On April 26, Beijing time, the NBA playoffs will continue, and the league has arranged 3 games. The Cavaliers face the Magic on the road and try to extend the overall score to 3-0. The 76ers host the Knicks, can Embiid and Maxey tie the total score at 1-2? The Lakers return to Los Angeles to play the Nuggets again, James let G3 defend the home court, and ESPN continues to look down on the Lakers.
7:00: Cavaliers vs. Magic
The Cavaliers currently lead the Magic 2-0 in the overall score, beating the Magic 97-83 in the first game and beating the Magic 96-86 in the second game. G3 will come to the home of the Magic. In the regular season this season, the Magic are 47-35 and 29-12 at home, and the Cavaliers are 48-34 and 22-19 on the road.
In the last game, the Cavaliers led the Magic by as many as 22 points and never fell behind in the game. The Magic closed the gap in the final quarter, but ultimately lost by 10 points. The Magic's Banchero had 21 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists, Wagner Jr. had 18 points and 7 rebounds, the two had 6 turnovers each, and Harris had 14 points and 4 rebounds. The Cavaliers' Mitchell had 23 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, Mobley 17 points and 7 rebounds, and Allen 16 points, 20 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocks.
Allen grabbed 38 rebounds in the first two games, and Cavaliers coach Bickerstaff was very pleased with it, emphasizing that the interior was the key to winning the series. Back at home, the Magic will be aiming for a better start, with 13 of the final 15 games of the regular season trailing at the end of the first quarter. The good news is that Suggs, who has suffered a left knee injury in G2, is fine and is scheduled to play in G3.
In terms of injuries, the Cavaliers' Dean Wade, Craig Porter, and Jerome are out. The Magic injury list is blank and fully healthy.
ESPN Prediction Win Percentage: Cavaliers 54.7%, Magic 45.3%
7:30: Knicks vs. 76ers
The Knicks currently lead the 76ers 2-0 in total, beating the 76ers 111-104 in the first game and beating the 76ers 104-101 in the second game. G3 will come to the 76ers home arena. In the regular season this season, the 76ers are 47-35 and 25-16 at home, while the Knicks are 50-32 and 23-18 on the road.
In the last game, the 76ers had a chance to pull one back, and with 47 seconds left in the game, they still led by five points. After Brunson hit a three-pointer, Hart steals Maxey, DiVincenzo scores another three-pointer, and in the end, the Knicks won with a wave of 8-0 comebacks. The referee's report shows that Maxey was fouled by Brunson and Hart before being tackled, but the referee did not blow the penalty, and the 76ers lost unjustly. The 76ers' Maxey had 35 points, 9 rebounds and 10 assists, and Embiid had 34 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. The Knicks' Brunson had 24 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, Hart had 21 points and 15 rebounds, and DiVincenzo had 19 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
Embiid was annoyed by the 2-0 deficit and said after the G2 game that the 76ers would eventually win the series. The 76ers have been eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals for the past three seasons, but if they can't win four of their next five games, they won't make it past the first round this year.
In terms of injuries, the Knicks' Randle is out and Mitchell Robinson is doubtful. The 76ers' Covington is out, and Embiid and Melton are doubtful.
ESPN Predicted Win Percentage: Knicks 42.8%, 76ers 57.2%
10:00: Nuggets vs. Lakers
The Nuggets currently lead the Lakers 2-0 in aggregate, beating the Lakers 114-103 in the first game and narrowly beating the Lakers 101-99 in the second game. G3 will come to the Lakers' home court. In the regular season this season, the Lakers are 47-35 and 28-14 at home, while the Nuggets are 57-25 and 24-17 on the road.
In the last game, the Lakers led by as many as 20 points, but the Nuggets successfully reversed, and in the last moments of the game, in the face of the thick eyebrows of the defense, Murray hit the whistle and killed the Lakers. The Lakers' thick eyebrows had 32 points and 11 rebounds, James had 26 points, 8 rebounds and 12 assists, and Russell had 23 points, 6 assists and 7 three-pointers. The Nuggets' Jokic had 27 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists, Porter had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Murray had 20 points, three rebounds and five assists.
Since January 2023, the Nuggets have beaten the Lakers 10 times in a row (including the regular season and playoffs). James said that the Lakers want to defend their home court in G3 and they want to get better. In the fourth quarter of the G2 game, James scored 12 points alone, but the rest of the Lakers combined only scored 8 points, and the thick eyebrows only made one shot in the last quarter and did not score.
In terms of injuries, the Nuggets' Kankar is absent, the Lakers' Wood, Vanderbilt, Reddish, and Schifino are absent, and James and thick eyebrows are likely to play.
ESPN Predicted Win Percentage: Nuggets 55.6%, Lakers 44.4%