ATLANTA - For five months or so, there was an open debate over Karl-Anthony Towns’ role on this Knicks team. 

Towns’ shot attempts, his post-ups, his pick-and-roll opportunities and his body language were scrutinized nightly. 

Some felt he wasn’t getting enough shots. Others thought the Knicks didn’t know how to use him. Many ex-players in the media felt Towns needed to be more aggressive. Others saw Towns and Jalen Brunson as a bad fit. 

But after Thursday night – after Towns dominated long stretches of this Hawks series – it may be time to mute the conversation. 

“He’s played phenomenal,” Brunson said of his running mate. “The way we’ve been able to trust each other, all of us obviously including him, it’s been great.”

The shift for Towns and the Knicks started after Game 3. With the team trailing, 2-1, Mike Brown and his staff tweaked the offense “to find more ways to put our guys in their strengths while getting to it quickly.” 

That started with getting the ball to Towns at the top of the floor. He had 10 assists in Game 4 and kept finding his teammates for the rest of the series. In the Knicks’ last three wins, Towns averaged 8.7 assists per game. He also averaged 11.6 rebounds and recorded triple-doubles in two of those three games. 

Perhaps just as impressive, the Knicks outscored Atlanta by 62 points with Towns on the floor in Games 4, 5 and 6. 

“I thought KAT was amazing,” Josh Hart said when asked about New York’s defense in Game 6. “To start the game blitzing, protecting the rim, he had some big blocks, his energy was huge for us. I just think the physicality, the attention to detail, focus on the gameplan, I think all those are at a very high level.”

Towns seems to be playing at a high level on both sides of the ball at the ideal time for New York. 

His season started with more questions than answers. In late October, Towns gave a less-than-enthusiastic answer to a question about his role in Brown’s offense. 

“Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t know,” Towns said then. “But we’re figuring it out. That’s it, but, honestly, I don’t know.”

Now, a little over six months later, Towns seems to know exactly what to do. 

“I never doubted my ability,” Towns said after Game 6. “I never doubted the work I put in. It’s just – you gotta adjust, you gotta adjust. Especially (with) a lot of new things being thrown at you, you’re being asked to do a lot more things – some things that (haven’t) consistently been asked of me in my career so. It’s one thing anyone who knows me, who's followed my career, I’m willing to sacrifice and do whatever it takes for the team to win. 

“And I think this year I’ve shown that again. Whatever the team needs me to do, the player the team needs me to be, I’ll step up to the plate, step up to the challenge.” 

TACTICAL ADVANTAGE 

Brown thanked his entire staff after the series. In his postgame press conference, Brown referenced nearly all of his staff by name to thank them for their work during the series.

“I’m the one sitting up here, but those guys were phenomenal getting us prepared for the series, and they were phenomenal throughout the course of the series,” Brown said. 

Brown noted that the Knicks made some offensive adjustments after Game 3 against the Hawks. 

Once the Knicks implemented those adjustments, they outscored the Hawks by 96 points.  

“We had to change (the offense), because every possession was a grind those first three games, especially down the stretch. And so we had to find more ways to put our guys in their strengths while getting to it quickly, while still having options,” Brown said. “I’m not a guy that likes to call every play. I want our guys to be able to read where the advantage is quickly throughout the course of the action. And Atlanta forced us to find a way to do that and feel pretty good about where we’re at right now.”

As noted above, part of the adjustment was getting the ball in Towns’ hands on specific spots on the floor. 

“You ask for the opportunities and they obliged and I’ve gotta repay that trust and that opportunity,” Towns said. “I just want to do whatever – I always talk to ya’ll about impact of winning. I got more opportunities to do that and I wanted to make sure I didn't not take advantage of the opportunities I was given.”

I don’t know if there were any offensive adjustments for OG Anunoby, but he was clearly the most valuable Knick of the series. 

Anunoby averaged 21 points on 61 percent shooting in this series. He hit 56.6 percent of his 30 three-point attempts and averaged 8.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals. The Knicks outscored the Hawks by 84 points in Anunoby's 115 minutes vs. Atlanta. In Game 6, Anunoby’s 14 first-quarter points prevented the Hawks from establishing a lead. He finished with four steals, seven rebounds and a block. 

“OG was phenomenal. He played 27 minutes, had 29 points on 14 field-goal attempts and rebounded his behind off,” Brown said. 

The Knicks’ other wing, Mikal Bridges, also played well on Thursday. After struggling earlier in the series, Bridges put up 24 points on 10-for-12 shooting and defended at a high level. 

“That’s our guy,” Hart said. “Whenever he comes out aggressive, that adds another dimension to this team. And he’s someone that we count on, someone that we need to make a run. Great to see him be aggressive, picking his sorts and those kinds of things. Defensively, he brought it this whole series.”

Hart also brought it defensively for the whole series. He defended CJ McCollum for long stretches in the last four games. McCollum shot 40 percent and had 14 turnovers over the Hawks’ last four games. 

“After Game 1 and Game 2, (when) he kind of went off and kind of took over the game, that’s the matchup that I wanted going into Game 3 and after,” Hart said. “I had some conversations with the coaches about not taking me off him and those kinds of things.”

Now tell me something
Is there a point to this?
Or are we living for the feeling
When we look back
On what we did and reminisce?

