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Arch rival on the ropes. Eight players available. Opportunity arises.

Terrence Shannon Jr. was the latest Minnesota player to step up in a big spot, helping eliminate Denver in Game 6.

Read on for everything from two series-clinchers, one all-time rivalry going 7, and tonight’s Game 6s.

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5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

Going 7 Games: Maxey, PG-13 & Embiid click to climb back into series, force Game 7

Next Wolf Up: Without Ayo (and Ant, and Donte), Jaden McDaniels helps seal series vs. Denver, Jokić

Fifty-Point Clinch: Knicks dominate Hawks 140-89 in historic series winner

Lakers at Rockets: Houston’s young core pushes for rare Game 7 after facing a 3-0 hole

East Game 6s: Back in Orlando, Cade looks to get to Game 7, while Cavs eye road clinch in The North

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BUT FIRST … ⏰

Three more Game 6s tip off tonight on Prime, with the Magic, Cavs and Lakers – all up 3-2 – looking to advance to the conference semifinals.

The NBA Playoffs are delivering their highest viewership in 33 years, with an average of 3.91 million viewers per game across ABC, ESPN, NBC/Peacock and Amazon Prime Video.

Charlotte’s Moussa Diabaté has been named the 2025-26 Kia NBA Hustle Award winner.

See the full NBA Awards results and upcoming announcement schedule here.

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1. MAXEY’S 30, COMPLETE SIXERS’ SHOWCASE FORCES GAME 7

A near triple-double in Joel Embiid’s third game back.

Paul George’s 2nd-highest scoring Playoff game since 2021.

And Tyrese Maxey calling Game (7).

Sixers 106, Celtics 93: Maxey’s 30-ball led a complete performance from a full-power Philly team, topping 35 combined points from Jaylen Brown (18 pts) and Jayson Tatum (17 pts, 11 reb) to force a Game 7 in Boston.

George piled up 23 points alongside Maxey (30 pts, 5 ast), as Philly got 100 points from five starters in double figures, including Embiid (19 pts, 10 reb, 8 ast, 4 pushups).

The Sixers have won two straight since going down 3-1. | Recap

• Heating Up: Philly hit five triples in the 2nd quarter to separate for a 9-point halftime lead, with 13 in the frame from Maxey
• Locking Down: The squad then focused in defensively, limiting Boston to 14 3rd-quarter points and 2-of-13 shooting from deep. PG’s 10 points helped stretch the lead to 19 — and two straight behind-the-back dimes from Embiid and PG electrified the crowd
• “We’ve done a good job of trying to take them out of what they do,” Maxey said. “They’re a good 3-point shooting team … and sometimes you gotta guard your yard.”
• Defend Or Go Home: In back-to-back wins with their season on the line, the Sixers’ D has held the C’s under 100 points, a first for Boston since the 2022 Finals

“[If] we’ve got any chance to beat these guys, defense will have to be involved,” George said.

Now, this classic rivalry, with more head-to-head Playoff matchups than any two other teams, will meet in a Game 7.

• To The Max, The Most: Saturday will mark the ninth Game 7 between Boston and Philadelphia, the most for any two teams in NBA history
• Last Time It Happened: It’s their first Game 7 showdown since the 2023 East Semis, remembered for Tatum’s 51-point triumph
• “We gotta go pack our defense. We gotta go out there and fight our tails off,” Maxey said. “It’s gonna be a dog fight and it’s gonna be fun.”

Game 7 from Boston tips off Saturday at 7:30 ET (NBC & Peacock).

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2. McDANIELS, RESILIENT WOLVES CLOSE OUT JOKER, NUGGETS IN 6

When Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo went out, Ayo Dosunmu stepped up.

Without Dosunmu, it was Jaden McDaniels’ turn.

Down to an 8-man rotation, Minnesota closed out the latest thrilling chapter in its rivalry with Joker’s Nuggets Thursday.

Timberwolves 110, Nuggets 98: McDaniels led the Wolves on both ends, surging for a series-high 32 points, pulling down 10 boards and hounding Jamal Murray (12 pts, 4-17 FG), with help from Terrence Shannon Jr. (24 pts, 6 reb), who was making his first Playoff start.

Nikola Jokić (28 pts, 9 reb, 10 ast) was a rebound shy of a triple-double in 43 minutes, with Cameron Johnson (27 pts, 8 reb) hitting half of Denver’s 10 triples.

