Category: Denver Nuggets

NBA Playoff Schedule: Full Rundown for Conference Semifinals
6 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

NBA Playoff Schedule: Full Rundown for Conference Semifinals

The first round of the 2024 NBA postseason had some great matchups, and things will only get better from here on out. Saturday marked the start of the second round of the playoffs, when true contenders battle against one another in an effort to reach the final four of their conference. Iron sharpens iron, after all, and this year's slate of Round 2 contests look pretty great across the board.

Fewer games means fewer overlapping broadcast times, too. After two weeks with up to three NBA games on every night, we're more or less back to the standard of an Eastern Conference tip-off around 7 p.m. ET and a Western Conference tip-off around 10 p.m. ET.

For your viewing habit purposes, here is the full schedule for the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs, organized by series.

NBA Playoff Schedule for Second Round

Eastern Conference

(1) Boston Celtics v. (4) Cleveland Cavaliers

• Game 1: Cavaliers vs. Celtics, Tuesday, May 7 (7 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 2: Cavaliers vs. Celtics, Thursday, May 9 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• Game 3: Celtics vs. Cavaliers, Saturday, May 11 (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
• Game 4: Celtics vs. Cavaliers, Monday, May 13 (7 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 5 (if necessary): Cavaliers vs. Celtics, Wednesday, May 15 (TBD)
• Game 6 (if necessary): Celtics vs. Cavaliers, Friday, May 17 (TBD)
• Game 7 (if necessary): Cavaliers vs. Celtics, Sunday, May 19 (TBD)

(2) New York Knicks v. (3) Indiana Pacers

• Game 1: Pacers vs. Knicks, Monday, May 6 (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 2: Pacers vs. Knicks, Wednesday, May 8 (8 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 3: Knicks vs. Pacers, Friday, May 10 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• Game 4: Knicks vs. Pacers, Sunday, May 12 (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
• Game 5 (if necessary): Pacers vs. Knicks, Tuesday, May 14 (TBD)
• Game 6 (if necessary): Knicks vs. Pacers, Friday, May 17 (TBD)
• Game 7 (if necessary): Pacers vs. Knicks, Sunday, May 19 (TBD)

Western Conference

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder v. (5) Dallas Mavericks

• Game 1: Mavericks vs. Thunder, Tuesday, May 7 (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 2: Mavericks vs. Thunder, Thursday, May 9 (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• Game 3: Thunder vs. Mavericks, Saturday, May 11 (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
• Game 4: Thunder vs. Mavericks, Monday, May 13 (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 5 (if necessary): Mavericks vs. Thunder, Wednesday, May 15 (TBD)
• Game 6 (if necessary): Thunder vs. Mavericks, Saturday, May 18 (8:30 p.m. ET)
• Game 7 (if necessary): Mavericks vs. Thunder, Monday, May 20 (8:30 p.m. ET)

(2) Denver Nuggets v. (3) Minnesota Timberwolves

• Game 2: Timberwolves vs. Nuggets, Monday, May 6 (10 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 3: Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, Friday, May 10 (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• Game 4: Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, Sunday, May 12 (8 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 5 (if necessary): Timberwolves vs. Nuggets, Tuesday, May 14 (TBD)
• Game 6 (if necessary): Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, Thursday, May 16 (8:30 p.m. ET)
• Game 7 (if necessary): Timberwolves vs. Nuggets, Sunday, May 19 (TBD)

Key Dates for the 2024 NBA Playoffs

Aside from the all the above, the NBA postseason generally has a few key dates.

The first have already passed in the form of the play-in tournament, as well as the start of the first round. The Nuggets and Timberwolves kicked off the second round on Saturday, May 4. Below are several other key dates to look forward to.

• Conference Finals start dates: May 19-22, depending on the length of the second-round series.
• NBA Finals start date: Thursday, June 6 will be Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals. Sunday, June 9 will be Game 2. Game 3 will take place on Wednesday, June 12. Friday, June 14 will be Game 4.

First Round Results

Below are the full results for the first round of this year's postseason.