— Maybe You’re the Reason, by The Japanese House

These lines from Amber Bain of The Japanese House feel particularly appropriate as we approach what is broadly accepted to be the dying moments of the Utah Jazz tanking era. By all appearances, Utah’s management seems to hold zero intention of posturing for draft position in the near future. An injection of veteran talent inserted into Utah’s ripening young core, plus next year’s planned installation of a brand-new draft lottery system, only solidifies the inescapable truth that the Jazz already knew: the era of the tank is over and done.

So here we sit on this refraction point. Inside the Pink Floyd-esque prism, facing a brighter future, while holding to one final moment when winning didn’t matter, and patience was a virtue valued above all else. Now, staring down the barrel of the final draft of the tanking age, we’re forced to self-reflect.

Did slamming the glowing crimson self-destruct button on the Mitchell-Gobert era deliver the reset that the Utah Jazz felt was necessary? Did the blast leave behind a fertile ground from which a new, better future could sprout? Will the reward be worth the sacrifice?

Or is Utah doomed to stumble back into obscurity, collapse into mediocrity? Was there a point to this after all?

That answer likely won’t arrive in full for a while, and I’m not talking about 3-5 business days. It’s time to take one last look back at what once was. Absorb it. Understand it. Accept it. And finally release it.

…the era of the tank is over and done.

With the 2026 NBA Draft looming, the Utah Jazz will be afforded a pick somewhere in the 1-8 range. This draft pick is the team’s final opportunity to add a future star through organic means (non-trade, non-free agency); a final relic from the tanking age. We can fantasize over the heroics and golden age ushered in by demigods like AJ Dybantsa, Caleb Wilson, or Darryn Peterson — it’s perfectly healthy to smile over what could be. But it would be emotionally irresponsible to brace for the likelihood of slipping from the fourth spot down to five, six, seven, or eight.

It could happen. If Utah’s lottery history is any indication, then it probably will happen. But a disappointing lottery doesn’t have to mean a disappointing rookie, am I right, Ace Bailey?

If the Jazz stumble below their current slot in the draft order, what’s the game plan, and how can they come out of this as a winner?

The answer to that is simple: pick up Arizona’s Brayden Burries.

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Brayden Burries 2026 NBA Draft Profile:

Measurables: 6’4”, 205 lbs, 20 years old
2025-26 Stats: 16.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.5 SPG
2025-26 Shooting Splits: 41.9% FG, 39.1% 3PT, 80.5% FT
Position on the SLC Dunk Big Board: 10

Look, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m higher on Burries than most.

In a recent article, I made a wishlist for the Utah Jazz, listing the five best fits in the current NBA Draft that, if available, should be stuffing their poorly-fitting hairstyle into a Utah Jazz cap as they step up to shake hands with Adam Silver (no hair, no cap) on draft night. Behind the general consensus of Dybantsa, Peterson, Wilson, and Boozer (not necessarily in that order, but these four are clearly distancing themselves from the field), I stated and believe that Brayden Burries is the best worst-case scenario for the Jazz. If the top four just isn’t in the cards, Utah can maximize its draft pick’s value by snagging the gritty guard from Arizona.

Here’s the blurb I wrote on Burries and his value to the Jazz:

“…if the Jazz intend on building a well-rounded competitive team, they need a defensive presence in the backcourt. And after a very impressive freshman season that saw him post 1.5 steals per night (not to mention 16.0 points, 2.4 assists, and 5 rebounds). Utah needs a defensive cushion for Keyonte’s — *ahem* — shortcomings on that end, and Burries is a solid pickup if Utah drops from their 4th spot.”

As star upside dwindles down the draft order, go for the player that will help you win: Brayden Burries.

The Jazz roster is practically complete, with Keyonte emerging as a scoring dynamo, Lauri remaining a Finnish force of nature with a scoring sweet tooth, and JJJ pairing up with Kessler to become perhaps the best shot-blocking front court in the NBA. Even Ace Bailey, Utah’s favorite rookie from last season (apologies to Walter Clayton Jr., you were gone too soon), is beginning to find his footing as a bendy straw with scoring pop and an unnatural affinity for punishing the rim. As star upside dwindles down the draft order, go for the player that will help you win: Brayden Burries.

My favorite part of his game? Brayden Burries is a well-versed scholar on the ancient, dying art of “giving a crap” on the defensive end. He just cares. He dives for loose balls. He pokes at errant dribbles. He trespasses in the passing lanes. His 2.8% steal percentage was 11th in the Big 12. He gives a crap, and he has the physical strength to match the best guards in any league — that includes the NBA.

As much as I promise to produce endless word vomit over Utah’s amazing interior defense this upcoming season, the backcourt could use some beef. Burries fills that need.

On the offensive end, he’s not the most athletic, speedy, or shifty player on the floor, but he’s far from lacking in any of those departments. Utilizing the ball security of a golem in his rock-solid dribble, he keeps the ball close to his body and away from the swiping fingers of his defender. He’s more than comfortable initiating offense off the dribble and will happily attack the paint when the window opens. He takes smart shots, doesn’t force the issue, and his 49.1% field goal percentage (which was top 10 in the entire Big 12 Conference. Absurd for a guard).

It’s the three-point shot, though. It’s always been the three-point shot. It’s beautiful. A repeatable and comfortable snap of the wrist, and the basketball always lands softly at its final destination — the delicate embrace of the net. He torched the season’s gauntlet for nearly 40% three-point shooting.

