Second round of NBA Playoffs set to begin

June 3, 2021
The GIST: The Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets have some company in the second round. Welcome to the conference semifinals, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks and Utah Jazz.
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Second round of NBA Playoffs set to begin
Source: Philadelphia 76ers/Twitter

Who’s in, who’s out: Even with star Joel Embiid (pronounced jo-ELL em-BEED) out and “day-to-day” due to a knee injury, the Sixers still eliminated the Washington Wizards in Game 5 last night with a 129–112 win.

  • The Atlanta Hawks and Utah Jazz also won their Game 5s, knocking out the New York Knicks and Memphis Grizzlies, respectively. Check out the updated playoff bracket for the next round’s matchups.

Who’s next: The Dallas Mavericks and the LA Clippers continued their series last night too, with a Game 5 win for Dallas to give them a 3-2 lead. They could end it all in tomorrow’s Game 6 at 9 p.m. ET.

  • Despite Dame Lillard’s record-setting Game 5 performance, the Portland Trail Blazers are down 3-2 and playing for their lives against the Denver Nuggets tonight at 8 p.m. ET.

The LA Lakers are down 3-2 against the Phoenix Suns, and the Lakers’ Game 5 loss was so bad that LeBron James actually left the bench early to avoid the final moments. Yikes. Game 6 is at 10:30 p.m. ET tonight.