The 2024 NBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel is ongoing.  • Download the NBA App • NBA Playoffs Bracket Conference semifinals schedule The second round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs Presented by Google Pixel is ongoing. This news covers the dates, times, and how to watch the conference semifinals as more details are released. Eastern Conference All times are Eastern Standard Time (1) Boston vs. (4) Cleveland Game 1: Celtics 120, Cavaliers 95 Game 2: Cavaliers 118, Celtics 94 Game 3: Celtics 106, Cavaliers 93 Game 4: Celtics vs. Cavaliers, Monday, May 13 (7 ET, TNT) Game 5: Cavaliers vs. Celtics, Wednesday, May 15 (7 ET, TNT) Game 6: Celtics vs. Cavaliers, Friday, May 17 (TBD, ESPN) * Game 7: Cavaliers vs. Celtics, Sunday, May 19 (TBD, TBD) * Boston leads the series 2-1. (2) New York vs. (6) Indiana Game 1: Knicks 121, Pacers 117 Game 2: Knicks 130, Pacers 121 Game 3: Pacers 111, Knicks 106 Game 4: Knicks vs. Pacers, Sunday, May 12 (3:30 ET, ABC) Game 5: Pacers vs. Knicks, Tuesday, May 14 (8 ET, TNT) Game 6: Knicks vs. Pacers, Friday, May 17 (TBD, ESPN) * Game 7: Pacers vs. Knicks, Sunday, May 19 (3:30 ET, ABC) * New York leads the series 2-1 Western Conference All times are Eastern Standard Time. (1) Oklahoma City vs. (5) Dallas Game 1: Thunder 117, Mavericks 95 Game 2: Mavericks 119, Thunder 110 Game 3: Mavericks 105, Thunder 101 Game 4: Thunder vs. Mavericks, Monday, May 13 (9:30 ET, TNT) Game 5: Mavericks vs. Thunder, Wednesday, May 15 (9:30 ET, TNT) Game 6: Thunder vs. Mavericks, Saturday, May 18 (8:30 ET, ESPN) * Game 7: Mavericks vs. Thunder, Monday, May 20 (8:30 ET, TNT) * Dallas leads the series 2-1. (2) Denver vs. (3) Minnesota Game 1: Timberwolves 106, Nuggets 99 Game 2: Timberwolves 106, Nuggets 80 Game 3: Nuggets 117, Timberwolves 90 Game 4: Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, Sunday, May 12 (8 ET, TNT) Game 5: Timberwolves vs. Nuggets, Tuesday, May 14 (10:30 ET, TNT) Game 6: Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, Thursday, May 16 (8:30, ESPN) * Game 7: Timberwolves vs. Nuggets, Sunday, May 19 (TBD, TBD) * Minnesota leads the series 2-1. 2024 NBA Playoffs First-round results: The first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs by Google Pixel has ended. Find the results from every first-round series below: Eastern Conference All times are Eastern Standard Time. (1) Boston vs. (8) Miami Game 1: Celtics 114, Heat 94 Game 2: Heat 111, Celtics 101 Game 3: Celtics 104, Heat 84 Game 4: Celtics 102, Heat 88 Game 5: Celtics 118, Heat 84 Boston won the series 4-1. (2) New York vs. (7) Philadelphia Game 1: Knicks 111, 76ers 104 Game 2: Knicks 104, 76ers 101 Game 3: 76ers 125, Knicks 114 Game 4: Knicks 97, 76ers 92 Game 5: 76ers 112, Knicks 106 (OT) Game 6: Knicks 118, 76ers 115 New York won series 4-2. (4) Cleveland vs. (5) Orlando Game 1: Cavaliers 97, Magic 83 Game 2: Cavaliers 96, Magic 86 Game 3: Magic 121, Cavaliers 83 Game 4: Magic 112, Cavaliers 89 Game 5: Cavaliers 104, Magic 103 Game 6: Magic 103, Cavaliers 96 Game 7: Cavaliers 106, Magic 94 Cleveland won series 4-3. (2) Denver vs. (7) L.A. Lakers Game 1: Nuggets 114, Lakers 103 Game 2: Nuggets 101, Lakers 99 Game 3: Nuggets 112, Lakers 105 Game 4: Lakers 119, Nuggets 108 Game 5: Nuggets 108, Lakers 106 Denver won series 4-1. (3) Minnesota vs. (6) Phoenix Game 1: Timberwolves 120, Suns 95 Game 2: Timberwolves 105, Suns 93 Game 3: Timberwolves 126, Suns 109 Game 4: Timberwolves 122, Suns 116 Minnesota won series 4-0. (4) LA Clippers vs. (5) Dallas Game 1: Clippers 109, Mavericks 97 Game 2: Mavericks 96, Clippers 93 Game 3: Mavericks 101, Clippers 90 Game 4: Clippers 116, Mavericks 111 Game 5: Mavericks 123, Clippers 93 Game 6: Mavericks 114, Clippers 101 Dallas won the series 4-2. 2024 NBA Playoffs Conference finals schedule The 2024 NBA Playoffs conference finals will start May 21-22 but may be moved to May 19-20 if the series from the first round end early. NBA Finals schedule The 2024 NBA Finals presented by YouTube TV will start on June 6, with ABC as the exclusive broadcaster.  Thursday, June 6: Game 1 Sunday, June 9: Game 2 Wednesday, June 12: Game 3 Friday, June 14: Game 4 Monday, June 17: Game 5 (if necessary) Thursday, June 20: Game 6 (if necessary) Sunday, June 23: Game 7 (if necessary)

