Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
All that happened in the NBA playoffs on Friday night was LeBron James was part of his 42nd series win, RJ Barrett gave Toronto some Kawhi Leonard flashbacks (and gave Tyrese Haliburton some Tyrese Haliburton flashbacks ), Detroit pulled off a comeback for the ages and Orlando missed 23 consecutive shots to waste a 24-point lead.
Other than that ...
James and the Los Angeles Lakers ousted the Houston Rockets and are through to Round 2 of the playoffs, where a matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder awaits. The Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons are still alive; Toronto got a miracle bounce on a Barrett 3-pointer for its overtime win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Pistons' defense was unbeatable for a 13-minute stretch to fuel a stunning rally past the Orlando Magic.
And now, Round 1 reaches its final weekend. A trio of Game 7s await: Philadelphia at Boston on Saturday, then Orlando-Detroit and Toronto-Cleveland on Sunday.
— Game 7, Philadelphia at Boston, 7:30 p.m. EDT (NBC/Peacock)
Series: Tied, 3-3.
Odds: Boston by 8.5.
The Celtics are 27-10 all-time in Game 7s, the 76ers are 6-12 in such games and are 0-4 in them since 2001. It'll be the ninth Game 7 between these two franchises, with Boston going 6-2 in the previous ones.
— Game 7, Orlando at Detroit, 3:30 p.m. EDT (ABC)
Series: Tied, 3-3.
Odds: Detroit by 8.5.
The Pistons are playing a Game 7 for the 11th time and the first since 2006. The Magic are playing their fifth Game 7, the first since 2024.
— Game 7, Toronto at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m. EDT (NBC/Peacock)
Series: Tied, 3-3.
Odds: Cleveland by 8.5.
The Raptors are in their seventh Game 7 and first since 2020. The Cavaliers are in their ninth Game 7, their first since 2024.
— Pistons 93, Magic 79 to even series at 3-3. Orlando missed 23 straight shots, blew 24-point lead.
— Raptors 112, Cavaliers 110, OT to even series at 3-3.
— Lakers 98, Rockets 78 to win series 4-2.
A breakdown of this season's NBA awards:
— Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year: DeAndre Jordan, New Orleans.
— Hustle Award: Moussa Diabaté, Charlotte.
— Defensive Player of the Year: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio.
— Clutch Player of the Year: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City.
— Sixth Man of the Year: Keldon Johnson, San Antonio.
— Sportsmanship Award: Derrick White, Boston.
— Most Improved Player: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Atlanta.
— Rookie of the Year: Cooper Flagg, Dallas.
— Executive of the Year: Brad Stevens, Boston.
Among the announcements still to come:
— Most Valuable Player: Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama or Denver's Nikola Jokic.
— Coach of the Year: Detroit's J.B. Bickerstaff, San Antonio's Mitch Johnson or Boston's Joe Mazzulla.
Defending champion Oklahoma City (-130) is favored to win the NBA title, oddsmakers say.
The Thunder are followed by San Antonio (+375), Boston (+700), New York (+1600), Cleveland (+2000), Detroit (+2200) and the Los Angeles Lakers (+3000). Philadelphia (+10000) is next, followed by Minnesota (+20000).
— Monday and Tuesday: Conference semifinals begin.
— May 10: NBA draft lottery.
— May 10-17: NBA draft combine.
— May 17 or 19: Eastern Conference finals begin on ESPN and ABC.
— May 18 or 20: Western Conference finals begin on NBC and Peacock.
— June 3: Game 1, NBA Finals on ABC. (Other finals dates: June 5, June 8, June 10, June 13, June 16 and June 19).
— June 23: Round 1, NBA draft
— June 24: Round 2, NBA draft
"Thank you, Toronto. Thank you, RJ Barrett. Appreciate it." — LeBron James, after Barrett's 3-pointer sent Toronto to a Game 7 against Cleveland and gave James' Los Angeles Lakers two more days before Game 1 of their next series against Oklahoma City.
— Detroit has had runs of 30-3 (Game 2), 26-8 (Game 3) and 35-4 (Game 6) in its series against Orlando.
— There have been four instances of a 40-something having a 25-point, five-rebound, five-assist game in the playoffs. LeBron James has all of them.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