The Wolves held this season’s top offense under 100 points in all three games in Minnesota to end their season. | Recap

• Minny’s Move: After nine 1st-half lead changes, Minnesota ran ahead with a 15-6 closeout for a 7-point halftime lead and never trailed after that
• Back & Forth: The rivals traded runs in the 3rd, with Denver’s 11-7 push knotting the score at 67 before Minnesota responded with its own 15-7 burst going to the 4th
• Shutdown Quarter: That’s where the Wolves held the Nuggets to just one field goal – Johnson’s fifth 3 – over the final 7:24
• Minnesota’s next-man-up duo sealed the win when Shannon Jr. converted an and-1 to double the lead (103-97) and McDaniels followed with a midrange dagger. The Wolves then pulled away with the game’s only double-digit lead

Minnesota’s immediate answer to make up for the missing production of Edwards (knee) and DiVincenzo (Achilles’) was also lost when Donsunmu (calf) was ruled out just before gametime.

McDaniels, though, didn’t question the way forward.

“I just love to compete. Just come out, compete, and get ready for the next round.”

That next round starts Monday in San Antonio against the No. 2 Spurs (time/network TBD).

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3. KNICKS SHUT DOWN HAWKS, SERIES IN HISTORIC PERFORMANCE

One point decided each of Atlanta’s wins in Games 2 and 3.

In the Knicks’ W’s, NY had won by an average of 18.7 points.

That margin got even bigger — historically so — on Thursday.

Knicks 140, Hawks 89: New York set franchise records for highest-scoring game and largest victory in Playoff franchise history in a decisive finish to its First-Round series with Atlanta. OG Anunoby (29 pts, 7 reb, 4 stl) led five Knicks starters in double figures.

Karl-Anthony Towns collected his second triple-double of the series with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, Mikal Bridges (24 pts) had his highest-scoring game of the series, and Jalen Brunson added 17 points and 8 assists.

The timely Knicks outburst was just the eighth 50+ point win in NBA Playoffs history, and the fourth of which to come in a series-clinching game. | Recap

• Storm Coming: New York was up 10 with 4 minutes to play in the 1st (23-13) – a lead in-line with how this series has played out. But what happened next was the series’ most pivotal development
• The Appetizer: The Knicks closed the 1st on a 17-2 run for a 40-15 opening quarter. Their 2nd quarter was even better
• The Feast: New York dropped another 43 in the 2nd, picking up where it left off for a 32-7 opening surge. Nearly half the 43 points came at the line (20-22), while the defense followed up seven 1st-quarter steals with five more
• Up 83-36 at the break, the 47-point halftime lead was the largest in NBA Playoffs history, and 2nd-largest for any NBA game, behind the Mavs’ 50-point edge over the Clippers on Dec. 27, 2020

“We knew we needed to be our best tonight if we expected to win,” Towns said. “I thought we did a good job of coming close to that.”

But where did this eye-popping performance come from, for a New York team that lost homecourt advantage after Game 2 and went down 2-1 after Game 3?

“I thought we did a great job with our defense,” Towns said. “I thought our offense was created by our defense. [We] did a great job of causing turnovers, upping the pressure…

“It’s a great recipe for success.”

• NY D: The Hawks were held to 96.5 ppg in the Knicks’ four wins, including sub-100 totals in the final three games, as New York rises to the East’s best-rated D (103.8) in the Playoffs so far
• “OG was special.” KAT called out Anunoby’s level-up (21.5 ppg, 8.7 rpg) as another boost for the Knicks in the series. Anunoby has raised his scoring (by nearly 5 ppg) and rebounding (3 rpg) from his 2025-26 stats
• KAT The Facilitator: Towns himself changed his game to change the series, becoming the first Knicks player with multiple triple-doubles in a series, averaging 7.5 apg in the last four games (vs 3.3 in the first three)

New York now awaits the outcome of Philly and Boston’s Game 7 for Monday’s East Semis Game 1 details (time & network TBD).

• Familiar Foes: The Knicks outlasted the Celtics over six games in last year’s East Semis, and edged out the Sixers in 6 a year earlier by a single cumulative point (650-649)
• “I don’t think it should be a matter of who we play,” Towns said. “As long as the New York Knicks come out and play our best version of the best basketball we can play, we give ourselves a chance to win every night.”

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4. OUT WEST: ROCKETS LOOK TO FORCE RARE GAME 7, HOSTING LAKERS

One hundred sixty teams in NBA history have faced a 3-0 series deficit. None have come back to win.