Take a look at his highlights in the NCAA Tournament, and you’ll find yourself agreeing that this kid is a killer.

Issues about his fit alongside George and Collier in the back court are valid, of course. At 6’4”, Burries stands like a point guard, but his off-ball nature and skill set are a bit more suited for a 2-guard. That’s an issue on offense. On defense, in George’s stead, Burries is a perfectly servicable on-ball defender for the opposition’s point guard. Off the bench, this Wildcat could provide chaotic, ferile minutes for a Jazz team desperate to plug the leaks of its perimeter defense.

Picking a backup guard with the fifth, sixth, or seventh pick could be a tough pill to swallow if that’s truly Burries’ long-term fit in Utah. But I see him as the perfect complement to Keyonte George’s weaknesses on the defensive end, and he can keep the offense flowing when he takes the driver’s seat.

Praise for Burries

• The ancient art of “giving a crap” on defense
• No-waste off-ball scoring torch
• Steady, mature demeanor
• Assets conducive to winning
• Relatively impressive rebounding chops

Pause for Burries

• Limited explosion, athleticism on the ball
• Play style leans SG, body leans PG
• Played a secondary role at Arizona
• Not much of a playmaker, though far from hopeless

Is Brayden Burries the final, grand prize that Utah hoped to collect when they began their tanking journey? No, of course not. Obviously, the goal was to snag a can’t-miss superstar like Victor Wembanyama, Cooper Flagg, or AJ Dybantsa. With or without the MVP-caliber celestial body, however, the Jazz have matured into a dangerous team ready to compete for the playoffs in a year’s time. If the Jazz climb up through the lottery for the first time ever, don’t hesitate to pick Dybantsa, Peterson, etc., but if the likelihood of sliding becomes reality, pick the player that will make your team better without demanding an oversized slice of the pie.

Was there a point to the tank? We might find out sooner than later.

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Calvin Barrett is a writer, editor, and prolific Mario Kart racer located in Tokyo, Japan. He has covered the NBA and College Sports since 2024.

MINNEAPOLIS — Jaden McDaniels had 32 points and 10 rebounds and Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 24 points in a surprise start for the injury-ravaged Minnesota Timberwolves in a 110-98 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 on Thursday night that finished off another tense NBA playoff series between the rivals.

With their top three guards missing because of injuries, the Timberwolves went big with Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle and Naz Reid fueling a 64-40 advantage in points in the paint and an 50-33 edge in rebounding.

“This is what you don’t really teach. This is about will. It’s about heart, and that’s how we were able to overcome this great challenge,” said Gobert, who had 10 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.

Minnesota, the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, will start the second round at San Antonio on Monday.

The second-seeded Spurs beat Portland in five games in their first-round series.

Nikola Jokic had 28 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds to lead the Nuggets, but sidekick Jamal Murray struggled to get free from McDaniels and finished with just 12 points on 4-for-17 shooting.

Cameron Johnson scored 27 points to lead Denver’s 10-for-27 night from deep, but Jokic and the 3-pointers simply weren’t enough to keep up with a fiercely motivated Timberwolves team.

“I’m just happy it’s over, happy we were able to come out on top,” McDaniels said. “Stuff was said. I’m just happy we were all able to prove our point, get the win, and move on to the next round.”

With Ayo Dosunmu joining Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo on the inactive list, the Timberwolves were missing a big chunk of their ability to create shots.

Winning this game was going to require extra doses of defense and energy, and they brought both. Shannon added an element of pure speed that the Nuggets couldn’t stop when he found space toward the basket. McDaniels, embracing the villain role, was a monster on both ends of the floor.

The Timberwolves fed off the roaring crowd at every turn and consistently made up for their missing offense with hustle and desire.

Shannon’s three-point play with 1:43 left gave the Timberwolves a six-point lead, and McDaniels followed with the dagger shot — his signature mid-range pull-up was a swish from 19 feet to make it a seven-point game with 1:06 to play.

Then he intercepted a harried pass by Jokic to get the ball back and start a parade to the line.

Since beating the Timberwolves in five games in the first round and cruising to the NBA championship in the 2023, the Nuggets haven’t found the production or spunk they’ve needed to supplement the three-time MVP Jokic.

They extended the series with a decisive win in Game 5 on Monday, but Minnesota’s defense delivered again this postseason in neutralizing Jokic and rendering Murray an afterthought.

McDaniels tirelessly chased him around the perimeter. The four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year award winner Gobert kept giving Jokic a hard time in the paint with his long arms and superb anticipation.

McDaniels tossed even more spice into this well-developed rivalry early in the series with his blanket “bad defenders” jab at the Nuggets, and none of the Timberwolves have made any secret of distaste for their opponent.

Then their motivation soared off the charts when DiVincenzo went down in the opening minute of Game 4, and their franchise player Edwards followed him on the injured list.

During a stoppage in the fourth quarter, DiVincenzo was shown with a big smile as he sat with his foot propped up in a cast behind the bench.

It's not uncommon for winning coaches and players to credit the team they just defeated in the playoffs, and that's what the Knicks did after their Game 6 rout of the Hawks.

However, Knicks coach Mike Brown gave extra credit, if you will, to the Hawks and coach Quin Snyder on how they pushed New York in the series.

"Recognize the Atlanta Hawks. It was a good series," Brown said after the win. "Quin and his staff, I said this before. They helped us get better. And I think they would say the same about us. Quin pushed a lot of right buttons, their team too. It made us have to keep figuring it out how to make our guys better. Appreciate that."

