pts: Damian Lillard 34 Rebs: Jusuf Nurkić 12 Asts: Damian Lillard 13 |
Pts: Nikola Jokić 34 Rebs: Nikola Jokić 16 Asts: Campazzo, Morris 5 each | |
| Portland leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 24 10:00pm (8:00pm MDT) |
| Portland Trail Blazers 109, Denver Nuggets 128 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–31, 36–42, 26–28, 22–27 | ||
| Pts: Damian Lillard 42 Rebs: Jusuf Nurkić 13 Asts: Damian Lillard 10 |
Pts: Nikola Jokić 38 Rebs: Nikola Jokić 8 Asts: Monté Morris 7 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
May 27 10:30pm (7:30pm PDT) |
| Denver Nuggets 120, Portland Trail Blazers 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 39–30, 25–29, 20–20, 36–36 | ||
| Pts: Nikola Jokić 36 Rebs: Nikola Jokić 11 Asts: Facundo Campazzo 8 |
Pts: Damian Lillard 37 Rebs: Jusuf Nurkić 13 Asts: Jusuf Nurkić 6 | |
| Denver leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 29 4:00pm (1:00pm PDT) |
| Denver Nuggets 95, Portland Trail Blazers 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–32, 23–25, 19–36, 29–22 | ||
| Pts: Nikola Jokić 16 Rebs: Nikola Jokić 9 Asts: Facundo Campazzo 7 |
Pts: Norman Powell 29 Rebs: Robert Covington 9 Asts: Damian Lillard 10 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
June 1 9:00pm (7:00pm MDT) |
| Portland Trail Blazers 140, Denver Nuggets 147 (2OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–38, 37–27, 32–27, 27–29, Overtime: 14–14, 5–12 | ||
| Pts: Damian Lillard 55 Rebs: Covington, Nurkić 11 each Asts: Damian Lillard 10 |
Pts: Nikola Jokić 38 Rebs: Michael Porter Jr. 12 Asts: Nikola Jokić 9 | |
| Denver leads series, 3–2 | ||
June 3 8:00pm (5:00pm PDT) |
| Denver Nuggets 126, Portland Trail Blazers 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–33, 32–35, 37–33, 28–14 | ||
| Pts: Nikola Jokić 36 Rebs: JaMychal Green 9 Asts: Monté Morris 9 |
Pts: Damian Lillard 28 Rebs: Robert Covington 10 Asts: Damian Lillard 13 | |
| Denver wins series, 4–2 | ||
| Denver won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with Portland winning two of the first three meetings.[40]
| Portland leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(4) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (5) Dallas Mavericks
May 22 4:30pm (1:30 pm PDT) |
| Dallas Mavericks 113, Los Angeles Clippers 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–30, 27–25, 26–25, 27–23 | ||
| Pts: Luka Dončić 31 Rebs: Luka Dončić 10 Asts: Luka Dončić 11 |
Pts: Kawhi Leonard 26 Rebs: Kawhi Leonard 10 Asts: George, Leonard 5 each | |
| Dallas leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 25 10:30pm (7:30pm PDT) |
| Dallas Mavericks 127, Los Angeles Clippers 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–33, 36–40, 30–19, 26–29 | ||
| Pts: Luka Dončić 39 Rebs: Luka Dončić 7 Asts: Luka Dončić 7 |
Pts: Kawhi Leonard 41 Rebs: Paul George 12 Asts: Rajon Rondo 7 | |
| Dallas leads series, 2–0 | ||
May 28 9:30pm (8:30pm CDT) |
| Los Angeles Clippers 118, Dallas Mavericks 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–34, 32–27, 26–25, 29–22 | ||
| Pts: Kawhi Leonard 36 Rebs: Kawhi Leonard 8 Asts: Rajon Rondo 8 |
Pts: Luka Dončić 44 Rebs: Luka Dončić 9 Asts: Luka Dončić 9 | |
| Dallas leads series, 2–1 | ||
American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX Attendance: 17,705 Referees: Kane Fitzgerald, Courtney Kirkland, Mark Lindsay |
May 30 9:30pm (8:30pm CDT) |
| Los Angeles Clippers 106, Dallas Mavericks 81 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–22, 30–23, 21–15, 24–21 | ||
| Pts: Kawhi Leonard 29 Rebs: Kawhi Leonard 10 Asts: Rajon Rondo 4 |
Pts: Luka Dončić 19 Rebs: Dorian Finney-Smith 8 Asts: Luka Dončić 6 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
June 2 10:00pm (7:00pm PDT) |
| Dallas Mavericks 105, Los Angeles Clippers 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–28, 21–26, 33–21, 16–25 | ||
| Pts: Luka Dončić 42 Rebs: Luka Dončić 8 Asts: Luka Dončić 14 |
Pts: Paul George 23 Rebs: Ivica Zubac 11 Asts: George, Rondo 6 each | |
| Dallas leads series, 3–2 | ||
June 4 9:00pm (8:00pm CDT) |
| Los Angeles Clippers 104, Dallas Mavericks 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 22–17, 25–32, 31–20 | ||
| Pts: Kawhi Leonard 45 Rebs: Paul George 13 Asts: Paul George 6 |
Pts: Luka Dončić 29 Rebs: Boban Marjanović 9 Asts: Luka Dončić 11 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
June 6 3:30pm (12:30pm PDT) |
| Dallas Mavericks 111, Los Angeles Clippers 126 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 38–35, 24–35, 23–30, 26–26 | ||
| Pts: Luka Dončić 46 Rebs: Kristaps Porziņģis 11 Asts: Luka Dončić 14 |
Pts: Kawhi Leonard 28 Rebs: Kawhi Leonard 10 Asts: Paul George 10 | |
| LA Clippers win series, 4–3 | ||
| Dallas won 2–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Clippers winning the first meeting.[41]
| LA Clippers leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Conference semifinals
- Note: Times are EDT (UTC−4) as listed by NBA. If the venue is located in a different time zone, the local time is also given.