Jamal Murray hurt his elbow when he crashed into a Rudy Gobert screen and shot only 4-for-18, ending with 10 points in a 115-70 blowout to the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center.  With a two-day break before Game 7, Murray is uncertain if his elbow will feel better by then.  “I hope, for our team’s sake,” Murray said. “I hope I can get it right.” He missed nine of his first 10 shots. Jamal was asked if the elbow loosened up and felt better as the match progressed. “Clearly it did not,” Murray said with a laugh. “I put some numbing cream on it just so I didn’t have to feel it every time it extended. But everybody gets hurt. “So it was the fact that I was shooting the ball. That’s what I do most. So I was never really getting into my rhythm again. And my team obviously needed me tonight, and I didn’t. So I’m disappointed in myself for not being able to give them the right production that I know I can.” Murray has been wounded this postseason, He is already nursing a strain in his left calf that he suffered in the first round against the Los Angeles Lakers.  Denver needs Murray to be in top shape for Game 7. He averages 19.7 points on 50% shooting, including 42% on 3-pointers, in the Nuggets three wins this series. In the three defeats, Murray is averaging 11.6 points and 26% shooting. “We got two days off,” He said. “I just got to get ready and be able to be better for Sunday. Yeah, [it’s got] to be better for Sunday, man.”

As the most experienced pitcher for the Oakland Athletics, Alex Wood felt it important that he led by example.  Given this goal, Wood’s start to his career with the Athletics had not gone as he planned. Through seven starts, he built a 6.32 ERA, pitched once into the sixth inning and carried 1.98 WHIP that was the second highest behind only Houston Astros’ Hunter Brown (2.20) among the 127 Major League pitchers, with at least 25 innings this season.  Coming off a day where the bullpen had to cover eight innings due to an early exit for Joe Boyle, the Athletics longed for a deep outing. Facing the defending World Series champions, Wood stepped up to deliver his best start yet for Oakland. He had six scoreless innings, permitting only two hits and one walk with three strikeouts.  Wood’s strong effort set the Athletics up for the formula that has worked well for them this campaign. Get a strong outing from their starter, score enough runs early and and it off to a lights-out bullpen.  Although this time, there was problem. Lucas Erceg conceded a go-ahead three-run homer to Corey Seager, after a two-run lead in the eight. This turned out to be the gamechanger in Oakland’s 4-2 defeat by the Rangers on Monday night at the Coliseum. See: Allen solid, but ‘flat’ Cleveland Guardians struggle in field in finale. Erceg, who entered the night afer permitting only two hits and three walks over his last night appearances, started the eight with a leadoff walk to pinch-hitter Josh Smith. That free pass set the modd for an uncharacteristics fram that witnessed the right-hander walk two batters and permit two hits. The most damaging one was Seager’s long ball on a 3-2 changeup with two outs. At the same time, closer Mason Miller was warm in the bullpen.  “They made some moves by pinch-hitting against [Erceg],” said Athletics manager Mark Kotsay. “The Seager at-bat, 3-2 changeup, that’s why he makes [$325 million.] This is a small blip for Erceg. I’ve had nothing but confidence in him. He’s had nothing but success in that situation this season.” Erceg’s blown save will highlighted, especially since it was the Athletics first loss this campaign when leading after seven innings. The offense, was just as complicit for its inability to cash in. Despite securing seven hits, Oakland went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left  Erceg’s blown save will be magnified, given that it was the A’s first loss this season when leading after seven innings. The offense, however, was just as responsible for its inability to cash in. Despite collecting seven hits, the A’s went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left seven runners on base. Their two runs were on a pair of sacrifice flies by Darell Hernaiz in the second and Esteury Ruiz in the fifth.  “We had a chance to add on,” Kotsay said. “Adding on against good teams is what you need to do to put them away. We’ve been able to add on as of late. But tonight, we couldn’t get that support we needed late and it ended up costing us.” On a night where the Athletics blew a chance to close the distance on Texas, which entered first place while Oakland trails by three games, the upside is in Wood finally looking like he does at his best. He moved fast by pounding the zone with 54 of 78 pitches going for strikes and generating lots of weak contact. The average exit velocity of the 17 balls in play against him was only 89.7 mph.  “The biggest thing for me is strikes,” Wood said. “I’m a strike thrower. … That was a big thing for me today. Going in and getting strike one and attacking guys. Usually, when you do that, you get some of those quick outs like we did tonight.” Wood referred to his previous outing last week against the Pittsburgh Pirates as frustrating because he could attack the zone. Pulled after four innings against Pittsburgh, he threw only 53 of 93 total pitches for strikes that night. Alex said he identified a mechnical flaw with his hand positioning, which he corrected before his start at the Yankee Stadium on April 25. This fix held him go 5 ⅔ innings of one-run ball. The issue happened again in last week’s start, but he fixed it for Monday’s start.  “My hands had gravitated more towards the mid-line or in front of the mid-line of my body,” Wood said. “Going into New York, I had to make sure [my hands] were behind my mid-line. Last start, they kind of gravitated back toward where they had been. Today, I kept that in the back of my mind throughout the outing. It helped my changeup a lot and command in general. Hopefully, it’s something we can keep carrying over and keep filling up the zone.”