While Brown's compliments may seem confusing after three consecutive double-digit victories over the Hawks -- including a historic win on Thursday -- it wasn't long ago that Atlanta held a 2-1 series lead over the Knicks and things were looking dire. The offense, in particular, looked stagnant as Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and the others simply could not execute possessions consistently.

That was until Game 4. 

Following back-to-back one-point losses, including Game 3 where the Knicks' fourth-quarter comeback fell short after the offense fumbled the possession and could not get a clean shot off as the clock expired, Brown and his staff went back to the drawing board and as the Knicks head coach explains, they had to change the offense.

"We changed the way we played offensively and defensively about halfway through the season and we changed again after Game 3," Brown said. "[The Hawks] forced us to put our thinking caps on and forced us to play different. Find ways to make the game easier while putting [the players] in their strengths, while trying not to hinder them. We changed what we done offensively, but again that’s because we were pushed to do it. We feel pretty good about what we fell into."

The biggest change? Towns being more involved in the offense, whether it was offensive plays specifically for him or using him as a facilitator. 

Towns scored 20 points and had his first career postseason triple-double in Game 4's win. Game 5 saw the big man score 16 points, but come down with 14 rebounds and dish six assists. 

And then in the series-clinching Game 6, Towns had just 12 points (on 1 of 4 shooting) in his 28 minutes, but he still had 11 rebounds and 10 assists to record his second career triple-double in the playoffs. 

"I just wanted to answer the call," Towns said of the offense running through him of late. "You ask for the opportunities and they obliged and I got to repay that trust and that opportunity. I just want to impact winning. I got more opportunities to do that and I wanted to make sure not take advantage of the opportunity that I was given. I’m proud that I’ve been able to help us win."

"Every possession was a grind those first three games, especially down the stretch. We had to find more ways to put our guys in their strengths while getting to it quickly. While still having options," Brown expounded. " I’m not a guy that likes to call every play. I like our guys to read where the advantage is quickly throughout the course of the action and Atlanta forced us to find a way to do that and we feel pretty good about where we are right now. It happened holistically after Game 3."

Will this new Towns-centric offense work in the next round? The Knicks will have to see whether they'll be taking on the Celtics or 76ers in the semifinals, but it's safe to say there will be a heavy dose of Towns no matter who New York winds up facing.

 

The Timberwolves completed the upset. They defeated Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets in Game 6 110-98, without Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo, Ayo Dosumnu, and Kyle Anderson, to win the series 4-2. They will face the Spurs on Monday in the first game of the Western Conference Semifinals.

The Timberwolves had an up-and-down season but had ample playoff experience heading into the postseason after two consecutive Conference Finals appearances. In that way, they were not a typical six-seed, but they were still considered an underdog against the Nuggets. Surprisingly, they went up 3-1 in the series, but they lost DiVincenzo for the rest of the season with an Achilles tear and were without Edwards, their superstar, who suffered a knee injury that could keep him out for weeks. Once Denver forced Game 6, it seemed like the third seed could mount a comeback despite having two major absences of their own in Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson.

The Wolves had other plans. In a close, heated game in Minnesota, they held on to beat the Nuggets 110-98 and advance to the Semifinals, where the Spurs will be waiting. Jaden McDaniels, who made controversial statements to the media, delivered in the clincher, finishing with 32 points and 10 rebounds, while Terrance Shannon Jr. had 24 points in his first playoff start. Jokic had 28 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists on the losing effort.

The Spurs lost to the Nuggets in the last game of the regular season, which allowed Denver to be on their side of the bracket instead of Oklahoma City’s. At the time, it seemed like a missed opportunity to set themselves up for an easier path to the Conference Finals, but an inspired Rudy Gobert did a great job on Jokic on defense, McDaniels and Dosunmu had a fantastic series, and Minnesota came out on top, taking out one of the favorites to win the title.

While facing a shorthanded Timberwolves team could be seen as a lucky break for the Spurs, it won’t be an easy matchup. Minnesota won the season series 2-1 and has a massive experience advantage. They are clearly missing a lot of firepower with DiVincenzo and Edwards out, but they are a tough team with a next-man-up mentality that makes them dangerous even while shorthanded, plus there’s a chance Edwards could return at some point in the second round. San Antonio should be favored to advance, but they will have to be ready to fight for every win.

The Lakers lead the Rockets 3-2 in the other first-round series, which will determine who faces the Thunder in the other Semifinal.

Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Spurs and Timberwolves will be played on Monday, May 4.

ATLANTA (AP) — OG Anunoby scored 29 points in 27 minutes, Karl-Anthony Towns had his second triple-double of the series and the New York Knicks had their biggest playoff victory in franchise history, overwhelming and eliminating the Atlanta Hawks 140-89 in Game 6 on Thursday night.

The Knicks broke several NBA records by halftime. Their 40-15 lead at the end of the first quarter marked the largest of the shot clock era. Their 47-point halftime lead was the biggest in playoff history.

New York’s 51-point win tied for the sixth-largest margin of victory in NBA postseason history.

Dyson Daniels and Mitchell Robinson were ejected after fighting following a pair of free throws from Anunoby that gave the Knicks a 50-point lead in the second quarter.

The Knicks exceeded 100 points with 8:21 remaining in the third quarter. New York’s starters were done for the night with 2:45 remaining in the third.

