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Three things to Know: Donovan Mitchell ready for playoffs with fourth 40+ game in a row

kurt helin
·5 min read
2

Three Things To Know is NBC’s five-days-a-week wrap-up of the night before in the NBA. Check out NBCSports.com every weekday morning to catch up on what you missed the night before plus the rumors, drama, and dunks that make the NBA must-watch.

1) Donovan Mitchell ready for playoffs with fourth 40+ game in a row

Do the New York Knicks have an answer for Donovan Mitchell?

Because right now nobody else does and starting in 10 days (give or take) New York will face Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs. Mitchell put up his fourth straight 40+ point game on Tuesday, dropping 43 on the Magic in a Cleveland road win.

The other guys with four 40+ point games in the past 25 seasons: Kobe Bryant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden.

The Cavaliers’ win cemented the Knicks into the No.5 seed, and while mathematically Cleveland can catch Philadelphia for third it’s not happening (the Sixers would have to lose out and the Cavs win out). That sets up a brilliant 4/5 matchup between the Knicks and the Cavaliers where New York needs to stop the one who got away in Mitchell, but New York will test the elite Cleveland defense with Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle (the Knicks have to have Randle back healthy to have a chance in this series).

Cleveland is the more talented team on paper and has the best player in the series in Mitchell, but the Knicks under Tom Thibodeau can put up points and are gritty. Can the Cavs match that physicality and grit (they need Jarrett Allen all the way back)?

This will be the best first-round series in the East (followed by the Heat and whoever they face). It will be must-watch playoff hoops.

2) Joel Embiid makes MVP case, Sixers beat Celtics

Doc Rivers said, “The MVP race is over.” That’s over the top, but Embiid certainly made his MVP statement Tuesday night scoring 18 points in the first quarter and finishing with 52 points on 20-of-25 shooting plus grabbing 13 rebounds to help beat the Celtics.

The 76ers 103-101 victory, combined with the Bucks beating the Wizards 140-128 on Tuesday, almost assures that Boston will finish as the No.2 seed and Philly the No.3 seed — we could see this matchup again in the second round.

Boston is not losing much sleep over this loss, they were without Jaylen Brown and Robert Williams III on the first night of a back-to-back. Derrick White had a quality game with 26 points and another solid defensive performance (he may make an All-Defensive Team with his play this season).

Embiid is the betting favorite for MVP, and while strong cases can be made for both Nikola Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo there is momentum building behind Embiid with both Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard saying in the last few days he would be their pick. This may be Embiid’s year.

3) LeBron James hits OT game-winner for Lakers on wild night in West

Let’s quickly go through what happened in the crowded West on Tuesday.

• LeBron James hit a spinning game-winner to give the Lakers an overtime victory in Utah. LeBron finished the night with 37 points.

That win sets up a massive showdown on Wednesday: Lakers at Clippers. These are the 6/7 seeds in the West as you read this and they are tied (the Clippers have the tiebreaker). The winner of Wednesday’s game will have a massive advantage in getting a top-six seed and avoiding the play-in. The Lakers have been playing better of late but are on the second night of a back-to-back against a rested Clippers.

• The Warriors held on to the No.5 seed thanks to 30+ each from Stephen Curry and Jordan Poole. Curry was hitting everything, even the shots that don’t count.

• The Suns officially secured a playoff spot with their win over the Spurs.

• Sacramento beat New Orleans and now the Pelicans need to find wins to hold off the Timberwolves — who beat the Nets behind 22 and 14 from Karl-Anthony Towns — and keep the No.8 seed in the West (the eighth seed has two games to win one to make the playoffs, the nine seed needs to win two single-elimination games to make the play-in).

• Ja Morant and Shaedon Sharpe were putting on a show in the Grizzlies’ win.

Three things to Know: Donovan Mitchell ready for playoffs with fourth 40+ game in a row originally appeared on NBCSports.com