Eastern Conference semifinals
This was the first time both Conference semifinals went seven games since 2001.
(1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks
June 6 1:00pm |
| Atlanta Hawks 128, Philadelphia 76ers 124 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 42–27, 32–27, 25–29, 29–41 | ||
| Pts: Trae Young 35 Rebs: Clint Capela 10 Asts: Trae Young 10 |
Pts: Joel Embiid 39 Rebs: Tobias Harris 10 Asts: Ben Simmons 10 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 1–0 | ||
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA Attendance: 18,624 Referees: James Capers, Ben Taylor, Tom Washington |
The Atlanta Hawks dominated during the early part of the game, leading by as much as 26 points. However, the 76ers performed a major rally, eventually cutting the deficit to just 3 points with a minute left in regulation. 20 seconds later, Bogdan Bogdanovic hit a clutch 3, but the 76ers would make it a 3-point game again with 28.7 seconds left. Joel Embiid then committed a clear path foul, giving Atlanta 2 free throws and possession of the ball. The Hawks sealed the game with Trae Young's alley-oop assist to John Collins. Trae Young secured a double-double with 35 points and 10 assists for The Hawks. Joel Embiid scored 39 points for the 76ers.
June 8 7:30pm |
| Atlanta Hawks 102, Philadelphia 76ers 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–33, 35–24, 29–34, 18–27 | ||
| Pts: Gallinari, Young 21 each Rebs: John Collins 10 Asts: Trae Young 11 |
Pts: Joel Embiid 40 Rebs: Joel Embiid 13 Asts: Danny Green 8 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA Attendance: 18,624 Referees: Scott Foster, Tony Brothers, Ken Mauer |
After the 76ers started the game up 20–4 with 6 minutes left in the 1st quarter, the Hawks rallied and the game remained close until the start of the 4th quarter, in which the 76ers blew the game open with a 14–0 run, resulting in the series being tied at a game apiece. Joel Embiid secured a double-double with 40 points and 13 rebounds, while Danny Green had 8 assists. Trae Young also scored a double-double with 21 points and 11 assists while John Collins grabbed 10 rebounds.
June 11 7:30pm |
| Philadelphia 76ers 127, Atlanta Hawks 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–20, 33–36, 34–19, 32–36 | ||
| Pts: Joel Embiid 27 Rebs: Joel Embiid 9 Asts: Joel Embiid 8 |
Pts: Trae Young 28 Rebs: Clint Capela 16 Asts: Trae Young 8 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 2–1 | ||
The 76ers cruised their way to victory throughout the entire game thanks in part to Joel Embiid's 27 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists. Trae Young scored 28 points and 8 assists in the losing effort for the Hawks.
June 14 7:30pm |
| Philadelphia 76ers 100, Atlanta Hawks 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–20, 34–29, 20–31, 18–23 | ||
| Pts: Tobias Harris 20 Rebs: Joel Embiid 21 Asts: Ben Simmons 9 |
Pts: Trae Young 25 Rebs: Clint Capela 13 Asts: Trae Young 18 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Despite being down by 18, the Atlanta Hawks staged a comeback, eventually taking their first lead since the 1st quarter at the start of the 4th quarter. The 76ers were up by 4 with 2:20 left in the 4th quarter, but the Hawks responded with a 7–0 run, leading by 3 with 49.6 seconds left. After Embiid got fouled and made both free throws to make it 101-100, and a turnover by John Collins, the 76ers had a chance at leading the series 3 games to 1. Embiid's go-ahead shot fell short and the ball went out of bounds, last touched by Ben Simmons, giving Atlanta the ball with 8.2 seconds left. After Trae Young made both of his free throws to make it a 3-point game, the 76ers had 6.6 seconds left to tie it, but Seth Curry's game-tying 3-pointer was no good, giving Atlanta the comeback victory.
June 16 7:30pm |
| Atlanta Hawks 109, Philadelphia 76ers 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–38, 16–24, 29–25, 40–19 | ||
| Pts: Trae Young 39 Rebs: John Collins 11 Asts: Trae Young 7 |
Pts: Joel Embiid 37 Rebs: Joel Embiid 13 Asts: Ben Simmons 9 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 3–2 | ||
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA Attendance: 18,624 Referees: David Guthrie, Eric Lewis, Bill Kennedy |
In the pivotal Game 5, the 76ers appeared to be on their way to victory, leading by as much as 26 points and with a 99.7% win probability according to ESPN.[42] However, the Hawks, who came back from down 18 in the previous game, performed one of the most memorable comebacks in NBA Playoffs history. The Sixers were still up 104–94 with 4 minutes left in the game, only for the Hawks to respond with a 13–0 run to take a 3-point lead with 50 seconds left, their first lead of the entire game.
With 12 seconds left, a blocking foul by Danilo Gallinari sent Joel Embiid to the line with the Hawks leading by 3. He missed both free throws and Atlanta then had possession of the ball. Trae Young sealed it with 2 clutch free throws, and Seth Curry then made a meaningless basket to make the final score 109–106 in favor the Hawks, who were now one game away from their first conference finals berth since 2015. Once the final buzzer sounded, the 76ers' faithful booed their entire team off the floor due to the collapse.
Trae Young led the Hawks' comeback victory with 39 points and 7 assists.
The Hawks became the 6th team in NBA Playoffs history to win a playoff game after trailing by 18+ points entering the 4th quarter in the shot clock era.