Anunoby scored 26 of his points in the first half. Mikal Bridges finished with 24. Towns, five days after becoming the fourth Knicks player with a playoff triple-double, had 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

76ERS 106, CELTICS 93

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points, a resurgent Paul George had 23 points and Philadelphia which lost by 32 points twice in this first-round playoff series played its most complete game of the season and forced Game 7 with a win over Boston.

The decisive game is Saturday in Boston.

Uplifted by Joel Embiid’s early return from an appendectomy, the Sixers rebounded from two blowout losses to win Game 5 in Boston and were buoyed by a throwback effort from George to keep a comfortable lead in Game 6. Embiid did his part in Game 6 with 19 points.

The play of the game — and maybe the series — came in the third when Kelly Oubre Jr. blocked Jaylen Brown, Maxey scooped the loose ball and fed to George on the break who then dazzled with a behind-the-back pass to VJ Edgecombe who finished with a thunderous dunk for a 69-54 lead.

A night after the Flyers won in overtime to advance to the second round of the NHL playoffs, Sixers fans cut loose after that slam.

The 76ers will only go as far as Embiid can take them on his injury-prone 7-foot frame and Maxey is a bona fide All-Star. Edgecombe’s youthful exuberance made a fan favorite in Philly and an NBA Rookie of the Year finalist.

TIMBERWOLVES 110, NUGGETS 98

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jaden McDaniels had 32 points and 10 rebounds and Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 24 points in a surprise start for injury-ravaged Minnesota in a victory over Denver in Game 6 that finished off another tense NBA playoff series between the rivals.

With their top three guards missing because of injuries, the Timberwolves went big with Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle and Naz Reid fueling a 64-40 advantage in points in the paint and an 50-33 edge in rebounding.

Minnesota, the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, will start the second round at San Antonio on Monday. The second-seeded Spurs beat Portland in five games in their first-round series.

Nikola Jokic had 28 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds to lead the Nuggets, but sidekick Jamal Murray struggled to get free from McDaniels and finished with just 12 points on 4-for-17 shooting. Cameron Johnson scored 27 points to lead Denver’s 10-for-27 night from deep, but Jokic and the 3-pointers simply weren’t enough to keep up with a fiercely motivated Timberwolves team.

Sixers Bell Ringer Season Standings:

Tyrese Maxey – 23.5
VJ Edgecombe – 16
Joel Embiid – 13.5
Paul George – 8
Kelly Oubre Jr. – 5
Justin Edwards – 4
Andre Drummond – 3
Quentin Grimes – 3
Jared McCain – 3
Dominick Barlow – 2
MarJon Beauchamp – 2
Adem Bona – 1
Porter Martone – 1
Cam Payne – 1
Jabari Walker – 1
Trendon Watford – 1
15th roster spot – 1

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Philadelphia 76ers fans must collectively feel like they’re experiencing some sort of fever dream. Up against the heavily favored Celtics, the Sixers outplayed, outcoached and outhustled Boston on their way to a 106-93 victory that wasn’t that close. The Sixers have tied their first-round series up at three games apiece to force a Game 7 in Boston on Saturday.

Winning the game is one thing, but Philadelphia reached a level of play towards the end of the second quarter and the third period that left fans downright giddy. The Sixers were flamethrowers shooting the basketball, soaring for hellacious dunks, playing tight defense on a string, skying to block Boston attempts at the rim, and throwing passes behind their back like the Globetrotters. It was quite possibly the best stretch of basketball this group has played this season, and to do it on this stage against this opponent is remarkable. Joe Mazzulla pulled his starters with over 10 minutes left and that Boston bench group actually went on an 11-0 run to briefly have “oh no” running through our minds. But the Sixers quickly course-corrected and finished becoming the embodiment of the ‘team nobody wants to play’ the national media would claim them to be whenever they had a solid couple games this season.

The only shame is we have to whittle down tonight’s Bell Ringer options to just a few names, when, to paraphrase Jason Kelce, it was the whole team.

Paul George: 23 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 4 turnovers

Put your Podcast P jokes in deep storage. Paul George showed up in a big way in Game 6, looking every bit the max player the Sixers signed up for when they brought him in during free agency two summers ago. He was a monster defensively, joining forcing with Kelly Oubre to make life miserable for the Jay team. Offensively, PG hit some open looks playing off the Sixers’ main two stars, but also scaled up when needed, hitting a bevy of tough, contested looks to create offense from nothing. We basically watched a lower usage version of George that used to go toe-to-toe with LeBron in the playoffs a decade ago with Indiana. It was a remarkable two-way performance that could go down as his best game in a Sixers uniform.

PAUL GEORGE IS SCORCHING HOT 🔥 pic.twitter.com/7Sm4W9dNEF

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) May 1, 2026

Tyrese Maxey: 30 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 0 turnovers

With a lot of the team struggling to buy a bucket early despite getting good looks, Maxey was the one doing the lion’s share of the heavy lifting offensively. He dropped 21 points in the first half, making all three of his attempts from behind the arc, which forced Boston to close out hard, setting the stage for Maxey to drive in and do his damage on the interior. Two things have stood out to me about Maxey’s game in these recent weeks. First, he’s making some crazy circus shots around the cup, just showing off insane body control for someone streaking in as fast as he is. Then, it’s something that won’t really show up in the box score, but Tyrese is doing a wonderful job holding up against Boston’s bigger wings when a defensive switch results in those situations. Boston is understandably trying to attack that matchup, but Maxey is holding up and it’s not really much of an advantage for the Celtics. He has come so far as a defender. Remember, he’s doing all this with a bum pinky too.

