Game 1: Hawks at Sixers
1 p.m. ET, ABC | Series Hub
• Joel Embiid is listed as questionable for Game 1 with a small meniscus tear in his knee. During the regular season, the Sixers went 39-12 with Embiid in the lineup and 10-11 with him out. In the playoffs, the Sixers are 3-1 with Embiid (including the game he went down after 12 minutes of play) and were able to close out the Wizards in their first game without him. In the playoffs, the Sixers have been 34.7 points per 100 possessions better with Embiid on the court (34.7 net rating in 95 minutes) than when he’s off (0.0 net rating in 145 minutes).
• Through his first five career playoff games, Trae Young is averaged 29.2 points and has matched his field goals made (9.8) for himself with his assists (9.8) for his teammates. Between the 29.2 points he scores himself and the 25.0 points he creates with his assists, Young has had his hands in 54.2 of Atlanta’s 104.0 (52.1%) points.
• With Embiid out for Game 5 against the Wizards, the Sixers inserted Matisse Thybulle into the starting lineup along with Tobias Harris, Seth Curry, Ben Simmons and Danny Green. That group played 16 minutes together in Game 5 after playing a total of 12 minutes together over the course of the regular season. In 28 total minutes together, that group scored 72 points on 52.9% shooting, had 17 assists to just six turnovers and racked up 10 steals.
• Trae Young averaged 29 points and six assists in two games against the Sixers season; that was the third-highest scoring average against the Sixers by any of the 267 players that faced them more than once this season. It also marked Young’s lowest assist average against any team this season. John Collins added 14.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.7 3-pointers made on 55.2%-53.3%-80% shooting splits while appearing in all three games against Philadelphia.
• Joel Embiid averaged a team-high 19.7 points in 24.3 minutes in three games against the Hawks. Tobias Harris (17.5), Seth Curry (13.5) and Ben Simmons (13.0) each appeared in only two of the three games. Dwight Howard – who scored 12 points in Philadelphia’s series-clinching win over Washington with Embiid out – averaged 9.7 points and 8.0 rebounds in 22.1 minutes in three games against the Hawks this season.
Luka Doncic (34.0) and Kawhi Leonard (32.8) rank second and fourth, respectively, in playoff scoring.
Game 7: Mavericks at Clippers
3:30 p.m. ET, ABC | Series tied 3-3
• For the first time in NBA playoff history, the road team has won the first six games of a playoff series. Can the Mavericks make it seven-for-seven and set a record that can never be beaten? Or will the Clippers be able to defend their home court in the winner-take-all game. Both teams entered the playoffs with 21-15 road records during the regular season – tied for the fourth-best road win percentage in the league – and matching point differentials (plus-4.3), which trailed only Utah.
• Kawhi Leonard was brilliant in Game 6 as he finished with 45 points on 18-25 shooting from the field, 5-9 from 3-point range and 4-4 from the free throw line. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Leonard became the fourth player in playoff history to score at least 45 points and 70% shooting or better in an elimination game, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Jamal Murray and LeBron James. Leonard is only the eighth player since 1984 to do that in any playoff games – let alone an elimination game.
• In addition to scoring 45 points, Kawhi Leonard was also the primary defender on Luka Doncic for a team-high 6:58 in Game 6, holding Doncic to seven points on 3-4 shooting, with two assists and two turnovers. While Doncic shot 75% against Leonard, the fact that Doncic only attempted four shots in 46.5% of his offensive matchup time in the game is key. For the series, Leonard has defended Doncic for 18:03 and allowed 22 points on 9-24 shooting from the field and 4-13 from 3-point range.
• In Game 6, the Clippers outscored the Mavericks 31-20 in the fourth quarter as they turned a four-point deficit entering the final 12 minutes into a seven-point win. This continued a trend as the Clippers have won the fourth quarter in five straight games in the series and on average outscored the Mavericks by 4.8 points in the final period. Conversely, the Mavericks have won five of six first quarters, but by only 1.3 points on average.
• Four of the six games in this series have featured clutch time, with the Mavericks winning three of those four games. Tim Hardaway Jr. has been Dallas’ top clutch scorer with 13 points on 4-7 shooting from the field, 3-5 from 3-point range and 2-2 from the free throw line in 12 clutch minutes. Kawhi Leonard is not far behind with 11 clutch points on 4-6 from the field, 2-3 from three and 1-1 at the free throw line.
