The NBA conference semi-finals could be over in the coming days, with all four series facing closeout situations. And surprisingly, the two defending conference champions could be two of the teams going home early.
The Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers will both look to close out their respective series in five games, with LeBron James’ Lakers on the cusp of knocking out the defending champion Golden State Warriors.
Meanwhile, NBA MVP Joel Embiid the Philadelphia 76ers can knock off the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics after a stunning reversal in the last two games. And two-time MVP Nikola Jokic will look to do the same against the Phoenix Suns.
Read on below as SBOTOP breaks down these four upcoming make-or-break playoff games in detail.
Miami Heat @ New York Knicks
The Miami Heat are one win away from another trip to the Eastern Conference finals. With superstar Jimmy Butler back, the Heat took care of business at home as they won Games 3 and 4 without much trouble.
Butler was brilliant again in Game 4 as he had 27 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals in 42 minutes. And All-Star big man Bam Adebayo finally had his breakout game in this series with 23 points and 13 boards.
As for the Knicks, their three stars – Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, and RJ Barrett – all bounced back from their awful Game 3 performance as they combined for 76 points.
Tom Thibodeau changed his starting lineup as he brought in Quentin Grimes for Josh Hart to add more offence, but it still wasn’t quite enough.
But the Knicks will fight to the finish as they avoid having their season ended in front of their home fans at Madison Square Garden.
Los Angeles Lakers @ Golden State Warriors
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have the defending champion Golden State Warriors on the ropes. The Lakers now lead the series 3-1 after a gutsy 104-101 win in Game 4.
James and Davis combined for 50 points and 24 rebounds, but it was Lonnie Walker who was the unexpected hero. Walker came off the bench and scored 15 big points to push the Lakers over the edge.
As for the Warriors, they crumbled in crunch time. Klay Thompson, who was the hero in Game 3, was ineffective as he finished with just 9 points in 41 minutes. And Stephen Curry, while he did have a great stat line with 31 points, 14 assists, and 10 rebounds, made some big errors late that cost the Warriors dearly.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr once again shook up his starting lineup by bringing in Gary Payton II. But while Payton had 15 points, the Warriors still had problems scoring against the Lakers’ imposing defence.
The Warriors have hearts of champions, though, and will go down swinging at home. And if they come out strong early, James and Davis – whose effort has fluctuated in these playoffs – may decide to give up on Game 5 in favour of a more winnable Game 6 at home.
Boston Celtics @ Philadelphia 76ers
What a turnaround it has been for the Philadelphia 76ers, who have put the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics on the brink of elimination after two big wins.
After another James Harden game-winner gave them Game 4, the Sixers stunned the Celtics with a 115-103 win in Game 5 in Boston.
Joel Embiid was back to his MVP self with 33 points and 4 blocks, while Tyrese Maxey had by far his best game of the series with 30 points.
The Celtics dug themselves out of a similar hole in last season’s conference semi-finals as they came back from 3-2 down to beat the Milwaukee Bucks.
But their NBA 2023 odds of repeating that feat will not be good if they continue to get nothing out of their big men. Al Horford finished with zero points on 0-of-7 shooting on 3-pointers in Game 5, while Robert Williams had only 4 points and 2 rebounds in 19 minutes.
Denver Nuggets @ Phoenix Suns
After losing Games 3 and 4 in Phoenix, the Denver Nuggets disposed of the Suns 118-102 in Game 5 to come within one win of returning to the Western Conference finals.
Nikola Jokic, who avoided suspension following his controversial shove on Suns owner Mat Ishbia, was masterful once again with 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists. Meanwhile, co-stars Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr had 19 points apiece.
Devin Booker, who played superhuman basketball and produced plenty of NBA 2023 highlights in Phoenix to tie the series back up, finally fell back down to earth as he finished with 28 points on just 8-of-19 shooting in Game 5. And the Phoenix bench, which proved so crucial in their recent wins, was nowhere to be found.
Chris Paul sat out his third straight game with a left groin strain, and even if he does make it back for Game 6, it is unlikely he will be able to make a meaningful contribution. The fate of the Suns rests squarely on the shoulders of Booker and Durant, who both need to put up amazing performances for Phoenix to stand a chance of staving off elimination.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE BASKETBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