Tyrese Maxey hits Derrick White with a nasty juke and drains the triple 🤩 pic.twitter.com/dvTeMN2Car

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) May 1, 2026

Joel Embiid: 19 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover

Less than one week ago, we wouldn’t have been surprised if Joel Embiid next took to a basketball court again in the fall. Instead, the big man has played the last three games following an emergency appendectomy, and could be in the midst of writing the most impressive playoff chapter of his career. Although his shot wasn’t falling on Thursday (just 6-of-18 from the field), Embiid positively impacted the game in so many ways. He utilized the excessive defensive attention on him to find open teammates time after time. The behind-the-back pass to a cutting Kelly Oubre on the baseline was masterful. Embiid would have had a triple-double with ease if the Sixers had been hitting shots at a normal clip during the first part of the game. Joel is also doing a terrific job of navigating pick-and-rolls as a defender, moving extremely well for someone who was hospitalized very recently. He also performed admirably on the defensive boards, making a concerted effort to get a body on someone whenever a shot went up. This series is Exhibit J.2 of why no one should question Embiid’s desire to get back on the court and compete ever again.

Joel Embiid passes up the 3-point shot for an old school 3-point play! pic.twitter.com/q8WbMIF5AK

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) May 1, 2026

Knicks fans took over State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Thursday night as the Knicks decimated the Hawks, 140-89, in Game 6 to advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs. 

Social media videos from inside the arena showed Knicks fans going crazy as the team wrapped up the series in dominant fashion.

They proceeded to take over the place, turning it into Madison Square Garden South. 

The Knicks get a raucous receptions from their fans in Atlanta pic.twitter.com/y4sWOFdT5L

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 1, 2026

The raucous pro-New York crowd gave the Knicks a loud ovation as the team came off the court following the final buzzer. 

In another video, Knicks fans could be heard chanting, “We want Boston,” after the victory that punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Celtics and Sixers are still locked in a heated series that’s tied 3-3 after Philadelphia won Thursday night in Game 6. 

And orange-and-blue-clad fans took over one of the main entrances inside State Farm Arena, chanting “Let’s Go Knicks!” 

“That just shows the love that our fans got,” Karl-Anthony Towns told reporters about the Knicks’ fan support in Atlanta. “They support us around the world. In a playoff series to make us feel at home, in another team’s city, speaks volumes about our fanbase. They’re the best fans in the world.”

Back in New York, Knicks fans took over the plaza outside the Garden. 

i love knicks fans we were just menaces inside state farm arena LFG knicks pic.twitter.com/asM5d0aLbp

— sha (@buckIands) May 1, 2026

The Knicks with a historically dominant performance to close out their series with the Hawks… 140-89 — the largest margin for a playoff win in franchise history…

I’ll have more from the Watch Party outside of Madison Square Garden at 10 on @fox5ny! pic.twitter.com/wHUGiX0Hhz

— Jennifer X. Williams (@JenXperience) May 1, 2026

With the World’s Most Famous Arena lit up in the background, the gathering of Knicks supporters erupted when the fourth quarter ended and the series was clinched. 

The Knicks and their fans will have to wait to find out who their next round opponent will be. 

The 76ers and Celtics will play Game 7 on Saturday night in Boston.

The Knicks did what they were supposed to do -- get past the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs. In that sense, Thursday's rout of the Hawks in Game 6 at State Farm Arena to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals shouldn't be all that impressive.

However, after falling behind 2-1 in the series and things looking a little scary, New York stormed back to win three straight, all by double-digit margins, with Thursday's victory being the most memorable (and lopsided).

Leading 40-15 after the first quarter and 83-36 at halftime -- the largest halftime lead in NBA playoff history -- the Knicks got contributions up and down the roster. One of those contributors was Mikal Bridges, who finally broke out of an offensive slump and finished with 24 points, five rebounds, three assists and a block in 27 minutes. 

It was the most points Bridges scored during the series. He entered the game averaging 7.2 points per game in the series after averaging 14.4 points per game in the regular season, which was already his lowest scoring output since 2021-22. 

In fact, his 12 shot attempts in Game 6 were just one less than his previous three games combined.

"Just doing whatever it takes to win," he said. "That’s pretty much it. Just go do it for those guys."

The re-emergence of Bridges gives the Knicks another weapon offensively and is a good sign that he's once again being aggressive, but still efficient, with his shots. He went 10-for-12 on Thursday, including 2-for-2 from deep.

Head coach Mike Brown was ecstatic seeing Bridges return to the kind of player that he can be and praised him not only for his offense, but his defense as well, which has always been a strength of his.

"It was great. He just did what he's capable of doing," Brown said. "Is he gonna go 10-for-12 every night? No, but he was aggressive. He took great shots.

"I wouldn't let it go unnoticed that his defense was phenomenal. Not only was his defense phenomenal, but rebounding. A guy like Mikal should average 5-7 rebounds a game at his size if he's playing 30-plus minutes. He had five, so it was a big night on both ends of the floor by Mikal."

