On April 30, Beijing time, today's NBA games have ended. The Thunder defeated the Pelicans 97-89, swept the opponent 4-0 in the first round, and easily reached the Western Conference semifinals, and the Celtics defeated the Heat 102-88, leading 3-1 and getting the match point. The Lakers lost to the Nuggets and went out 1-4 in total, and it is worth mentioning that the Nuggets' Murray hit another shot in the final moments. Now, the NBA championship pattern has changed a lot, the Suns and Lakers and other favorites have been out one after another, and it seems that the Nuggets have a greater hope of winning the championship, let's take a look at the league playoff situation.
2 teams were swept out 0-4
There was no suspense in the series between the Thunder and Pelicans, the Pelicans had no way to fight back, and Zion's absence had a big impact. The Thunder beat the Pelicans cleanly 4-0 and will face the winner of the Clippers and Mavericks in the semifinals, which is the real challenge. The Clippers and Mavericks are tied 2-2, but the Clippers have home-court advantage and have more scorers than the Mavericks, so as long as they play to their true strength, the Clippers have a better chance of progressing. The Thunder have the No. 1 regular season record in the West, and Alexander is already an MVP-level star, and the Thunder may have a chance to compete for a championship.
Another team was swept by the Phoenix Suns, who lost 4-0 to the Timberwolves. The Suns were very speechless, with an extremely luxurious lineup, but they couldn't play as expected, and they couldn't even win a game. In the eyes of the outside world, the Suns' core guard Beal and coach Vogel are likely to leave the team. Durant and Booker are the cornerstones of the team, and they won't be traded, but it's almost certain that the Suns' roster will change dramatically.
The Lakers were eliminated 1-4
The Lakers' performance in this game was very good, still suppressing the Nuggets in the first half, but in the second half, the Nuggets blasted 31-26 in the third quarter, and in the fourth quarter, the two teams played a critical moment, Murray hit a stunner again, helping the Nuggets defeat the Lakers 108-106, and finally eliminated the opponent with a score of 4-1. The Nuggets' Murray scored 32 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists, and he was even better than Jokic, hitting two shots in a series of rounds, which was really strong. Joshua had 25 points, 20 rebounds and nine assists, and Porter had 26 points.
The Lakers fell short and still didn't take advantage of the opportunity, if it weren't for Murray being too strong, it would be the Nuggets who are now facing elimination, and the Lakers are too unlucky. James had 30 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists and 4 steals, Bush had 17 points and 15 rebounds, Reaves had 19 points, and Russell had 14 points on 2-of-10 three-pointers. In this game, the Lakers made 27 free throws, while the Nuggets only had nine. According to statistics, in the past 19 years, this is the first time in the NBA that there is no James, Curry and Durant in the second round of the playoffs, and their era is officially over.
3-1 in the first round of the Eastern Conference
The Celtics beat the Heat by 14 points to make it 3-1. Due to Butler's injury, the chance of the Heat upset is very small, and it is already good to be able to win a victory, in the past 4 games, as long as the Celtics win, it will definitely be a big victory, and the difference in strength between the two sides is too big. The 76ers also trailed the Knicks 1-3, Embiid played badly in the fourth quarter, although he also cut down the luxury data of 50+8+4, but the emperor has been floating outside to play, and it is difficult to dominate the restricted area. The Knicks' Brunson frequently hit the interior, and this series was also his battle for fame.
The Bucks 1-3 Pacers, such an unexpected situation, mainly has a lot to do with the injuries suffered by the team. Brother Alphabet is absent due to injury, Lillard can't play now, and now the score is behind, and it is too difficult to complete the reversal. The Bucks were once the favorites to win the championship, but now they are out of the tournament, and the Eastern Conference Celtics dominate the family, and it looks like there is no suspense about reaching the Finals. As for whether Rivers will be out of class after the season, let's wait and see.