June 18 7:30pm |
| Philadelphia 76ers 104, Atlanta Hawks 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–29, 25–22, 33–25, 24–23 | ||
| Pts: Curry, Harris 24 each Rebs: Joel Embiid 13 Asts: Ben Simmons 5 |
Pts: Trae Young 34 Rebs: Capela, Huerter 11 each Asts: Trae Young 12 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
With the Hawks looking to advance to the Eastern Conference finals on their home floor, they led by as much as 12 points during the 2nd quarter. But the 76ers, who were trying to stave off elimination after back-to-back collapses, managed to take control of the game. However, the game once again would go down to the wire, as the Sixers were up 94–87 with 3 minutes left. The Hawks responded with 2 three-pointers from Gallinari and Young, who cut the deficit to one with 1:59 left in the 4th quarter. The lights at State Farm Arena went out, causing a one-minute delay. Once the lights came back on, Philadelphia immediately responded by preserving the lead as Tobias Harris would make 2 game-sealing free throws to send the series back to Philadelphia for Game 7 on Sunday night.
June 20 8:00pm |
| Atlanta Hawks 103, Philadelphia 76ers 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–28, 23–18, 28–25, 27–25 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Huerter 27 Rebs: John Collins 16 Asts: Trae Young 10 |
Pts: Joel Embiid 31 Rebs: Tobias Harris 14 Asts: Ben Simmons 13 | |
| Atlanta wins series, 4–3 | ||
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA Attendance: 18,624 Referees: James Capers, Kane Fitzgerald, Sean Wright |
In front of a loud Wells Fargo Center, Game 7 was a deadlocked affair, with neither team able to gain a double-digit lead. The game and the serie once again came down to the wire. With 1:12 left in the 4th quarter, the Hawks were leading, 93–92, and had the ball. Kevin Huerter attempted a 3-point shot that missed, but was fouled by Matisse Thybulle, sending him to the line where he made 3 free throws. On the next possession, Danilo Gallinari stripped Joel Embiid of the ball and then dunked to make it 98–92 in favor of the Hawks, who from that point on had complete control of the game. The Atlanta Hawks upset the top-seeded 76ers to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 6 years.
Kevin Huerter was the Hawks' top scorer with 27 points, John Collins grabbed 16 rebounds and Trae Young had 10 assists.
For the Sixers, Joel Embiid scored 31 points, while Tobias Harris grabbed 14 rebounds.
Ben Simmons' Game 7 performance was criticized as he scored only 5 points with 13 assists. With 3:30 left in the 4th quarter and the Sixers down 2, Simmons passed up a wide open dunk and instead passed to Matisse Thybulle, who got fouled and split the free throws. Sixers' coach Doc Rivers was asked in his post-game conference if Simmons could be the point guard of a championship team, with Rivers responding "I don't know the answer to that right now". Joel Embiid cited the decision as the turning point of the game.
Eventually it would be Ben Simmons, Andre Drummond & Seth Curry's last playoff game as a 76er, as all of them were traded to the Brooklyn Nets on February 10, 2022.
| Philadelphia won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the 76ers winning both previous meetings.[43]
| Philadelphia leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(2) Brooklyn Nets vs. (3) Milwaukee Bucks
June 5 7:30pm |
| Milwaukee Bucks 107, Brooklyn Nets 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–30, 29–33, 23–35, 23–17 | ||
| Pts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 34 Rebs: Khris Middleton 13 Asts: Jrue Holiday 6 |
Pts: Kevin Durant 29 Rebs: Blake Griffin 14 Asts: Kyrie Irving 8 | |
| Brooklyn leads series, 1–0 | ||
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York City Attendance: 15,750 Referees: David Guthrie, Bill Kennedy, Mark Lindsay |
June 7 7:30pm |
| Milwaukee Bucks 86, Brooklyn Nets 125 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–36, 22–29, 24–30, 21–30 | ||
| Pts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 18 Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 11 Asts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 4 |
Pts: Kevin Durant 32 Rebs: Blake Griffin 8 Asts: Durant, Irving 6 each | |
| Brooklyn leads series, 2–0 | ||
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York City Attendance: 15,776 Referees: Kane Fitzgerald, Pat Fraher, James Williams |
June 10 7:30pm (6:30pm CDT) |
| Brooklyn Nets 83, Milwaukee Bucks 86 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 11–30, 31–15, 23–22, 18–19 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Durant 30 Rebs: Brown, Durant 11 each Asts: Kevin Durant 5 |
Pts: Khris Middleton 35 Rebs: Khris Middleton 15 Asts: Jrue Holiday 5 | |
| Brooklyn leads series, 2–1 | ||
June 13 3:00pm (2:00pm CDT) |
| Brooklyn Nets 96, Milwaukee Bucks 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–23, 22–30, 21–28, 27–26 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Durant 28 Rebs: Kevin Durant 13 Asts: Kevin Durant 5 |
Pts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 34 Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 12 Asts: Jrue Holiday 9 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
June 15 8:30pm |
| Milwaukee Bucks 108, Brooklyn Nets 114 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–15, 30–28, 28–38, 21–33 | ||
| Pts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 34 Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 12 Asts: Jrue Holiday 8 |
Pts: Kevin Durant 49 Rebs: Kevin Durant 17 Asts: Kevin Durant 10 | |
| Brooklyn leads series, 3–2 | ||
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York City Attendance: 16,067 Referees: James Capers, Ken Mauer, Ben Taylor |
June 17 8:30pm (7:30pm CDT) |
