The 2023 NBA playoffs are here, and fans around the world are excited to see which team will be crowned this year’s champions. With the regular season now over, all eyes are on the postseason, as the league’s top teams battle it out for glory.
Here are the latest updates on the 2023 NBA playoffs, including injury updates, the bracket, channel and game schedule:
Injury Updates:
Unfortunately, injuries have plagued many teams this postseason, with some of the league’s top players facing time on the sidelines. Here are some of the notable injuries heading into the playoffs:
LeBron James: The Lakers superstar is dealing with a nagging ankle injury, but is expected to play through it.
Joel Embiid: The Sixers’ big man is dealing with a knee injury and is listed as day-to-day.
Donovan Mitchell: The Jazz star suffered an ankle injury and is expected to miss Game 1 against the Grizzlies.
James Harden: The Nets guard suffered a hamstring injury in Game 1 against the Celtics and is expected to miss some time.
Bracket:
The 2023 NBA playoffs bracket is set, with the top teams from each conference vying for a spot in the NBA Finals. Here’s a breakdown of the matchups:
Eastern Conference:
(1) Brooklyn Nets vs. (8) Boston Celtics
(2) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (7) Washington Wizards
(3) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (6) Miami Heat
(4) New York Knicks vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks
Western Conference:
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) Phoenix Suns
(2) Denver Nuggets vs. (7) Portland Trail Blazers
(3) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (6) Dallas Mavericks
(4) Utah Jazz vs. (5) Memphis Grizzlies
Channel and Game Schedule:
Basketball fans can catch all the action from the 2023 NBA playoffs on a variety of channels, including ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV. Here’s the game schedule for the first round of the playoffs:
Saturday, April 15th:
Grizzlies vs. Jazz, 12:30 PM ET (ESPN)
Knicks vs. Hawks, 7 PM ET (ESPN)
Suns vs. Lakers, 10 PM ET (ESPN)
Sunday, April 16th:
Heat vs. Bucks, 1 PM ET (ABC)
Celtics vs. Nets, 3:30 PM ET (ABC)
Blazers vs. Nuggets, 10 PM ET (NBA TV)
Monday, April 17th:
Wizards vs. Sixers, 7 PM ET (TNT)
Mavericks vs. Clippers, 10 PM ET (TNT)
Tuesday, April 18th:
Hawks vs. Knicks, 7:30 PM ET (TNT)
Jazz vs. Grizzlies, 10 PM ET (TNT)
Wednesday, April 19th:
Bucks vs. Heat, 7 PM ET (TNT)
Nets vs. Celtics, 8 PM ET (TNT)
Lakers vs. Suns, 10:30 PM ET (TNT)
Thursday, April 20th:
Clippers vs. Mavericks, 9:30 PM ET (TNT)
The NBA playoffs are always filled with drama, excitement and surprises, and this year’s postseason is sure to be no exception. Fans will be tuning in from around the world to catch all the action, as the league’s top teams battle it out for a chance to lift the NBA championship trophy.
The Suns were 8-0 with Kevin Durant in the lineup. But Kawhi Leonard got the best of Durant individually, outscoring the fellow two-time NBA Finals MVP 38-27 in a 115-110 win. This was Leonard’s first postseason game since injuring his ACL in his right knee during Game 4 of the 2021 Western Conference semifinals, and Leonard put up high volume and high efficiency, making 13 of 24 shots in a team-high 41:33.
“I thought he got a little winded when he first came out in the fourth quarter,” Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said after Leonard’s Game 1 workload. “Around the 10-minute mark on the free-throw line, he was a little tired. So we got him out for three minutes and brought him back, and he said he was ready to go. That’s what we’ve been saving up for, this moment here in the playoffs. We have to play heavy minutes, especially with PG being out, being short-handed. He was great tonight.”
Despite Leonard’s fatigue, he got better as the game went on, giving the Suns something different along the way.
Staff Writer, Clippers
Kawhi Leonard outduels Kevin Durant in return to NBA postseason
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Kings-Warriors odds
Spread: Warriors -1.5
Series odds: Warriors -145, Kings +120
If Game 1 of the 76ers’ series began Saturday with a whimper, Kings-Warriors capped the night with a bang — even if it was Mark Jones on the call for ABC instead of Mike Breen.
