Plenty of drama remains in both of the Eastern Conference semifinal series, with the Milwaukee Bucks on the brink of elimination and the Philadelphia 76ers dead even with the upstart Atlanta Hawks, two games apiece. The Hawks and 76ers tangle in Game 5 on Wednesday night, while the Nets head back to Milwaukee with just Kevin Durant healthy among their Big Three. Durant went off for a 49-point triple-double to guide the Nets to a six-point Game 5 win on Tuesday night.
Can he carry his team again? Don’t miss our NBA betting preview for the next two games.
NBA News: Eastern Conference Games (June 16-17)
Wednesday, June 16
Atlanta Hawks at Philadelphia 76ers
Game 5 (7:30 pm ET, TNT) | Series tied, 2-2
In Game 4, the Hawks erased an 18-point Philadelphia lead to win, 103-100. Trae Young started cold but ended up putting up 25 points on the night, including the shot that put the Hawks ahead for good with 1:17 left. Joel Embiid had to go into the locker room for treatment and clanked all 12 shots he took in the second half. Young had his right shoulder taped for the game, as the long season is apparently taking its toll on both stars. Embiid is fighting through torn cartilage inside his right knee, and he did end up with 17 points and 21 boards on the night, and he may also have been pressing on his shots in the second half.
Bogdan Bogdanovic put up 22 points for Atlanta, and John Collins added 14 points and a dozen boards. Young also dished out a career-best 18 assists. Tobias Harris had 20 for Philadelphia, and Seth Curry chipped in 17. He had an open look at a three that would have tied the game at the end of regulation but missed it. The 76ers need Embiid to do better than 4 of 20 shooting from the floor, although his nine first-period rebounds were the most by any 76ers in a quarter of a postseason game since 1996-97. If Embiid can use the off day to get treatment and bounce back, though, Philadelphia should be able to push Atlanta to the brink at home on Wednesday.
Final Prediction:
76ers 108, Hawks 100
Thursday, June 17
Brooklyn Nets at Milwaukee Bucks
Game 6 (8:30 pm ET, ESPN) | Nets lead, 3-2
It was all about Kevin Durant on Tuesday night, as he had a spectacular night against Milwaukee in Game 5. He had 49 points, 17 boards and 10 assists. No other player had ever scored 45 points and put up 15 rebounds and 10 assists in a postseason game until last night. James Harden was back, but he was limited, and Kyrie Irving was out with an ankle injury. KD played all 48 minutes and went 16 of 23 from the floor. Of his 49 points, 20 came in the fourth quarter, including a three-ball with 50 seconds left in regulation.
Harden returned for the first time since the series opener, when he went down just 43 seconds in due to his right hamstring. However, he went just 1 of 10 and clanked all eight of his shots from behind the arc. He played 46 minutes and contributed six boards and eight assists. Jeff Green came up big for Brooklyn with 27 points, including seven three-pointers, as the Nets turned a 17-point deficit (including a 16-point deficit midway through the third quarter) into a rousing six-point win.
For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 12 boards, and Khris Middleton chipped in 25. Antetokounmpo now has 30+ points and 10+ rebounds for three straight games, and Jrue Holiday added 19 points. However, Milwaukee needs to get stops at home in Game 6 if they want to come back to Brooklyn and try to get to the East finals.
Final Prediction:
Bucks 112, Nets 106
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