| Brooklyn Nets 89, Milwaukee Bucks 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–26, 29–33, 19–19, 22–26 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Durant 32 Rebs: Kevin Durant 11 Asts: James Harden 7 |
Pts: Khris Middleton 38 Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 17 Asts: Holiday, Middleton 5 each | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI Attendance: 16,310 Referees: Zach Zarba, Kane Fitzgerald, Courtney Kirkland |
June 19 8:30pm |
| Milwaukee Bucks 115, Brooklyn Nets 111 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–28, 22–25, 35–28, 27–28, Overtime: 6–2 | ||
| Pts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 40 Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 13 Asts: Jrue Holiday 8 |
Pts: Kevin Durant 48 Rebs: Blake Griffin 11 Asts: James Harden 9 | |
| Milwaukee wins series, 4–3 | ||
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York City Attendance: 16,287 Referees: Marc Davis, John Goble, Josh Tiven |
Game 7 would go on to be an instant classic with both teams locked in for the entire game. In the final seconds of regulation, Kevin Durant appeared to have given the Nets a 1-point lead on a fadeaway three-point shot with 1 second left. Replay showed, however, that his foot was on the line. With the score tied at 109, Milwaukee had a chance to win the series, but Giannis Antetokounmpo's turnaround jump shot missed, sending the game into overtime. The Nets held a two-point lead until the final 90 seconds of overtime where the Bucks would score on back-to-back possessions to get on the board and take a 113–111 lead with 40 seconds remaining. The Nets had possession in the last 15 seconds of the game, with Durant shooting a similar turnaround game-tying, almost-three-point jump shot; however, it was an airball. The Bucks subsequently sealed the game on two free throws by Brook Lopez (a former Net), sending them to the Eastern Conference finals for the second time in three years. This marked the first game seven to go into overtime since 2006 involving the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs, which the Mavericks won and prevented the team from blowing a 3–1 lead to the Spurs. It was also the Bucks' first victory on the road in a postseason game seven, having gone 0–7 in previous playoff road game seven's. It also became the seventh team in NBA playoff history and the first since the 2017–18 Cleveland Cavaliers that a road team won game seven in the postseason also joined by other teams the 1968–69 Boston Celtics (who upset the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1969 series.), 1970–71 Baltimore Bullets (who were swept by eventual champions Bucks in the 1971 series.), the 2006–07 Utah Jazz, 2007–08 San Antonio Spurs, the 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers and the 2017–18 Cleveland Cavaliers, and followed by 2021–22 Dallas Mavericks, and also the third team in NBA playoff history to win game seven on the road in overtime joined the 2001–02 Los Angeles Lakers, and the 2005–06 Mavericks' team.
| Milwaukee won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, but the first since the New Jersey Nets relocated to Brooklyn and became the Brooklyn Nets in 2012, with the Bucks winning two of the first three meetings.[44]
| Milwaukee leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Western Conference semifinals
(1) Utah Jazz vs. (4) Los Angeles Clippers
June 8 10:00pm (8:00 pm MDT) |
| Los Angeles Clippers 109, Utah Jazz 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–18, 35–29, 19–32, 30–33 | ||
| Pts: Kawhi Leonard 23 Rebs: Paul George 10 Asts: Rajon Rondo 6 |
Pts: Donovan Mitchell 45 Rebs: Rudy Gobert 12 Asts: Joe Ingles 7 | |
| Utah leads series, 1–0 | ||
June 10 10:00pm (8:00 pm MDT) |
| Los Angeles Clippers 111, Utah Jazz 117 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–30, 24–36, 33–27, 25–24 | ||
| Pts: Reggie Jackson 29 Rebs: Morris, George 10 each Asts: Paul George 6 |
Pts: Donovan Mitchell 37 Rebs: Rudy Gobert 20 Asts: Ingles, Mitchell 4 each | |
| Utah leads series, 2–0 | ||
June 12 8:30pm (5:30 pm PDT) |
| Utah Jazz 106, Los Angeles Clippers 132 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–27, 26–37, 34–30, 23–38 | ||
| Pts: Donovan Mitchell 30 Rebs: Rudy Gobert 10 Asts: Donovan Mitchell 4 |
Pts: Kawhi Leonard 34 Rebs: Kawhi Leonard 12 Asts: George, Leonard 5 each | |
| Utah leads series, 2–1 | ||
Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA Attendance: 8,185 Referees: Kane Fitzgerald, James Williams, Michael Smith |
June 14 10:00pm (7:00 pm PDT) |
| Utah Jazz 104, Los Angeles Clippers 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 13–30, 31–38, 29–26, 31–24 | ||
| Pts: Donovan Mitchell 37 Rebs: O'Neale, Gobert 8 each Asts: Bogdanović, Mitchell 5 each |
Pts: Leonard, George 31 each Rebs: Paul George 9 Asts: Batum, George 4 each | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
June 16 10:00pm (8:00 pm MDT) |
| Los Angeles Clippers 119, Utah Jazz 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 36–37, 24–28, 32–18, 27–28 | ||
| Pts: Paul George 37 Rebs: Paul George 16 Asts: Paul George 5 |
Pts: Bojan Bogdanović 32 Rebs: Rudy Gobert 10 Asts: Joe Ingles 6 | |
| LA Clippers leads series, 3–2 | ||
June 18 10:00pm (7:00 pm PDT) |
| Utah Jazz 119, Los Angeles Clippers 131 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–31, 39–19, 22–41, 25–40 | ||
| Pts: Donovan Mitchell 39 Rebs: Gobert, O'Neale 10 each Asts: Donovan Mitchell 9 |
Pts: Terance Mann 39 Rebs: Paul George 9 Asts: Reggie Jackson 10 | |
| LA Clippers wins series, 4–2 | ||
The Clippers were trailing by 22 at the end of the first half in Game 6. They went down 25 at the start of the third quarter, before a retaliation led by Terance Mann allowed the Clippers to fight back to within 3 points at the end of the third quarter. In the fourth, the momentum from the third quarter and Utah's struggles allowed the Clippers to complete the comeback, becoming the first team to recover from being down 0–2 twice in the same playoffs, and reaching their first Conference finals in franchise history.[45]
