NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 The Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers are on the verge of a second round that appears to be taking shape quickly in the Eastern Conference.
Nothing can be decided Tuesday night in the only game out West, where the might be nowhere near finished in a series that鈥檚 too close to call as they play their Game 5.
The Celtics, Knicks and Pacers will all be on their home floors with 3-1 leads they took with road victories on Sunday. Teams have failed to advance with that lead only 13 times in NBA history, so all three are in good shape to return to the conference semifinals for the second straight year.
The defending champion Celtics, seeded second, and No. 3-seeded Knicks would set up the first playoff meeting between the longtime rivals since 2013. Boston needs one more victory over Orlando, while New York can finish off Detroit after pulling out a 94-93 victory in Game 4 after officials said they against Josh Hart on Tim Hardaway Jr.‘s 3-point attempt with 0.3 seconds remaining.
The No. 4-seeded Pacers can knock out Milwaukee, , for the second straight year. They would advance to face top-seeded Cleveland, which finished a sweep of Miami on Monday in the .
鈥淓verybody in the locker room knows what the deal is. We鈥檝e got to go into Indiana, play some good basketball,” Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “Obviously we don鈥檛 have Dame. But the next guy鈥檚 got to step up. We鈥檝e got to do what we鈥檝e got to do. Move the ball, play together, try to win the game and come back.鈥
The Nuggets and Clippers, on the other hand, might be going down to the wire.
They sure did on Saturday, when Aaron Gordon’s dunk of Nikola Jokic’s missed shot at the buzzer tied the series at 2-2. The Clippers had won Game 3 easily, but the other three games have been decided by three or fewer points.
So Gordon and the Nuggets didn’t celebrate too long after that victory.
鈥(It’s) 2-2 right now,鈥 teammate Michael Porter Jr. said. 鈥淏ig win. We get to go back home, but it’s so far from over.”
Orlando Magic at Boston Celtics
When/Where to Watch: Game 5, 8:30 p.m. EDT (NBA TV)
Series: Celtics lead, 3-1.
BetMGM says: Celtics by 12.5
What to Know: Boston took the two games at home rather easily before things got tougher in Orlando, where the Magic won Game 3 and pushed the Celtics deep into Game 4 before falling 107-98. Jayson Tatum scored 36 and 37 points in the last two after missing Game 2 with a wrist injury. The Celtics will be without starting guard Jrue Holiday for a third straight game with a strained right hamstring. Orlando’s Paolo Banchero has scored 25 or more in seven straight playoff games, tied with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kobe Bryant for the longest streak by players under 23.
Detroit Pistons at New York Knicks
When/Where to Watch: Game 5, 7:30 p.m. EDT (TNT)
Series: Knicks lead, 3-1.
BetMGM says: Knicks by 5.5
What to Know: The Knicks failed to close out a series in this same situation last year, losing to the Philadelphia 76ers in overtime at home in Game 5 and forcing them to win the series on the road. The Pistons are 3-1 at Madison Square Garden this season, counting their victory in Game 2 of the series, when Karl-Anthony Towns scored just 10 points. But the Knicks got their All-Star center going in Detroit, where he averaged 29 points in the Knicks’ two victories. Jalen Brunson has scored 12 or more points in the fourth quarter of all four games and is averaging 33.3 in the series, just behind Antetokounmpo’s 33.8 for tops in the postseason.
Milwaukee Bucks at Indiana Pacers
When/Where to Watch: Game 5, 6 p.m. EDT (NBA TV)
Series: Pacers lead 3-1
BetMGM Sportsbook: Pacers by 7 1/2
What to Know: The Pacers look to eliminate Milwaukee for a second straight season after winning 4-2 last year. The Bucks have lost eight straight road playoff games, and the last five came at Indiana. Milwaukee is having to regroup without seven-time All-Star Lillard, who was helped off the court midway through the first quarter of the Bucks鈥 129-103 Game 4 loss at Milwaukee on Sunday. With or without Lillard, the Bucks have been unable to slow Indiana down in this series. Indiana has compiled at least 115 points in each of their three series wins and shot 60.2% in Game 4 with eight Pacers scoring in double figures. Six Pacers are scoring at least 12 points per game in this series, including Pascal Siakam鈥檚 22.3. Indiana鈥檚 Tyrese Haliburton is averaging 12.3 assists in this series and had 15 on Sunday. Antetokounmpo has 33.8 points, 14.3 rebounds and 5 assists per game in this series, but he isn鈥檛 getting enough help. Lillard鈥檚 injury likely means a greater role for Kevin Porter Jr., who had 23 points and six assists off the bench Sunday.
Los Angeles Clippers at Denver Nuggets
When/Where to Watch: Game 5, 10 p.m. EDT (TNT)
Series: Tied, 2-2
BetMGM says: Clippers by 1.5
What to Know: The Clippers’ two losses in the series are one fewer than they had in a little more than a month to finish the regular season, when they went 18-3. Jokic, after averaging a triple-double during the regular season, is second in the playoffs in both rebounds (13.5) and assists (10.8) per game while averaging 28.5 points. The Nuggets have won 12 of their last 13 playoff games when holding the opponent below 100 points.
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AP Sports Writer Steve Megargee in Milwaukee contributed to this report.
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