Eastern Conference

(1) Boston Celtics def. (8) Miami Heat in 5 games

(2) New York Knicks def. (7) Philadelphia 76ers in 6 games

(4) Cleveland Cavaliers def. (5) Orlando Magic in 7 games

(6) Indiana Pacers def. (3) Milwaukee Bucks in 6 games

Western Conference

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder def. (8) New Orleans Pelicans in 4 games

(2) Denver Nuggets def. (7) Los Angeles Lakers in 5 games

(3) Minnesota Timberwolves def. (6) Phoenix Suns in 4 games

(5) Dallas Mavericks def. (4) Los Angeles Clippers in 6 games

And that's everything you need to know about the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs. Enjoy watching!

Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder
0
NBA Rescinds Anthony Edwards Technical Foul for Taunting in Timberwolves-Nuggets
5 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

NBA Rescinds Anthony Edwards Technical Foul for Taunting in Timberwolves-Nuggets

The NBA officially rescinded a technical foul called on Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards after completing a league review Sunday.

The foul occurred in the third quarter of the Timberwolves' 106–99 win over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. After driving to the hoop for a layup, Edwards stared down Nuggets guard Reggie Jackson for a brief moment and was quickly whistled for a technical foul.

Edwards was stunned. So were NBA analysts Jamal Crawford and Reggie Miller on the TNT broadcast.

"No, Courtney (Kirkland)! I'm sorry!" Miller said on the microphone. "We're in the second round of the playoffs. Emotions are always gonna be high."

"That's awful. You can't celebrate someone for being a dog and then we call a technical on a staredown," Crawford added.

Former NBA star Charles Barkley also wasn't happy with the call.

"Hey, Mr. Official. Nobody came to see your a-- play," Barkley said on TNT's Inside the NBA. "Stop giving taunting technicals in the game. Nobody came to see you. You give a kid a warning. You don't call no taunting technicals in the playoffs. Don't do that."

The NBA correcting the call resets Edwards's playoff total technical foul count to zero, noteworthy because the league suspends players after seven technical fouls in a single postseason. Edwards racked up 15 technical fouls during the regular season.

The Timberwolves and Nuggets will continue their series Monday in Game 2 at Ball Arena.

Anthony Edwards, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves
0
Nikola Jokic Had Perfect Joke When Asked About Timberwolves' Center Rotation
5 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Nikola Jokic Had Perfect Joke When Asked About Timberwolves’ Center Rotation

Nikola Jokic may need to make a trip to the secret laboratory of Felonious Gru, the main protagonist of the Despicable Me movie franchise, before Game 2 of the Western conference semifinals.

Jokic's Nuggets lost Game 1 at the hands of the Timberwolves by a score of 106—99, during which the two-time MVP was coaxed into an inefficient shooting performance, thanks to Minnesota's rotation of three centers in Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid.

During his postgame press conference, Jokic was asked how he can be more effective against the Timberwolves' rotation of fresh big men. The Nuggets center paused for several seconds, then responded with a perfect joke, telling the reporter that he will have to clone himself.

"To have a duplicate clone of myself," Jokic joked. "And then I can—you know—I can be, uh, fresh, when they sub another guy, I don't need to be fresh."

It sounds like something that Gru, whom Jokic dressed up as as part of a promotion for the movie franchise's fourth film during the first round of the playoffs, could help the Nuggets star with.

In all seriousness, this is the challenge that Jokic is facing against Minnesota. The Timberwolves can throw a three-time Defensive Player of the Year in Gobert, another seven-footer in Towns, and the bulky, lengthy Reid, who weighs 264 pounds and has a 7'3" wingspan, at Jokic throughout the game.

Jokic will need to find some answers for the Timberwolves' defensive plan before Game 2 tips off on Monday night at 10 p.m. ET.

Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA Playoffs, Nikola Jokic
0
Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards Lights Up Nuggets in Game 1 Road Win
5 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards Lights Up Nuggets in Game 1 Road Win

Anthony Edwards stole the show in the Minnesota Timberwolves' 106–99 win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series.

Edwards went off for 43 points on 17-of-29 shooting and tallied seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks against the Nuggets. It marked his third career 40-point playoff game, the most in Timberwolves franchise history.

In the process, Edwards joined some elite company.

Edwards became the second player in NBA history to notch consecutive 40-point playoff games at age 22 or younger. The other player? Kobe Bryant. Edwards is also just the 10th player in NBA history to register at least 35 points in three consecutive road playoff games. That list is pretty impressive, too.

NBA legends, pundits and fans alike all chimed in on social media impressed with the Timberwolves guard's Game 1 performance:

The Timberwolves and Nuggets return to action Monday for Game 2 at Ball Arena.

