FIRST-ROUND SERIES PREVIEWS
DEN-MIN
The scenes that set up Karl-Anthony Towns’ third shot at playoff success
Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic
Who has the edge, five things to watch and predictions
Mike Singer, Denver Post
Michael Malone’s message to Michael Porter Jr. this postseason? “Let it fly”
Mike Singer, Denver Post
How Nikola Jokic maintains healthy basketball obsession amid glare of MVP spotlight
Mike Singer, Denver Post
Keys to the series
Jace Frederick, Pioneer Press
Series Preview
Ben Rohrbach, Yahoo Sports
Playoffs will reveal much more for Timberwolves on Rudy Gobert trade, 'twin towers' strategy
Chris Hine, Star Tribune
LAC-PHO
Clippers see ‘Playoff Kawhi’ Leonard coming against Phoenix
Janis Carr, OC Register
Suns prepared for challenge of Clippers' strong bench
Dana Scott, Arizona Republic
Series Preview
Ben Rohrbach, Yahoo Sports
LAL-MEM
Why not believe in the Grizzlies?
Joe Mullinax, Bluff City Media
The main challenges that the Lakers will have to overcome
Donny McHenry, Silver Screen And Roll
LeBron James has simple message to Lakers before facing Grizzlies
Dan Woike, LA Times
Game 1 Preview
Joe Mullinax, Bluff City Media
Series Preview
Dan Devine, Yahoo Sports
MIA-MIL
Three biggest questions
Matt Hanifan, Hot Hot Hoops
Khris Middleton’s health, guarding Giannis and more
Eric Nehm, The Athletic
Where Adebayo stands entering Bucks playoff series
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald
Series Preview
Louis Zatzman, Bucks.com
The Saga Continues With A Focus On Defensive Tactics For Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler And Giannis Antetokounmpo
Couper Moorhead, Heat.com
What will it take for the Heat to push the Bucks?
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald
Dan Devine, Yahoo Sports
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YESTERDAY’S GAMES
BOS 112, ATL 99
Celtics and Jaylen Brown set the tone with dominating defense against Hawks
Jay King, The Athletic
For a Game 1 the Celtics controlled from the start, they left observers wanting so much more
Gary Washburn, Boston Globe
Hawks’ opener was their worst fears realized
Jeff Schultz, The Athletic
Celtics deliver tone-setting opener
Adam Himmelsbach, Boston Globe
Celtics offense shines in Joe Mazzulla’s playoff debut, but they have work to do
Jared Weiss, The Athletic
Five observations
Lauren Williams, AJC
NYK 101, CLE 97
Cavs’ flaws exposed by tougher Knicks
Chris Fedor, cleveland.com
Julius Randle returns, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart star as Knicks edge Cavs in Game 1
Fred Katz, The Athletic
As always with Josh Hart, the stats only tell part of the story.
Tommy Beer, What’s On Tap
Donovan Mitchell had 38 and it was not enough for the Cavs
Chris Manning, Fear The Sword
Cavs’ inability to limit Knicks on offensive glass in Game 1 proves key factor
Kelsey Russo, The Athletic
Cavs fail to match playoff moment, can’t complete comeback
Chris Fedor, cleveland.com
Garland’s answer to getting bullied by Knicks in Game 1: ‘Punch first and see what the refs do’
Stefan Bondy, Daily News
PHI 121, BKN 101
Sixers used James Harden and baseball practice to dominate Game 1
Kyle Neubeck, Philly Voice
How P.J. Tucker, Paul Reed and Sixers’ ‘energy guys’ were difference in Game 1 rout of Nets
Rich Hofmann, The Athletic
Tobias Harris emerges as a spark plug for the Sixers in Game 1
Keith Pompey, The Inquirer
The P.J. Tucker we've been waiting for finally arrived for Sixers in Game 1
Kyle Neubeck, Philly Voice
The Nets’ plan to slow Joel Embiid was gradually picked apart in Game 1 loss
Alex Schiffer, The Athletic
76ers use record 3-point barrage to bury Nets
Michael Kaskey-Blomain, CBS Sports
Embiid can’t do it alone, but James Harden proved he won’t need to in Sixers’ Game 1 win
Mike Vorkunov, The Athletic
Mikal Bridges’ expanded offensive game on display in Game 1
Gina Mizell, The Inquirer
5 Observations
Rohit Naimpally, From The Logo
Sixers cruise to Game 1 victory behind a historic 3-point shooting display
Derek Bodner, The Daily Six
Trust (from) The Process
Marcus Hayes, The Inquirer
SAC 126, GSW 123
Film Study: Kings attack Warriors' weaknesses, get Game 1 victory
John Schuhmann, NBA.com
Film Breakdown: Warriors take a licking from the Kings’ high-powered offense — and have decisions to make moving forward
Joe Viray, Golden State Of Mind
Fox takes first steps toward superstardom in Kings’ playoff win
Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee
How Malik Monk’s brash confidence helped Kings beat Warriors
Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee
5 Observations
Anthony Slater, The Athletic
The Kings know who they are, and now everyone else does too
Tom Ziller, GMIB
De’Aaron Fox strikes first in pivotal PG battle vs. Steph Curry. Here’s how Steph sees it
Sam Amick, The Athletic
The Playoff Series That Explains the NBA’s Most Explosive Scoring Season Ever
Robert O’Connell, Wall Street Journal
Curry and the Warriors aren’t panicking yet
Marcus Thompson II, The Athletic
5 takeaways
Brian Martin, NBA.com
Malik Monk surprised the Warriors, but he didn’t surprise himself
Hunter Patteron, The Athletic
Warriors fall to Kings in Game 1 for Sacramento's first playoff victory since 2006
CJ Holmes, SF Chronicle
Andrew Wiggins finds refuge on the court in long-awaited return
Ron Kroichick, SF Chronicle
The Warriors lose Game 1 but get Playoff Andrew Wiggins back
Tim Kawakami, The Athletic
Day 1 of Game 1s
Jared Dubin, Last Night In Basketball
Knicks were the only road team to win, but they weren’t the only underdog to win
Damon Allred, SBNation
Recapping all the 1st day games
Mike Prada, The Athletic