Yes, the Kings’ 126-123 Game 1 win not only lived up to the hype of what was widely expected to be an enthralling first round series, but exceeded it in electrifying fashion. We could very well be in for a classic.
Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and co. won’t be fazed by falling behind 1-0. They’ve faced every bit of adversity in the book by now. But these Kings have made it clear they belong. With 38 points, De’Aaron Fox fell four shy of the scoring record for an NBA Playoff debut, while Malik Monk added 32 off the bench. As has been the case all season, the seismic plays each of them made down the stretch were the kindling for a celebratory beam lighting.
Buckle in for one more game in front of Sacramento’s raucous, postseason-starved home crowd before this series shifts back to the Bay for Games 3 and 4. Hopefully, we’re in for a long one.
NBA Playoffs picks, odds for 76ers-Nets and Kings-Warriors Game 2s
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NBA Playoffs picks, odds for 76ers-Nets and Kings-Warriors Game 2s
76ers-Nets odds
Spread: 76ers -10.5
Series odds: 76ers -1600, Nets +900
Well, Game 1 of this series looked every bit the mismatch anticipated. The Nets got 30 points from Mikal Bridges and shot 45 percent from 3, but were still routed on Saturday as Philadelphia dominated the offensive glass and James Harden rained hellfire from beyond the arc.
With the 76ers favored by 10.5 points on their home floor, BetMGM projects Game 2 to be lopsided as well. Philadelphia probably won’t make 21 3-pointers at a 49 percent clip again, but it is evident that the defensive attention Joel Embiid commands will generate his teammates open shot opportunities all series long if he remains measured in passing out of the double-teams Brooklyn sends.
The Nets’ adjustments will be fascinating to watch. They have the perimeter length and versatility to be feisty. But a healthy amount of prayer may have to be involved as well.
NBA Playoffs picks, odds for 76ers-Nets and Kings-Warriors Game 2s
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The Kings’ Malik Monk surprises the Warriors, but he didn’t surprise himself
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Malik Monk isn’t an All-Star. He isn’t even a Kings starter. But with six All-Stars and multiple Hall of Famers on the court Saturday, what was undeniably clear after he set an NBA record for scoring by a reserve in his postseason debut:
Monk is a bucket.
“I’ve been trying to score my whole life,” Monk said after his performance in the Kings’ 126-123 Game 1 win against the Golden State Warriors. “It’s just me learning the game more, knowing my spots and just not taking bad shots. De’Aaron (Fox) helps me with it.
“But yeah, man,” Monk said looking up, shaking his head matter-of-factly as he smiled and continued. “I’ve been like this.”
Monk and Fox went old school on the Warriors, taking it back to their days with the Kentucky Wildcats, where they combined to average 36.5 points per game together in 2016-17. On Saturday, the duo combined for 70 points on 21-of-40 shooting, with six 3-pointers and 22 made free throws.
And while Fox was great, Monk stole the show with his 32 points on 8-of-13 shooting. The Kings lit the beam to start their first-round series against the Warriors. They don’t win it without Monk.
The Kings’ Malik Monk surprises the Warriors, but he didn’t surprise himself
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The Kings’ Malik Monk surprises the Warriors, but he didn’t surprise himself
Ja Morant will try to be there for Grizzlies, but body language tells another story
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Ja Morant had his right wrist limp, setting it on his right thigh.
He left it there as he leaned back and to the right in his locker stall, wearing an obvious look of pain and disgust on his face.
He left it there as he diddled on his phone, as he slipped his Beats headphones onto his ears for a meditation session and even as he undressed and wrapped himself in a towel for a shower. He used his left hand for all of that.
When Morant returned from the shower, he kept that right wrist limp against his right hip bone, as he pulled on his orange sweats, slid into his white Air Jordans in orange trim and fit his orange hoodie over his head. He tossed a balled-up pair of socks to a Grizzlies staff member to untangle.