While Bridges only averaged 3.8 rebounds per game during the regular season, on par with his career average, it shrunk to 1.4 rebounds per game in the first five games of this series as he struggled to get anything going to help the team.

That's what makes his performance on Thursday so inspiring; not only did Bridges get things back on track, but it led to a huge win and a preview of what the Knicks can look like at full strength.

Still, even during the rough times, Bridges believed things would turn around and says he didn't let it affect his confidence.

"Feel like I’m always confident. Just happy to go out there and get a win," he said.

With that win, New York will now face either the Boston Celtics or Philadelphia 76ers, who are headed to a Game 7 in their own series, in the second round of the playoffs. No matter who the Knicks face, they'll need Bridges to be as aggressive as he was on Thursday to give them another option on offense. 

With Bridges and OG Anunoby, who had 29 points on Thursday, real threats to score consistently, that completely opens up what New York is able to do offensively and could lead to a few more games that look like Game 6.

We’re at the point in the series where the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers are familiar with one another.

There’s not much that either team can do to surprise the other. Truly, it comes down to which team can successfully impose their will and identity into the proceedings.

We know that the Lakers want LeBron James and Austin Reaves to run the offense, attack the defense, and find open shooters. In Games 1 and 2, that strategy (sans Reaves, of course) worked like a charm. The Lakers collectively turned into prime Ray Allen and Houston’s impotent offense couldn’t keep pace.

The Rockets, on the other hand, want to muck up the game and make it physical. The 99-93 final score in Game 5 in basically Ime Udoka’s wet dream. And as we’ve discussed a few times this season, the Rockets can play without Kevin Durant easier than they can without Amen Thompson or Jabari Smith Jr. After all, without KD, the Rockets can just revert to the team they were last year. Almost every player on the roster had a front row view for that squad. And the two guys that didn’t, Josh Okogie and Dorian Finney-Smith, play that style of basketball already.

I’ve heard a lot of “Houston is better without Durant” talk lately. And while it’s clear that this team is playing better on both ends in the last two games, it bears reminding that last year’s Houston team had a humongous offensive hole in late-game situations. With KD out, that outlet is gone. And if felt like Houston started to figure out how to operate in the clutch with Durant as the season went on. The New Orleans and Golden State games come to mind.

With another win, the Rockets get us closer to the scenario I laid out before Game 4: that is, that the most Rockets thing would be to force a Game 7, lead it late, and then blow the lead in the most heartbreaking way imaginable.

So I can’t decide which way to lose this series would be the most 2026 Rockets. I’m hoping for the sweet release of death when it comes to this season, so we know that won’t happen easily. Either the Rockets will once again blow a big lead just for old time’s sake, OR they will fight back in this series and win the next three games. They will look really good and give Rockets fans hope that they’ll become the first NBA team to ever overcome a 3-0 deficit. They’ll be up 20 in the fourth quarter of Game 7. Staples Center will be dead silent. Luka Doncic will be on the bench. Austin Reaves will not be 100%. LeBron James will look old and defeated by Father Time.

And then Luke Kennard will hit a 3. Then Marcus Smart and Rui Hachimura will hit a couple. Jaxson Hayes will throw down a dunk and the lead will be single digits and the building will be rocking. LeBron will return, having gotten plenty of rest after JJ Reddick had originally thrown in the towel. And Houston will lose in overtime.

Yeah, that sounds like these Rockets.

Tip-off

8:30pm CT

How To Watch

Amazon

Injury Report

Rockets

Steven Adams: OUT

Fred VanVleet: OUT

Kevin Durant: OUT

Lakers

Luka Doncic: OUT

The Line (as of this post)

HOU -3.5

Check here for updates

Looking ahead because we can

If necessary, Game 7 on Sunday in Los Angeles

ATLANTA — It was reminiscent of those games in a driveway when an older brother bullied his younger brother, when he’d let him dribble around a bit before swatting his shot or stealing the ball away effortlessly.

That’s what the Knicks defense looked like against the Hawks as they bludgeoned them 140-89 in Game 6 on Thursday night to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

They suffocated the Hawks from the opening tip, recording seven steals and three blocks — and forcing eight turnovers — in the first quarter.

They held the Hawks to just 6-for-16 shooting from the field and 1-for-6 shooting from 3-point range in that first quarter. And by the end of it, they led by 25 — which quickly doubled in the second quarter.

For the game, the Knicks held the Hawks to 37.8 percent shooting from the field and 25.7 percent shooting from 3-point range. They recorded an absurd 16 steals along with six blocks.

“We were able to get stops, run in transition, get layups,” Jalen Brunson said. “It really came down to our defense. It allowed us to play fast. Allowed us to play in transition. And we made shots.

“Most importantly, it shows us what we’re capable of defensively. I think that’s really important.”

Josh Hart, who was questionable for the game with a back injury, once again guarded CJ McCollum and completely neutralized him. McCollum was just 1-for-5 from the field when Hart guarded him, per the league’s official tracking stats. In total, McCollum finished with just 11 points on 4-for-13 shooting from the field.

The Knicks’ ability to stop McCollum in the final three games was central to completely changing the course of the series.

“I think I had good physicality,” Hart said. “I was able to force him into some tough shots. I was just trying to make life hard for him. Obviously, that’s a guy that’s got a lot of buckets in this league. That was something I thought, after Game 1 and Game 2 he kind of went off and kind of took over the game, that’s the matchup that I wanted going into Game 3 and after. I’ve had some conversations with the coaches about not taking me off him and those kinds of things.”