Anthony Edwards, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves
0
Reggie Miller, Jamal Crawford Tear Into Ref for Controversial Anthony Edwards Technical
5 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Reggie Miller, Jamal Crawford Tear Into Ref for Controversial Anthony Edwards Technical

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards is an emotional player. The NBA playoffs by their very nature are an emotional event.

You can guess where this story is going.

On Saturday, Edwards powered his way to the hoop to put the Timberwolves up 73–68 on the Denver Nuggets with 1:15 left in the third quarter of Game 1 of the teams' Western Conference semifinal series. Enthused, Edwards turned around to talk trash—and was immediately hit with a technical foul.

Color commentators Jamal Crawford and Reggie Miller immediately rose to Edwards' defense on the TNT broadcast of the game.

"No, Courtney (Kirkland)! I'm sorry!" Miller exclaimed. "We're in the second round of the playoffs. Emotions are always gonna be high."

"That's awful. You can't celebrate someone for being a dog and then we call a technical on a staredown," Crawford concurred.

Later, Miller took issue with the perceived hypocrisy of issuing Edwards a technical but not Nuggets guard Jamal Murray for a finger-gun celebration.

"You see what my problem is with that? Why isn’t that a taunting technical foul if you called a staredown?" Miller asked. "Why isn’t that a technical foul on Jamal Murray?"

Anthony Edwards, Denver Nuggets, Jamal Crawford, Minnesota Timberwolves, Reggie Miller
0
Lakers Dismiss Coach Darvin Ham After Two Seasons, per Report
3 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Lakers Dismiss Coach Darvin Ham After Two Seasons, per Report

The Los Angeles Lakers have dismissed coach Darvin Ham after two seasons, according to a report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Lakers brass made the decision to fire Ham after Los Angeles lost its playoff series to the Denver Nuggets for the second consecutive postseason. Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka informed Ham of the franchise's decision to fire him on Friday afternoon via phone call, according to Wojnarowski.

A report that circulated on Thursday indicated that ESPN NBA analyst JJ Redick, as well as Los Angeles Clippers coach Tyronn Lue would both be in consideration for the job. Both individuals have interesting ties to Lakers star LeBron James. Redick just started a podcast with James called Mind the Game, which is dedicated to the strategy of professional basketball, while Lue coached the Cleveland Cavaliers when James and the franchise won an NBA title in the 2015-16 season.

Ham went 90-74 in his two seasons leading the Lakers, which included a Western Conference finals berth last season, as well as an NBA Cup in the inaugural in-season tournament this season.

Darvin Ham, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers
0
Magic Johnson Apologizes to Fans for Wrongly Placing Blame on Lakers' Struggles
2 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Magic Johnson Apologizes to Fans for Wrongly Placing Blame on Lakers’ Struggles

Magic Johnson regrets a social media post he sent to the internet shortly after the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

"Laker Nation, I have to apologize to the Lakers organization," Johnson posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday. "It was injuries that plagued the Lakers this season, not load management."

The content on Johnson's social media accounts are known to be almost comically vanilla, but he put that aside Tuesday—the day after the Lakers' season ended—and posted a pair of spicy takes.

Johnson blamed load management for the reason Los Angeles finished with the Western Conference's No. 7 seed and claimed the Nuggets were both mentally and physically tougher in their playoff series.

The Lakers had many issues during the 2023-24 NBA season, but load management probably wasn't a top factor in their struggles. Los Angeles' most common starting five—LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Taurean Prince—all played at least 71 regular-season games.

James dealt with calf and ankle issues and missed 11 games. Role player Jarred Vanderbilt missed the last three months with a foot injury, and Rui Hachimura battled calf issues at times. But Davis played a career-high 76 games, as did Russell—his most since 2018-19—and Reaves played all 82 for the first time in his career.

If it wasn't load management or injury issues that caused the team to fall short of expectations, the Lakers just simply weren't good enough in 2023-24.

Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Magic Johnson
0
Timberwolves' Lingering Decision on Chris Finch Should Take Nick Nurse Timeout Debacle Into Account
1 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Timberwolves’ Lingering Decision on Chris Finch Should Take Nick Nurse Timeout Debacle Into Account

On Wednesday, Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori told assembled media that head coach Chris Finch's knee surgery had gone well and the team is considering their options on where he'll be for Game 1 of their second-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets. Finch suffered a torn patellar tendon in his right knee after a collision with point guard Mike Conley in the Wolves' series-clinching win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday.