| Utah won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Jazz winning the previous three meetings.[46]
| Utah leads 3–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(2) Phoenix Suns vs. (3) Denver Nuggets
June 7 10:00pm (7:00 pm MST) |
| Denver Nuggets 105, Phoenix Suns 122 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–28, 30–29, 21–31, 26–34 | ||
| Pts: Nikola Jokić 22 Rebs: JaMychal Green 11 Asts: Campazzo, Morris 6 each |
Pts: Mikal Bridges 23 Rebs: Deandre Ayton 10 Asts: Chris Paul 11 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 1–0 | ||
Phoenix Suns Arena, Phoenix, AZ Attendance: 16,219 Referees: Marc Davis, Courtney Kirkland, Kevin Scott |
June 9 9:30pm (6:30pm MST) |
| Denver Nuggets 98, Phoenix Suns 123 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–25, 21–27, 25–34, 31–37 | ||
| Pts: Nikola Jokić 24 Rebs: Nikola Jokić 13 Asts: Nikola Jokić 6 |
Pts: Devin Booker 18 Rebs: Ayton, Booker 10 each Asts: Chris Paul 15 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 2–0 | ||
June 11 10:00pm (8:00pm MDT) |
| Phoenix Suns 116, Denver Nuggets 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 37–27, 22–28, 31–21, 26–26 | ||
| Pts: Devin Booker 28 Rebs: Deandre Ayton 15 Asts: Chris Paul 8 |
Pts: Nikola Jokić 32 Rebs: Nikola Jokić 20 Asts: Nikola Jokić 10 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 3–0 | ||
June 13 8:00pm (6:00pm MDT) |
| Phoenix Suns 125, Denver Nuggets 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–22, 35–33, 33–28, 29–35 | ||
| Pts: Chris Paul 37 Rebs: Devin Booker 11 Asts: Chris Paul 7 |
Pts: Will Barton 25 Rebs: Nikola Jokić 11 Asts: Monté Morris 6 | |
| Phoenix wins series, 4–0 | ||
| Denver won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with Phoenix winning two of the first three meetings.[47]
| Phoenix leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Conference finals
- Note: Times are EDT (UTC−4) as listed by NBA. If the venue is located in a different time zone, the local time is also given.
Eastern Conference finals
(3) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks
June 23 8:30pm (7:30pm CDT) |
| Atlanta Hawks 116, Milwaukee Bucks 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–28, 29–31, 34–26, 28–28 | ||
| Pts: Trae Young 48 Rebs: Clint Capela 19 Asts: Trae Young 11 |
Pts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 34 Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 12 Asts: Jrue Holiday 10 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 1–0 | ||
Atlanta's top offensive star, Trae Young, scored 48 points in his conference finals debut, while the Hawks rallied in the 2nd half to beat the Bucks in game 1 in Milwaukee, aided by 5 offensive rebounds in the final 2 minutes.
June 25 8:30pm (7:30pm CDT) |
| Atlanta Hawks 91, Milwaukee Bucks 125 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–34, 17–43, 18–26, 28–22 | ||
| Pts: Trae Young 15 Rebs: Capela, Collins 8 each Asts: Bogdan Bogdanović 4 |
Pts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 25 Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 9 Asts: Khris Middleton 8 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
The Bucks rode a 20–0 scoring run in the 2nd quarter to run away with a game 2 victory.
June 27 8:30pm |
| Milwaukee Bucks 113, Atlanta Hawks 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–32, 29–24, 27–29, 30–17 | ||
| Pts: Khris Middleton 38 Rebs: Antetokounmpo, Middleton 11 each Asts: Jrue Holiday 12 |
Pts: Trae Young 35 Rebs: Clint Capela 11 Asts: Kevin Huerter 7 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–1 | ||
Trailing by 2 points going into the 4th quarter, the Bucks' Khris Middleton would carry Milwaukee to victory in game 3, outscoring Atlanta in the final quarter by himself, 20–17, en route to a game-high 38 points, putting the Bucks back in the lead in the series and getting back homecourt advantage. Atlanta's loss was also compounded when Trae Young suffered a bruised foot when he rolled his ankle over a referee's foot, leaving his status for the rest of the series in doubt.
June 29 8:30pm |
| Milwaukee Bucks 88, Atlanta Hawks 110 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–25, 16–26, 24–36, 26–23 | ||
| Pts: Jrue Holiday 19 Rebs: Antetokounmpo, Middleton 8 each Asts: Jrue Holiday 9 |
Pts: Lou Williams 21 Rebs: Capela, Collins 7 each Asts: Lou Williams 8 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
The Bucks' 3-point woes returned in game 4, as the team only shot 21% (8–39) in a loss to Atlanta that evened the series once more. Even worse, the Bucks' superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo, hyperextended his knee while trying to defend an alley-oop dunk, though an MRI the following day revealed no structural damage, and Antetokounmpo potentially available for either game 7 or the NBA Finals.
July 1 8:30pm (7:30pm CDT) |
| Atlanta Hawks 112, Milwaukee Bucks 123 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–36, 34–29, 22–26, 34–32 | ||
| Pts: Bogdan Bogdanović 28 Rebs: Capela, Collins 8 each Asts: Kevin Huerter 7 |
Pts: Brook Lopez 33 Rebs: Khris Middleton 13 Asts: Jrue Holiday 13 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 3–2 | ||
With both teams' stars out with injuries, both the Hawks and Bucks needed contributions from their other players in game 5. The Bucks would deliver, led by Brook Lopez's 33 points. In addition to Lopez, 3 other Bucks starters (Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, and Bobby Portis) scored at least 20 points. While Atlanta kept the game close, aided by Bogdan Bogdanovic's 28 points, the Bucks took a 3–2 series lead, leaving them one win away from the Eastern Conference championship.
