Scoreboard
76ers 132, Raptors 97 (PHI wins series, 4-2)
Suns 115, Pelicans 109 (PHX wins series, 4-2)
Mavericks 98, Jazz 96 (DAL wins series, 4-2)
What went down
On one of the most intense days for Philly sports fans this year, the 76ers put on their best game of the postseason so far to put away the Toronto Raptors on the road and move on to the next round.
Philly only had a one-point lead coming out of halftime before putting on a defensive masterclass in the third quarter, holding the Raptors scoreless for nearly six minutes at one point. They held a 21-point lead heading into the final period and never looked back.
James Harden had his best game of the series, popping off for 22 points on 7-for-12 shooting with 15 assists and only three turnovers. Joel Embiid continued his postseason rampage with a 33 and 10 double-double while Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris had 25 and 19 points, respectively.
The Sixers now look forward to a second-round series against the top-seeded Miami Heat.
Out West, top overall seed Phoenix Suns gutted out a tight series-clincher on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans.
The game was in balance with two minutes remaining with the Pelicans even holding a one-point lead, 104-103, with two minutes to go. From there, Devin Booker (back from a hamstring injury that kept him out for the last two games), Mikal Bridges, and Chris Paul (more on him later) hit big shots to silence the New Orleans crowd.
CHRIS PAUL'S 14TH CONSECUTIVE MAKE PUTS THE @SUNS UP 5 ON TNT 🚨 pic.twitter.com/WK1iBbv7FL
— NBA (@NBA) April 29, 2022
Phoenix will face the Dallas Mavericks, who had quite an adventure in closing out the Utah Jazz on the road.
Dallas erased a 12-point Utah lead in the third quarter and entered the fourth quarter up by five. It was back-and-forth until the final minute. Dallas was up two after Jalen Brunson split two free throws with four seconds left. Utah drew up a gorgeous play that left Bojan Bogdanovic open for a 3-pointer, but he clanked the attempt.
Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson had 24 points each for Dallas.
Big-time baller
Chris Paul made history today, dropping 33 points on 14-for-14 shooting, setting the postseason record for most field goal attempts without a miss.
Chris Paul's 14th shot.
— NBA (@NBA) April 29, 2022
Chris Paul's 14th make.
CP3's historic night cap in #PhantomCam. pic.twitter.com/I1qO05qg4D
Paul has been lights out in close-out games, having dropped 44 and 35 points in the last two games Phoenix had a chance to close a series.
What he said
Jae Crowder has a way of endearing himself with opposing crowds. As a response to the New Orleans crowd getting riled up and chanting his name, Devin Booker bought Crowder matching shirts to wear to the postgame.
Jae Crowder and Devin Booker wore "F*** Jae Crowder" shirts after the Suns' Game 6 win.
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 29, 2022
(via @Suns) pic.twitter.com/jKKKaxX4Sl
Did you see that?
Before Game 6 of Dallas-Utah, there were reports of Rudy Gobert getting hurt. As details came out and it was confirmed it wasn’t anything serious, a legendary social media moment was created when it was revealed that Gobert had gotten stung by the bees.
The tweets from fans were peak NBA Twitter comedy. Of course, Charles Barkley offered his thoughts on Inside the NBA.
"Bees are not a pet man!"
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 28, 2022
Chuck sounds off on Rudy Gobert getting stung by a bee 🤣 pic.twitter.com/W6QNFyCySx