In truth, their defense as a whole helped them respond to a 2-1 series deficit with three straight routs. Across those last three games, the Knicks held the Hawks to just 102-for-248 (41 percent) shooting from the field and forced them into 47 turnovers.

Even during the first three games of the series, the Knicks never really let Jalen Johnson or Nickeil Alexander-Walker get going. It was McCollum who was hurting them.

Once they figured that out, this matchup turned into a mismatch.

Let’s be real. The moment Jonathan Kuminga’s Atlanta Hawks drew the New York Knicks in the first round, Dub Nation collectively pulled up a lawn chair, cracked open something cold, and started taking notes like this was a scouting combine. And honestly? Fair. That’s what we do. That’s what we’ve always done with the ones who got away, or got traded, or got complicated.

The Hawks are out. The Knicks closed them out 140-89 tonight, and that final score is less a basketball game and more a statement. Atlanta shot 37.8% from the field as a team. They turned the ball over 19 times. They gave up 35 fast break points. They were down 47 at halftime, the largest halftime deficit in NBA playoff history.

Kuminga finished with 11 points on 3-of-7 shooting in 23 minutes. It was the game summary you’d write for someone who showed up but had nowhere to go. And that, right there, is the whole series in miniature.

Because here’s what actually happened across six games if you’re being honest about it. In Game 1, eight points on 3-of-7 in a loss. In Game 2 at MSG, 19 points on 7-of-12, two steals, a block, the kind of performance that made Atlanta feel like they’d actually gotten something real at the deadline. In Game 3, 21 points on 9-of-14, 64.3% from the field, the Hawks won again, and every “Kerr was holding him back” account on X was posting highlights with the fire emoji.

Jonathan Kuminga’s last 2 games in the PLAYOFFS vs the Knicks:

21 PTS — 4 REB — 9/14 FGM
19 PTS — 4 REB — 7/12 FGM

This is the guy Steve Kerr wouldn’t play 😭 pic.twitter.com/JqFpUVV4JP

— Hater Report (@HaterReport) April 24, 2026

Former Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga has helped the youthful Hawks compete with the favored Knicks in their playoff series: “He’s really taken our team to another level.” https://t.co/3AEgP0xw6M

— Sporting Green (@SportingGreenSF) April 30, 2026

Then Game 4 arrived and Kuminga went 3-of-10, 0-of-6 from three, 10 points. Game 5, 17 minutes, 13 points, another blowout loss. Game 6, tonight, 11 points and the season over.

The series totals read fine on the surface: 13.7 points per game, 49.1% from the field, 3.3 rebounds in 25.8 minutes. Those are serviceable numbers for a bench piece on a team that made the playoffs as a six seed. But the three-point shooting was 19% on the series. Four-of-21. That number matters because it kept defenses from having to fully commit to stopping him, and every time Atlanta needed him to be the tiebreaker in a close game, the results were volatile in exactly the ways they were in Golden State.

Warriors fans already know this pattern by heart. The Kuminga experience has always been: two or three games where the ceiling shows itself so clearly you start doing the math on what a max extension would look like, followed by two or three games where the floor reminds you why the math was always complicated. He’s a very young man, the athleticism is still a genuine weapon, and his transition game and paint pressure gave the Knicks real problems in the wins. None of that goes away. The talent is not in question.

What this series confirmed is that the debate Warriors fans have been having for two years is not one that six playoff games just resolved. Both sides got their evidence. The people who thought he was misused got Games 2 and 3. The people who thought the inconsistency was the real story got Games 4, 5, and 6. Everyone walks away from this exactly as convinced as they walked in.

Jonathan Kuminga was -44 in 22 minutes.

The lowest plus/minus off the bench in a playoff game in the play-by-play era. pic.twitter.com/JGvYsxIxOY

— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 1, 2026

That’s the most Kuminga outcome possible. A series that answered nothing cleanly because the player and the situation hasn’t answered it yet. The Warriors moved on. Kuminga moved on. The Knicks won. And Dub Nation will keep glancing over the fence, because that’s just what fans do with lottery picks they spent years watching grow up in their building.

The verdict on Jonathan Kuminga isn’t written yet. But six games against New York told us exactly who he still is: a player you just gotta tune in to see, even if you’re not sure what’s gonna happen next.

Nikola Jokic was at the center of a heated confrontation during the fourth quarter of the Denver Nuggets' potential elimination game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Jokic, the three-time NBA MVP, got into it with the Timberwolves' Jaylen Clark, who was called for a personal foul with 9:47 to go. Clark shoved Jokic, and Jokic shoved Clark back. Clark pulled at Jokic as he fell, and things escalated from there.

Naz Reid also got involved, shoving Jokic in the back.

Nikola Jokic in the middle of another scrum in Minnesota.pic.twitter.com/5sDBnQbO8l

— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) May 1, 2026

Cooler heads eventually prevailed and the players were all separated. After review, Jokic, Clark and Reid were all hit with technical fouls. That resulted in one free throw for the Nuggets.

Another look at Jokic & Jaylen Clark. 👀

pic.twitter.com/gPWj3jWERohttps://t.co/7zTViJub83

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 1, 2026

Minnesota, which was without Anthony Edwards, went on to win 110-98 to win the series 4-2.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nikola Jokic at center of fight in Nuggets vs Timberwolves