July 3 8:30pm |
| Milwaukee Bucks 118, Atlanta Hawks 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–24, 19–19, 44–29, 27–35 | ||
| Pts: Khris Middleton 32 Rebs: Holiday, Portis 9 each Asts: Jrue Holiday 9 |
Pts: Cam Reddish 21 Rebs: John Collins 11 Asts: Trae Young 9 | |
| Milwaukee wins series, 4–2 | ||
Facing elimination, the Hawks got Trae Young back to start game 6, but he still struggled with his injured foot, scoring only 14 points. After leading Atlanta by only 4 points at halftime, Khris Middleton would score the Bucks' first 16 points of the 3rd quarter to build a 19-point lead going into the 4th quarter. The Bucks would weather a wave of hot shooting from Bogdan Bogdanovic and Cam Reddish, helped by a crucial 3-point shot by PJ Tucker, and an alley-oop dunk by Brook Lopez that essentially clinched the game and the series for the Bucks. The victory gave the Bucks the Eastern Conference championship, their 3rd overall conference title (though the previous two were for the Western Conference), and their first trip to the NBA Finals since 1974.
Game 6 was also the final game announced by famed basketball broadcaster Marv Albert.
| Milwaukee won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning two series apiece.[48] Four months later, two teams from Milwaukee and Atlanta would meet again in a sports postseason as the Braves beat the Brewers in the 2021 NLDS.
| Tied 2–2 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Western Conference finals
(2) Phoenix Suns vs. (4) Los Angeles Clippers
June 20 3:30pm (12:30pm MST) |
| Los Angeles Clippers 114, Phoenix Suns 120 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–21, 33–36, 39–36, 21–27 | ||
| Pts: Paul George 34 Rebs: Nicolas Batum 10 Asts: Rajon Rondo 7 |
Pts: Devin Booker 40 Rebs: Devin Booker 13 Asts: Devin Booker 11 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 1–0 | ||
June 22 9:00pm (6:00pm MST) |
| Los Angeles Clippers 103, Phoenix Suns 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–25, 25–23, 24–27, 32–29 | ||
| Pts: Paul George 26 Rebs: Ivica Zubac 11 Asts: Paul George 6 |
Pts: Cameron Payne 29 Rebs: Deandre Ayton 14 Asts: Cameron Payne 9 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 2–0 | ||
Phoenix Suns Arena, Phoenix, AZ Attendance: 16,645 Referees: Scott Foster, Kane Fitzgerald, Curtis Blair |
- Deandre Ayton dunked in the game-winning alley-oop off the inbound pass from Jae Crowder with 0.7 seconds remaining.
June 24 9:00pm (6:00 pm PDT) |
| Phoenix Suns 92, Los Angeles Clippers 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–29, 27–17, 21–34, 23–26 | ||
| Pts: Deandre Ayton 18 Rebs: Deandre Ayton 9 Asts: Chris Paul 12 |
Pts: Paul George 27 Rebs: Ivica Zubac 16 Asts: Paul George 8 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 2–1 | ||
June 26 9:00pm (6:00 pm PDT) |
| Phoenix Suns 84, Los Angeles Clippers 80 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–20, 21–16, 19–30, 15–14 | ||
| Pts: Devin Booker 25 Rebs: Deandre Ayton 22 Asts: Chris Paul 7 |
Pts: Paul George 23 Rebs: Paul George 16 Asts: Paul George 6 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 3–1 | ||
The Clippers shot 0 of 12 in the fourth quarter on shots that could have tied the game or taken the lead. That is the most such attempts without a make in the fourth quarter of a game over the last 25 postseasons. During the last 8 seconds of the game when the Clippers trailed by 1 point, there was a controversial call where Nicolas Batum of the Clippers deflected the ball off the finger tips of Cameron Payne of the Suns, but the ball was given to the Suns. There was no review of the play despite a heavy plea from the Clippers.
June 28 9:00pm (6:00pm MST) |
| Los Angeles Clippers 116, Phoenix Suns 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 36–26, 23–26, 32–26, 25–24 | ||
| Pts: Paul George 41 Rebs: Paul George 13 Asts: Paul George 6 |
Pts: Devin Booker 31 Rebs: Deandre Ayton 11 Asts: Chris Paul 8 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 3–2 | ||
Phoenix Suns Arena, Phoenix, AZ Attendance: 16,664 Referees: David Guthrie, Pat Fraher, Courtney Kirkland |
June 30 9:00pm (6:00 pm PDT) |
| Phoenix Suns 130, Los Angeles Clippers 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–29, 33–28, 31–26, 33–20 | ||
| Pts: Chris Paul 41 Rebs: Deandre Ayton 17 Asts: Chris Paul 8 |
Pts: Marcus Morris 26 Rebs: George, Morris 9 each Asts: Reggie Jackson 8 | |
| Phoenix wins series, 4–2 | ||
Chris Paul's 41 points matched his career high with that of his performance as a member of the Houston Rockets in Game 5 against the Utah Jazz in 2018, both of which were series clinchers. Paul previously played for the Clippers from 2011 to 2017. Patrick Beverley shoved Paul during a timeout, which led to an ejection, a flagrant foul, a technical foul and being suspended by the league president, former All-Star player and former head coach Kiki VanDeWeghe and current league commissioner Adam Silver for the first game of the 2021–22 season. This turned out to be the last game of Beverley's career with the Clippers before being traded away twice to the Memphis Grizzlies and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Beverley became the first player to be suspended for first game of the following season since Andrew Bynum in the 2011 NBA playoffs, for shoving and elbowing J. J. Barea during the Los Angeles Lakers' eventual four–game sweep by the eventual NBA champions, the Dallas Mavericks.
| LA Clippers won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Suns winning the previous meeting.[49]
| Phoenix leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
NBA Finals
- Note: Times are EDT (UTC−4) as listed by NBA. If the venue is located in a different time zone, the local time is also given.