Morant said it was his right hand, and not his wrist, that he hurt so badly in the fourth quarter of the Memphis Grizzlies’ 128-112 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of this Western Conference first-round series. The replay showed him bending his wrist under him as he fell from the sky after initiating contact with Anthony Davis on a layup try.
It looked and sounded bad when Morant screamed in pain as he ran directly to the locker room with 5:48 left in the game. It looked and sounded worse to watch and listen to him afterward.
“It’s tough man, especially with everything I’ve been through pretty much this whole season,” Morant said.
·
Senior Writer, NBA
Ja Morant will try to be there for Grizzlies, but body language tells another story
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Ja Morant will try to be there for Grizzlies, but body language tells another story
How Jimmy Butler powered Heat to dominant Game 1 road upset
How Jimmy Butler powered Heat to dominant Game 1 road upset
MILWAUKEE — Simplicity. Clarity. Competition.
That’s how Miami coach Erik Spoelstra described his team’s mission hours before the Heat snatched a 130-117 Game 1 victory at Milwaukee, the top-seeded opponent consensus more succinctly labeled “better.”
After the week that was for the Heat, however, Spoelstra sensed his players were ready for whatever came their way Sunday inside Fiserv Forum. And there was plenty.
But the Heat have navigated choppy waters all season, at times suffering from self-inflicted storms. The way they narrowly made it to Milwaukee perfectly sums up the turbulence the Heat has weathered. They looked ready for summer vacation in their disappointing home defeat to Atlanta with the Eastern Conference’s No. 7 seed on the line in their opening Play-In Tournament game. But two nights later, they assembled a resilient fourth-quarter rally for a come-from-behind win against Chicago.
A day later, the Heat boarded a plane and turned their attention to the Bucks.
“In many ways, I think this is better,” Spoelstra said pregame. “You have to be able to handle a lot of different things in the playoffs. But we understand what Milwaukee has done. We have great respect for them. And we’re just coming off of two really competitive games, and we want to get to it. We’re competitors. We want to play.
“This is pretty much simplicity, clarity and competition.”
Senior Writer, Bulls
How Jimmy Butler powered Heat to dominant Game 1 road upset vs. top-seeded Bucks
How Jimmy Butler powered Heat to dominant Game 1 road upset vs. top-seeded Bucks
Suns depth is a continued source of concern
With 4:42 left in the third quarter, Torrey Craig hit a 3 to give the Suns their biggest lead, 77-68. After a mostly quiet first half, a sold-out crowd at the Footprint Center came to life. Phoenix had momentum — and the Suns gave it all back.
Among the concerns after the Kevin Durant trade was a lack of depth. Here it was on display. With Phoenix playing mostly reserves, the Clippers outscored the Suns 13-4 the rest of the quarter to deadlock the contest at 81-81 entering the fourth. A huge opportunity for the Suns to take control slipped away. Overall, the Los Angeles bench outscored the Phoenix bench 34-10. No Phoenix reserve scored more than four points, an issue that will need to be addressed before Tuesday’s Game 2.
What worked for the Clippers in Game 1 win
The Clippers started Game 1 with a defensive mindset against the Suns, holding Phoenix to 18 points on 21 shots. Russell Westbrook blocked Kevin Durant’s shot as a part of an opening quarter effort that held Durant scoreless on four attempts, while Devin Booker had an efficient opening quarter (six points on 3-of-8 shooting). Eric Gordon took on the Durant assignment with aplomb while leading all scorers with 12 first-quarter points on 5-of-6 shooting.
Kawhi Leonard increased his scoring in each quarter, totaling a game-high 38 points on 13-of-24 shooting. But Leonard’s increased scoring was almost irrelevant after Durant and Booker unloaded for a combined 27 second-quarter points, then Torrey Craig — taking advantage of the Clippers turning Durant into a passer — scored 11 of his 22 points in the third quarter.
The Clippers’ bench saved this game, with Norman Powell leading the way with 14 points to outscore the entire Phoenix bench 14-10, while Terance Mann, Bones Hyland and Mason Plumlee added 20 more points. Leonard’s 13 fourth-quarter points were enough to outduel Durant’s 10 fourth-quarter points, and despite the Suns having more star power next to Durant, Leonard simply had more help.