Only 16 of those 160 teams have forced a Game 6 – and only four have forced a Game 7.

Tonight (9:30 ET, Prime), the Rockets will look to become the fifth, coming off back-to-back wins to trim their 3-0 deficit to 3-2. Another victory puts them on the cusp of history.

Turning Point: The Rockets’ comeback bid began with a blown lead. Up six with 30 seconds left in Game 3, a string of late errors put them in a 3-0 hole.

When the final buzzer sounded, Rockets coach Ime Udoka didn’t wait for the sting of defeat to pass. Instead, he immediately turned on the film and had the team rewatch the final 30 seconds.

Then came Udoka’s challenge. One that can be described in two words, but has been met with a full-team response, writes the Athletic’s William Guillory:

“Grow up.”

Complete Response: With 16x All-Star Kevin Durant sidelined (ankle), Houston’s starting lineup – all 24 or younger – has answered, with every starter averaging 14+ ppg in Games 4 & 5.

Meanwhile, Houston’s 4th-ranked scoring defense has renewed its edge – flipping the series on its head.

• Fire: In Games 1-3, the Lakers shot 51.2% from the field and 46.1% from 3, averaging 106.7 ppg
• Extinguisher: In Games 4 & 5, Houston has limited Los Angeles to 46% shooting and 24.5% from 3, holding the Lakers to 94.5 ppg
• Swarming: The Rockets have also tallied 63 steals, the most by any team through five Playoff games since the 2007 “We Believe” Warriors

The Result: After being outscored by 6.7 ppg in Games 1-3, the Rockets own a +12.5 point differential in Games 4 & 5 – a 19.5-point swing.

• “After what happened in Game 3, we could’ve very easily shut it down, pouted and quit,” said Reed Sheppard. “That’s not what we did …
• “We watched it, and we learned from it. We keep fighting and keep giving ourselves a chance to play.”

The Lakers face a road test with the pressure shifting. With Houston’s young core clicking, they’ll turn to LeBron James – the Playoffs’ all-time leader in points and wins.

And the King has consistently answered the call in Game 6s.

• Sizzling Six: In 24 career Game 6s, James is averaging 29 pts, 9.8 reb and 7.8 ast – with 16 wins
• Leveling Up: Those marks rank as his 2nd-highest scoring and rebounding averages in any series game, and his highest assist average
• Reaves’ Rhythm: Alongside James, Austin Reaves added 22 points and 6 dimes off the bench in Game 4, settling back in after returning from an oblique injury
• “It’s great for our team,” said LeBron of Reaves’ return. “It’s so hard to close out a team in the postseason … this is our first time doing it as a unit – we’re gonna see what we got.”

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5. EAST GAME 6s: CAN CADE EXTEND SERIES? WILL CAVS CLINCH UP NORTH?

Cade Cunningham went cold in Game 4, finishing 7-for-23 from the field with eight turnovers.

He was exactly the opposite one game later — getting scorching hot to extend the series.

Tonight (7 ET, Prime), the Pistons look to Cunningham once more as their leader in a must-win Game 6, trailing the Magic, 3-2. He scored a franchise Playoff-record 45 points on Wednesday to stave off elimination.

• “To know the moment, understand the moment and then do whatever was necessary to help us get the win,” said coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “That’s why he’s special.”
• High Standard: In the second All-Star campaign of his career, Cunningham averaged 23.9 points per game during the regular season
• Level Up: He’s averaging 32.6 ppg in the First Round — the most he ever has in a Playoff series. That 8.7-point leap is the largest of any player this postseason

But it wasn’t a one-man show in Game 5.

It was a duel, with Paolo Banchero going shot-for-shot with Cunningham. His team has another chance tonight to become only the seventh No. 8 seed in league history to upset a No. 1 seed.

• Unprecedented Territory: Banchero’s 45 points, five rebounds and five assists Wednesday were the first such performance in franchise history
• Missing Details: But Orlando ultimately lost by seven, missing 14 free throws and getting out-rebounded 49-33
• “They beat us on the margins,” said Banchero, “We make our free throws, we have a good chance to win the game.”

Game 6 is also next for the Cavaliers and Raptors (7:30 ET, Prime). Their series has been neck-and-neck, with Cleveland leading 559-557 in total points after a five-point win Wednesday.

• Back And Forth: In the 4th quarter, every bucket by Toronto was answered by a bucket from Cleveland until the final minute, when the Cavs pulled away
• Make It Rain: The Cavaliers shot 50% from beyond the arc, making 18 triples in all — their most this postseason

The Raptors are back home where they won both games in the series, and need to once more.