July 6 9:00pm (6:00pm MST) |
| Milwaukee Bucks 105, Phoenix Suns 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–30, 23–27, 27–35, 29–26 | ||
| Pts: Khris Middleton 29 Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 17 Asts: Jrue Holiday 9 |
Pts: Chris Paul 32 Rebs: Deandre Ayton 19 Asts: Chris Paul 9 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 1–0 | ||
July 8 9:00pm (6:00pm MST) |
| Milwaukee Bucks 108, Phoenix Suns 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–26, 16–30, 33–32, 30–30 | ||
| Pts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 42 Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 12 Asts: Khris Middleton 8 |
Pts: Devin Booker 31 Rebs: Deandre Ayton 11 Asts: Chris Paul 8 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 2–0 | ||
July 11 8:00pm (7:00pm CDT) |
| Phoenix Suns 100, Milwaukee Bucks 120 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–25, 17–35, 31–38, 24–22 | ||
| Pts: Chris Paul 19 Rebs: Deandre Ayton 9 Asts: Chris Paul 9 |
Pts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 41 Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 13 Asts: Jrue Holiday 9 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 2–1 | ||
July 14 9:00pm (8:00pm CDT) |
| Phoenix Suns 103, Milwaukee Bucks 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–20, 29–32, 30–24, 21–33 | ||
| Pts: Devin Booker 42 Rebs: Deandre Ayton 17 Asts: Chris Paul 7 |
Pts: Khris Middleton 40 Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 14 Asts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 8 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI Attendance: 16,911 Referees: James Capers, David Guthrie, Courtney Kirkland |
July 17 9:00pm (6:00pm MST) |
| Milwaukee Bucks 123, Phoenix Suns 119 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–37, 43–24, 36–29, 23–29 | ||
| Pts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 32 Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 9 Asts: Jrue Holiday 13 |
Pts: Devin Booker 40 Rebs: Deandre Ayton 10 Asts: Chris Paul 11 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 3–2 | ||
July 20 9:00pm (8:00pm CDT) |
| Phoenix Suns 98, Milwaukee Bucks 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–29, 31–13, 30–35, 21–28 | ||
| Pts: Chris Paul 26 Rebs: Jae Crowder 13 Asts: Booker, Paul 5 each |
Pts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 50 Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 14 Asts: Jrue Holiday 11 | |
| Milwaukee wins series, 4–2 | ||
| Phoenix won 2–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bucks winning the first meeting.[50]
| Milwaukee leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Statistical leaders
| Category | Game High | Average | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | High | Player | Team | Avg. | GP | |
| Points | Damian Lillard | Portland Trail Blazers | 55 | Luka Dončić | Dallas Mavericks | 35.7 | 7 |
| Rebounds | Deandre Ayton | Phoenix Suns | 22 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks | 12.8 | 21 |
| Assists | James Harden Trae Young | Brooklyn Nets Atlanta Hawks | 18 | Russell Westbrook | Washington Wizards | 11.8 | 5 |
| Steals | Kyle Anderson | Memphis Grizzlies | 6 | Kyle Anderson | Memphis Grizzlies | 2.8 | 5 |
| Blocks | Robert Williams | Boston Celtics | 9 | Rudy Gobert | Utah Jazz | 2.1 | 11 |
Notable fan incidents
Throughout the playoffs, there were a number of incidents at multiple games involving fans:
- May 26: A fan spat at Trae Young during Game 2 of the Hawks–Knicks series at Madison Square Garden in New York City.[51]
- May 26: A fan dumped popcorn on Russell Westbrook during Game 2 of the Wizards–76ers series at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.[52][53]
- May 26: Three fans were verbally disruptive towards the family of Ja Morant during Game 2 of the Grizzlies–Jazz series at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City.[54] There were also insensitive remarks made towards the family of Dillon Brooks.[55]
- May 30: A fan threw a water bottle at Kyrie Irving following Game 4 of the Nets–Celtics series at TD Garden in Boston after the game.[56]
- May 31: A fan ran onto the court during Game 4 of the 76ers–Wizards series at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.[57]
- June 20: A fan threw a can onto the court in the closing seconds of Game 7 of the Hawks–76ers series in Philadelphia.
Media coverage
Television
ESPN, ABC, TNT, and NBA TV broadcast the playoffs nationally in the United States. During the first two rounds, games were split by ESPN, ABC, and TNT. TNT primarily aired games on Saturday through Wednesday while ESPN does so on Friday and Saturday. For Thursday games, TNT had them in the first round and ESPN in the second round. ABC then aired selected games in the first two rounds on Friday through Sunday. NBA TV also televised selected games in the first round on Tuesday through Thursday. Regional sports networks affiliated with teams also broadcast the games, except for weekend games televised on ABC.[lower-alpha 1] ESPN/ABC had exclusive coverage of the Western Conference finals while TNT had exclusive coverage of the Eastern Conference finals. ABC had exclusive coverage of the NBA Finals for the 19th straight year.
This was the final postseason for Marv Albert, who announced his retirement on May 17, 2021. Albert, who turned 80 in June, had spent most of the previous 31 years as the lead broadcaster for NBA coverage on TNT and NBC.[58]
Notes
- ↑ Game 3 of the Celtics–Nets first round series aired nationally on ABC and co-existed with the teams' respective regional sports networks.
