The 2023 NBA Playoffs have reached the second round, leaving eight teams to fight for the NBA Championship.
Here are the remaining teams and matchups.
Eastern Conference
(2) Boston Celtics vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia leads 1-0
Boston knocked out Atlanta in six games after failing to eliminate the Hawks in Game 5. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown stole the show again, each averaging playoff career-highs, while Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon, and Derrick White helped add an extra punch.
Philadelphia got the only sweep of the first round, eliminating the sixth-seeded Brooklyn Nets in four games. The 76ers dominated the series as five players averaged at least 12 points per game, including more than 20 from James Harden, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey. Philadelphia also displayed its defensive prowess by holding Brooklyn under 100 points in three of the playoff games, including two games under 90.
The teams played a nail-biter in Game 1, but Harden’s three-pointer with 8.1 seconds left gave the Sixers the win. He finished with 45 points, while Tatum led Boston with 39.
Game 2 is in Boston at 7 p.m. CT on Wednesday.
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(5) New York Knicks vs. (8) Miami Heat
Miami leads 1-0
New York beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games to win its first playoff series since 2013. Former Dallas Mavericks point guard Jalen Brunson was the Knicks’ leading scorer in each of their four wins, including 52 combined points in the final two games. Plano Prestonwood alum Julius Randle has also developed into a star for the Knicks but has missed time with an ankle injury and is questionable for Game 2.
Miami became the first play-in team to win a first-round series, impressively defeating the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in five games. The Heat scored at least 119 points in each game and rattled off three consecutive wins behind Jimmy Butler, averaging a career-best 35.5 points per game this postseason.
Miami won its fourth straight playoff game with a 108-101 victory in Game 1 against New York. The Heat trailed by as many as 11 but rallied to take the lead with a 10-0 run in the third quarter as Butler, Kevin Love, and Max Strus got the offense going. Gabe Vincent took over in the fourth to stymie any Knicks’ comeback.
Game 2 tips off at 6:30 p.m. CT Tuesday in New York.
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Western Conference
(1) Denver Nuggets vs. (4) Phoenix Suns
Denver leads 2-0
Denver won its first series as a No.1 seed since it entered the NBA by taking care of the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games. Minnesota put up a good fight in the last four, but Jamal Murray’s 35 points in Game 5 helped propel a come-from-behind victory to end Minnesota’s season.
Phoenix lost Game 1 of its first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers yet finished with four wins in a row to take the series in five games. Devin Booker is averaging 35.4 points per game postseason, while trade-deadline acquisition Kevin Durant is holding up his end of the bargain with 27.9.
Denver has won the first two games of the second round by double digits, putting Phoenix in an early hole as Murray and Nikola Jokic have taken turns torching the Suns. Phoenix also played most of Game 2 without point guard Chris Paul, who left with a groin injury.
Game 3 will be played in Phoenix at 9 p.m. CT on Friday.
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(6) Golden State Warriors vs. (7) Los Angeles Lakers
Series tied 0-0
The defending champion Golden State Warriors came back from a 0-2 hole to take a 3-2 series lead against the Sacramento Kings after five games. Failing to eliminate the Kings in game six, Golden State finished the job with a 20-point Game 7 win behind Steph Curry’s NBA Game 7 record 50-point performance.
The Lakers have continued their second-half surge into the playoffs, cruising through the play-in to grab the seventh-seed and knocking out a talented Memphis Grizzlies team in round one. It only took Los Angeles six games to eliminate the second-best regular-season team in the Western Conference, as D’Angelo Russell’s 31 points in Game 6 helped the Lakers to a 40-point win.
This is the only second-round NBA playoff series that has yet to start, with Game 1 scheduled for 9 p.m. CT on Tuesday.