• Fresh Face: Brandon Ingram (heel) is questionable for Game 6, but Collin Murray-Boyles, who’s averaged 15.2 ppg and 6.8 rpg, will look to keep making his presence felt

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The top half of the Eastern Conference bracket feels pretty wide open right now. The No. 8 seed Orlando Magic are one win from upsetting the top-seeded Detroit Pistons. And in the No. 4 vs. No. 5 seed series, the cumulative score through five games is Cleveland 559, Toronto 557.

More important than the point differential is that the Cavs survived a scare on Wednesday and won Game 5 at home. They looked to be in control of this series after the first two games, but they struggled to score in the two games in Toronto and this suddenly became a tight series.

The Cavs found their offense again in Game 5, but we’ll see if they packed it for another trip across the border.

Here are three things to watch in Game 6 on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET, Prime Video):

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1. Injury concerns for the Raptors

The Raptors have done well in this series, given the continued absence of Immanuel Quickley, their most prolific 3-point shooter in the regular season. Even with Quickley, they were one of three playoff teams that ranked in the bottom 10 in both 3-point percentage (35.4%, 21st) and 3-point rate (36.3% of their shots, 25th). Through five games in this series, they’ve been outscored by 54 points from beyond the arc.

Brandon Ingram left in the second quarter of Game 5 with heel inflammation and is listed as questionable for Game 6. He’s shot just 19-for-58 (33%) in this series and isn’t going to be particularly efficient over a large sample size, but is certainly capable of turning a game the Raptors’ way if he can get hot.

Most important for Toronto is the health of Scottie Barnes, who suffered a quad contusion in the second quarter of Game 5. After scoring 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting in the first half, Barnes had just three points and missed all six of his shots after halftime.

Barnes has been the Raptors’ most important player on both ends of the floor. On offense, he’s averaging 24 points and eight assists, with some terrific reads included. On defense, he’s spent most of his time defending James Harden (primarily) and Donovan Mitchell, also providing some help in the paint.

If his quad is still bothering him and he’s limited in any way on Friday, the Raptors could be in trouble.

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2. The possession game

The team that won the possession game was the team that won Games 1-4. Over the first two games, the Cavs got nine more shot opportunities (field goal attempts or trips to the line) than the Raptors. And over Games 3 and 4, the Raptors got 21 more shot opportunities than the Cavs.

But Game 5 went the other way. Cleveland won despite getting a lot fewer shots. Turnovers were even, but the Raptors dominated the glass. The issue was that the Raptors’ 15 offensive rebounds resulted in only 13 second-chance points. The Cavs shot much better in the paint, from 3-point range, and at the free-throw line.

Still, the Cavs took control of Game 5 when they stopped turning the ball over. Cleveland had nine live-ball turnovers through the first 29 minutes, which led directly to 22 Toronto points. Over the last 19 minutes, the Cavs didn’t have a single live-ball turnover, and the Raptors’ offense dried up.

The Raptors’ half-court offense is not great. They need those steals to get transition points, and they need offensive rebounds for second-chance opportunities.

The Cavs are the better shooting team. And if they’re also the team that gets more shots, they should be in great shape.

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3. Bench minutes

The Raptors staggered the minutes of Barnes and RJ Barrett in Game 5, so that at least one of the two was always on the floor. But the score in the 19 minutes was Cavs 64, Raptors 50 when only one of the two was on the floor. Cleveland scored those 64 points on just 40 offensive possessions (1.60 per).

The Cavs also got a huge fourth quarter from Dennis Schröder. In 48 minutes in the series with Harden and Jarrett Allen on the floor without Mitchell and Evan Mobley, they’ve outscored the Raptors by 21 points (19.8 per 100 possessions).

The Mitchell-and-Mobley minutes without Harden and Allen haven’t been so good. In fact, the Cavs used Thomas Bryant in the first half of Game 5 so that Mobley didn’t have to be the lone big on the floor for all of that stretch. But Bryant wasn’t needed in the second half, when the Cavs took control of the game with Mobley as the lone big for a stretch spanning the third and fourth quarters.

The Raptors don’t necessarily need to win the bench minutes on Friday, but they can’t get destroyed when Barnes and/or Barrett are off the floor, like they did in Game 5.

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John Schuhmann has covered the NBA for more than 20 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Bluesky.