The San Antonio Spurs forward-center Victor Wembanyama has received the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy for the 2023-24 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year.  Wembanyama got all 99 first-place votes from a media panel, making him the first unanimous Kia NBA Rookie of the Year since Karl-Anthony Towns in the 2015-16 season.  The French national is the first player from his country to win the Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Award. This honour has been awarded annually since the 1952-53 season. Wembanyama is also the third player to get that honour with San Antonio. He joins winners like David Robinson (1989-90) and Tim Duncan (1997-98).  In the 2023-24 regular season, Victor Wembanyama led all rookies in points (21.4), rebounds (10.6) and blocks (3.6) per match. Additionally, he ranks fourth in assists (3.9) and second in steals (1.2) per game. He is the second rookie to lead all league players in blocks per game in a season, joining others like Manute Bol (1985 -86). Wembanyama and Bol are the only two rookies to lead the NBA in total blocks in a campaign since blocks were first recorded in the 1973-74 season.  Victor became the first player to average up to 20.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks in fewer than 30 minutes per game in a season. He is the first player to gather 1,500 points, 700 rebounds, 250 assists, 250 blocks and 100 3-pointers made in a season.

The Milwaukee Bucks suffered another hit with 5:01 to play in the first quarter of Game 4 on Sunday night when forward Bobby Portis Jr. was removed after drawing two technical fouls on the same play. Portis and Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nemnbhard were locked up while fighting for a rebound, which caused a brief shoving match and stoppage in play for a replay review. Portis and Nembhard were called out for technical fouls for the initial shoves. Officials then assessed a second technical to Portis for slapping Nembhard in the head. Both were seen as hostile acts. The Bucks were already playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has been absent since April 9 due to a strained left calf, and Damian Lillard, who injured his right Achilles tendon in Friday night’s overtime loss to the Pacers. The officials called five technical fouls in the first 6:59 of game action.  The Pacers lead the best-of-seven series 2-1.

Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch left the court late in the fourth quarter of Game 4 against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night after colliding with guard Mike Conley. Following the Timberwolves’ 122-116 victory and first-round series sweep of the Suns, various news outlets confirmed Finch had ruptured his right patellar tendon. Conley wanted to dribble down the sideline when he crashed into Phoenix’s Devin Booker and collided with Finch. Chris seemed to have injured his right knee as Conley tried to brace their fall. He grimaced and grabbed his right knee.  Finch was down for a few minutes, surrounded by Minnesota players, coaches and staff, before he slowly got up and was assisted off the court. Assistant coach Micah Nori directed the team for the final 1:41. Nori said Finch was in the medical room getting checked out and that the team went down to see him after the match. “He’s obviously in good spirits and so are the guys,” Nori said. Conley said he didn’t see Finch until the last moment and tried to hold him up after the collision. The veteran guard told a joke or two at the coach’s expense after the Game 4 victory. “I told him to sit his (butt) down — he shouldn’t be standing up like that late in the game,” Conley said. “He’s in the way. But prayers up for him, I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