See also
References
- ↑ McMenamin, Dave (July 2021). "Phoenix Suns finish off LA Clippers in 6, advance to first NBA Finals since 1993". ESPN. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ↑ Scott Cacciola (June 4, 2021). "Lakers Eliminated from Playoffs With Game 6 Loss to Suns". The New York Times. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ↑ Young, Royce (June 2, 2021). "Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard hits playoff-record 12 3s in 2OT loss". ESPN. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
- ↑ Salvador, Joseph. "Bucks Advance to Eastern Conference finals in Epic Game 7 Over Nets". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
- ↑ Gonzalez, Norma. "Led by Terance Mann, the resilient LA Clippers stage a playoff comeback for the ages". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
- ↑ Botkin, Brad. "NBA Finals: Suns' Chris Paul joins Michael Jordan with historic debut, leaves Bucks searching for answers". CBS News. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
- ↑ "NBA announces structure and format for 2020–21 season". NBA.com. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
- 1 2 Maloney, Jack (April 25, 2021). "Utah Jazz become first team in the NBA to clinch a playoff spot this season". CBS Sports. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ↑ Moore, Matt (September 9, 2015). "5 Things to Know: NBA division winners not guaranteed playoff spot". CBS Sports. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ↑ "76ers clinch playoff spot with victory over Hawks". Sportsnet.ca. April 28, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
- 1 2 Franklin, Chris (May 15, 2021). "Sixers clinch the Atlantic Division, No. 1 seed for the first time in 20 years". nj.com. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
- ↑ Andrews, Malika (April 27, 2021). "Brooklyn Nets first in Eastern Conference to clinch playoff berth". ESPN. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
- ↑ "Bucks rally in 4th to beat Nets 124–118, clinch playoff spot". ESPN. May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
- ↑ @Bucks (May 1, 2021). "The most Central Division titles in NBA history" (Tweet). Retrieved May 4, 2021 – via Twitter.
- 1 2 3 "NBA playoff watch: Atlanta Hawks wrap up berth; Boston Celtics land in play-in". ESPN. May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ↑ "Hawks clinch NBA Southeast, play final game tonight before playoffs start". wsbtv.com. May 15, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- ↑ "By The Numbers: HEAT Clinch 22nd Postseason Appearance". NBA.com. May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ↑ Mulford, Michael (May 18, 2021). "Tatum drops 50 points as the Celtics beat Wizards, clinch 7-seed". Celtics Wire. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ↑ Selbe, Nick (May 14, 2021). "Wizards Beat Cavs to Clinch Play-In Berth, Finalize Postseason Field". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- ↑ Zillgitt, Jeff (May 20, 2021). "Wizards complete turnaround with rout of Pacers to clinch No. 8 seed in Eastern Conference". USA Today. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- 1 2 "2021 Play-In Tournament". NBA.com. April 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ↑ Anderson, Ben (May 7, 2021). "Jazz Win Thriller Over Nuggets, Clinch Top Three Seed". KSL Sports. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- 1 2 Burt, Spencer (May 16, 2021). "Utah Jazz clinch #1 playoff seed, best record across league". KSTU. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
- ↑ Klapper, Clayton (April 29, 2021). "Phoenix Suns clinch first playoff berth in 10 seasons". KNXV. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
- ↑ Olson, Kellan (May 14, 2021). "Phoenix Suns win Pacific Division, clinch top-2 seed after Clippers loss". Arizona Sports. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- ↑ "Denver Nuggets clinch playoff spot, 3rd in the Western Conference". FOX31 Denver. May 3, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ↑ "Lowry leads depleted Raptors past Lakers; Clippers clinch playoff spot". Sportsnet.ca. May 3, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
- ↑ Odom, Joel (May 14, 2021). "Dallas Mavericks clinch playoff spot; Nuggets move up to 3rd: NBA Western Conference playoff race, standings watch". oregonlive. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- ↑ "Mavs clinch Southwest division with 110–90 over Cavs". Mavs.com. May 7, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
- 1 2 "CJ McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers clinch playoff berth | Lakers vs Warriors in Play-In". Sky Sports. May 16, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
- ↑ Rivas, Christian (May 19, 2021). "Lakers advance to play Suns in first round". Silver Screen and Roll. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ↑ Lopez, Andrew (May 10, 2021). "Memphis Grizzlies clinch play-in spot: 'Job is not done,' Dillon Brooks says". ESPN. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ↑ "Grizzlies clinch eighth seed in West with OT win over Warriors – Sportsnet.ca". Sportsnet.ca. May 21, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Philadelphia 76ers versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Brooklyn Nets (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Miami Heat versus Milwaukee Bucks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus New York Knicks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. May 16, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Memphis Grizzlies versus Utah Jazz (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Phoenix Suns (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus Portland Trail Blazers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Clippers versus Dallas Mavericks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- ↑ A 76ers collapse, by the numbers: Hawks take Game 5 as Philadelphia melts down in second half, The Sporting News, June 17, 2021
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Brooklyn Nets versus Milwaukee Bucks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
- ↑ "Terance Mann scores 39 as LA Clippers erase 25-point deficit, make first ever Western Conference finals". abc7.com. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Clippers versus Utah Jazz (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus Phoenix Suns (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus Milwaukee Bucks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Clippers versus Phoenix Suns (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Phoenix Suns versus Milwaukee (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- ↑ "Fan who spit on Trae Young banned indefinitely by Knicks". NBA.com. May 27, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ↑ Medina, Mark (May 27, 2021). "Sixers say fan that dumped popcorn on Russell Westbrook 'will be banned ... indefinitely'". USA Today. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ↑ "Sixers apologize to Russell Westbrook, ban fan indefinitely". NBA.com. May 27, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ↑ MacMahon, Tim (May 30, 2021). "Ja Morant's dad says 3 banned Jazz fans made lewd, racist remarks during Game 2 in Utah". ESPN. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ↑ Chiari, Mike (May 28, 2021). "Ja Morant's Father Tee: Jazz Fans Also Inappropriately Heckled Dillon Brooks' Family". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
- ↑ Andrews, Malika; Bontemps, Tim (May 27, 2021). "Boston Celtics fan arrested after allegedly throwing water bottle at Kyrie Irving". ESPN. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ↑ Zillgitt, Jeff (May 31, 2021). "Fan apprehended by police after running onto court during Game 4 of 76ers-Wizards NBA playoff series". USA Today. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ↑ Brassil, Gillian (May 17, 2021). "Marv Albert, Hall of Fame N.B.A. Sportscaster, Is Retiring". The New York Times. New York, NY. Retrieved May 19, 2021.