Due to the surgery, Finch will need special accommodations to remain on the sideline. Per The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski, Minnesota is considering trying to fit Finch in near the bench by moving some chairs around. The franchise is also looking into having Finch watch from a suite and meet the team in the locker room for pregame, postgame, and halftime.

It's obviously terrible for Finch to suffer this injury and have to coach the Wolves' first deep playoff run in decades with a leg cast or brace or whatever the situation will be. But while the team is deciding where he'll be doing so, they have to keep in mind the Nick Nurse timeout debacle that lost the Philadelphia 76ers Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks.

Much of what Finch does on gameday can be executed sitting down or completely immobile. Coaches love to pace up and down the sideline and get animated and what have you but in terms of communication they just have to shout really loud. Where they are when they do so doesn't matter as much, and there are a multitude of easy solutions for the Timberwolves to pursue to ensure Finch's inability to walk doesn't interfere with getting word to his players on what play to run.

Calling timeouts is where it gets tricky, especially in high-pressure situations. The Nurse scenario is an ideal example. After the Sixers lost Game 2 he loudly complained he didn't get a timeout from the referees as Tyrese Maxey lost the ball on an inbounds pass and allowed the Knicks to hit a game-winning three-pointer. Replay proved Nurse didn't call a timeout as much as he motioned for it but pulled back at the last second, and then tried to call one after the Sixers lost the ball. The particulars don't carry over to Minnesota's dilemma.

But the broad strokes do. If the Wolves decide to have Finch on the sideline and act as the head coach despite his injury. In that case he would either be unable to move or would have to wheel himself around with a scooter. Should Minnesota find itself in a situation where a timeout is desperately needed, Finch can't jump up and down to get a ref's attention or sprint onto the court to ensure it gets called. In a split-second heat of the moment situation it may even throw the officials off that Finch isn't standing and they have to look down.

There's no easy answer to this one. If Finch is going to stay near the bench for the games then maybe he can pitch having a designated timeout coach to the NBA whose sole duty is to notify officials when the team wants a timeout. But that's the only realistic solution to the problem and that extra second of required communication can be the difference between a win and a loss.

if Finch gets put up in the suite, it's all a moot point. From up there he won't really be acting as a head coach. He'll have plenty of input and all that but he won't be communicating with the referees or his team. It is, if anything, the easiest and therefore most likely path the Timberwolves will take. But that, of course, comes with its own downsides and robs Finch of the sideline experience for the first real postseason run of his career.

Minnesota is in a tough spot. But whatever route the team chooses to go, they shouldn't forget how slim the margin for error is in the NBA. Especially when it comes to officials and timeouts.

Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA
0
Magic Johnson Roasted for Blaming Lakers’ Loss on Something That Didn’t Happen
30 Apr 24 Jimm Sallivan

Magic Johnson Roasted for Blaming Lakers’ Loss on Something That Didn’t Happen

The Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets in five games after losing Monday night's Game 5. There are many reasons the Lakers lost the series (most of them start with "Jamal Murray") but a franchise legend believes there was one reason above all for the early playoff exit— load management.

Yes, you read that right. Magic Johnson made the case that the Lakers are going home early because of load management down the stretch of the season, a thought he expressed on X, as he is wont to do. The primary reasoning was that they could have avoided the Nuggets in the first round if they had posted a better regular season record.

The problem with this logic is that the Lakers didn't really load manage this season as we've come to understand the concept. LeBron James was dealing with a nagging ankle injury for much of the year post-All Star break but he only missed three games after March 1. Anthony Davis only missed two games in that same time period. One came against the Golden State Warriors, a fellow play-in team, but Davis wasn't out for rest, he was forced to sit because he took a shot to the head the previous evening.

There are many times where NBA teams can and should be criticized for prioritizing load management over winning games. This was not one of those times. Six different Lakers played over 70 games this season. Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt were both seriously injured for most of the year. Los Angeles was plagued with many other problems but load management, objectively, was not one of them.

Johnson, predictably, was roasted for his take.

Load management or no, the Lakers are done for the season and major changes appear on the horizon.

Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Magic Johnson, NBA
0