The end of the NBA playoffs’ first round is quickly nearing as every matchup the rest of the way will be an elimination game.
Only two teams – the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference – have advanced to the second round, with six of the eight first-round series going to a Game 6.
Three Game 6s are Thursday, April 30 and the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves are all going for series wins.
The Knicks will get their first chance at clinching their series against Wisconsin native and Nicolet High School graduate Jalen Johnson and the Atlanta Hawks after winning the last two games to go up, 3-2.
Trailing 2-1 in the series with consecutive one-point losses, the Knicks have found their groove, with two resounding victories backed by Karl Anthony Towns’ triple-double in Game 4 and Jalen Brunson’s spectacular 39-point showing in Game 5. The Knicks are one win from advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals for a fourth straight season.
The winner of that series will face the winner of the Celtics-Philadelphia 76ers series, which also continues with a Game 6. The Celtics couldn’t close the door on the 76ers at home two nights ago, but they’ll get another chance on the road in an arena where they already won twice this series. But if the Celtics win for a third time at Xfinity Mobile Center, they’ll have to find an answer for 76ers center Joel Embiid, who delivered a dominant fourth quarter in his game-high 33-point performance in Philadelphia’s Game 5 upset win.
In the Western Conference, the Timberwolves also have a clinching opportunity for a second straight game in their series with the Denver Nuggets. Minnesota is seeking to knock out the Nuggets for a second straight season in the first round. But it’s an underdog as it continues to be without injured starters Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo. Meanwhile, the Nuggets will try to extend the series and get closer to being the 15th team to come back from a 3-1 deficit and first since they did it twice in the 2020 playoffs.
Here’s what to know about the NBA playoff games April 30, including start times, where to watch, an updated bracket and scores from every series:
What NBA games are on today? NBA playoff schedule tonight, times
Times are Central
What channel are the NBA playoff games on tonight? Where to watch NBA games on TV, live stream
ESPN, which is available to stream on Fubo, has a doubleheader, starting at 6 p.m. Peacock is streaming the Boston Celtics-Philadelphia 76ers game at 7 p.m.
Here’s where to watch the NBA playoff games April 30:
Stream ESPN on Fubo
Stream NBA playoffs on Peacock
NBA playoff odds
The road team is the favorite in all three games April 30:
Odds courtesy of BetMGM
NBA playoff bracket
All NBA playoff series are best-of-seven:
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
When does the second round of the NBA playoffs start?
None of the second-round matchups have been determined before games April 30, so the dates for the start of the second round are still to be determined.
NBA Finals schedule
While we don’t know the teams that’ll compete for the Larry O’Brien Trophy in the NBA Finals, the schedule is already set.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals is Wednesday, June 3. The last possible date to crown a champion would be Game 7 on Friday, June 19. All games of the best-of-seven series will tip off at 7:30 p.m. and will air on ABC.
Has any team came back from 3-0 in NBA playoffs?
The Houston Rockets are looking to accomplish something that no team in NBA playoff history has done in a best-of-seven series: Come back to win a series after falling behind, 3-0.
After losing the first three games to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Rockets have staved off elimination twice, winning Game 4 in Houston and then capturing Game 5 on the road April 29.
And they’ve done it without Kevin Durant, who has missed four of five games in the series with injuries. The series shifts back to Houston for Game 6 on Friday, May 1, where they again face elimination but with plenty of confidence.
NBA playoff series, schedule, results
Here are every NBA playoff series:
Eastern Conference
Detroit Pistons (1) vs. Orlando Magic (8)
Boston Celtics (2) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (7)
New York Knicks (3) vs. Atlanta Hawks (6)
Cleveland Cavaliers (4) vs. Toronto Raptors (5)
Western Conference
Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs. Phoenix Suns (8)
San Antonio Spurs (2) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (7)
Denver Nuggets (3) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (6)
Los Angeles Lakers (4) vs. Houston Rockets (5)
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: NBA playoff TV schedule tonight, what’s at stake, channel, times
Reporting by Christopher Kuhagen, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