The NBA on Monday announced the three finalists for the seven awards that honour top performers in the 2023-24 season: Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year, Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Kia NBA Most Improved Player, Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year and NBA Coach of the Year. TNT will announce the winner of each award during its coverage of the 2024 NBA Playoffs starting Tuesday, April 23rd: April 23rd – Kia Most Improved Player. April 24th – Kia Sixth Man of the Year. April 25th – Kia Clutch Player of the Year. April 28th – NBA Coach of the Year. What Is The Kia NBA Awards? The three finalists for each yearly award are selected by voting results from a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Each voter’s complete ballot for each award will be posted at pr.nba.com after the end-of-season awards are announced. Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets. Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat. Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs. Most Improved Player Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers. Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets. Coby White, Chicago Bulls. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, April 23 (7 ET on TNT). Rookie of the Year Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder. Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs. Sixth Man of the Year Malik Monk, Sacramento Kings. Bobby Portis, Milwaukee Bucks. Naz Reid, Minnesota Timberwolves. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, April 24 (6:30 ET on TNT). Clutch Player of the Year Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors. DeMar DeRoznan, Chicago Bulls. Shai Gilegous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder. The winner will be announced on Thursday, April 25 (7 ET on TNT). NBA Coach of the Year Mark Diagneault, Oklahoma City Thunder. Chris Finch, Minnesota Timberwolves. Jamahl Mosley, Orlando Magic. The winner will be announced on Sunday, April 28 (6:30 ET on TNT).

Stephen Curry has the most popular jersey in the NBA, for the second straight campaign and the fifth time in his career. According to NBAStore.com sales for the 2023-24 season, Curry’s No.30 Golden State Warriors jersey topped the list. Five of the top 15 players on the list are international players, headed by San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama of France with the fourth most popular jersey. Other top sellers include Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (fifth), Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (sixth), Philadelphia 76ers centre Joel Embiid (12th) and Denver Nuggets centre Nikola Jokic (13th). Overall, the top 5 players in jersey sales are:  Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks For merchandise sales, the Los Angeles Lakers take the lead (as they did at the season’s midpoint). Boston, Golden State and Milwaukee are in the top five too joined by the Chicago Bulls, who did not have any player rank in the top 15 in jersey sales. Related NBA News: DeMar DeRozan wins NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award.

The NBA has announced Chicago Bulls guard-forward DeMar DeRozan as the NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award winner for March. DeRoznan is being recognized for his contributions to mental health advocacy and supporting youth in Chicago. He will receive the David Robinson trophy and the NBA will donate $10,000 to Coffee, Hip-Hop and Mental Health, a mental health advocacy group in Chicago. Throughout February and March, DeRozan released “Dinners with DeMar’’ a new video series where he hosts current and former NBA players to have impactful conversations about mental health at the dinner table. Since the series was launched, he has hosted three full-length episodes featuring Draymond Green, Damian Lillard and Dwayne Wade. Every episode features over 45 minutes of meaningful dialogue and transparent conversations on mental health for athletes and society. The series has gathered over 425,000 views on YouTube and is a way to break the stigma surrounding mental health challenges. Furthermore, DeRozan hosted a premiere for the series at his alma mater, the University of Southern California (USC), where he and student-athletes from the men’s and women’s basketball teams share how they manage their mental health. Full episodes and short clips are available on his YouTube channel with additional episodes to be released in the future. Throughout the season, DeRozan has partnered with Coffee, Hip-Hop & Mental Health (CHHAMH), a Chicago non-profit that provides free therapy to those facing financial barriers to break the stigma around mental health. In March, CHHAMH launched a DeMar DeRoznan-inspired coffee drink and hoodie with funds benefiting the local coffee shop and their weekly men’s group therapy meetings for an entire year. DeRoznan amplified the impact by inviting Bulls teammates, Patrick Williams and Dalen Terry, to join him in a few sessions with the men’s therapy group. “As a Bulls and NBA player, I’m grateful for the opportunity to build a platform I can use to make real change and work to break the stigma around mental health,” said DeRozan.  “Throughout the years, I’ve seen what can happen when people have honest conversations about mental health and understand that everyone faces challenges, including professional athletes. I look forward to creating more forums for difficult but necessary conversations and providing more resources to support mental health for those who most need it.” In addition to his work around mental health advocacy, DeRoznan has also been involved in the Chicago community supporting youth. In March, he partnered with Make-A-Wish to provide a VIP experience for a child and his family that included a meet and greet with the Bulls team, observing practice and courtside seats to a game. Earlier this year, he hosted a young Chicago fan and cancer survivor along with his family on the team plane for a road game. DeRoznan will officially be awarded in-arena as the NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award winner during the pre-game of the April 17 Hawks-Bulls NBA Play-In Tournament match. Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Artūras Karnišovas will present him with the award.

The NBA announced on Friday that it was fining the Philadelphia 76ers $100,000 for violating league injury reporting rules.  Philadelphia did not correctly disclose the game availability status of Joel Embiid before their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2nd. The 76ers listed Embiid as “Out’’ in the initial injury report, but he subsequently played in the game. The fine covers the team’s existing history of fines for violating injury reporting rules. Related NBA News: 2024 NBA Playoffs: Standings and bracket updates after Friday’s games.