NBA Player News

Hart closed with 16 points (5-11 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 3-3 FT), 14 rebounds and seven assists over 46 minutes during Thursday's 118-115 win over the 76ers in Game 6 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Hart finished just three assists away from recording a triple-double as the Knicks clinched a 4-2 series win over the 76ers, and the small forward played a prominent role on both ends of the court throughout the first round. Hart recorded three double-doubles in the series but grabbed double-digit rebounds four times and scored 15-plus points in all but one of the six contests. Hart should have a tougher matchup in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and it wouldn't be surprising if he ends up being matched up against Pascal Siakam for stretches.

DiVincenzo racked up 23 points (8-18 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and two steals across 48 minutes during Thursday's 118-115 victory over Philadelphia in Game 6 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Jalen Brunson carried the Knicks to victory in this series-clinching win, but DiVincenzo deserves credit for stepping up when the team needed him the most. He was coming off a few subpar performances, as he had shot 8-for-28 from the field in the previous three games of the series, but he reached the 20-point mark for the first time in the current playoff run while also filling out the stat sheet as he normally does. The Knicks need DiVincenzo at his best if they also want to get past the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. He averaged only 12.0 points while shooting 36.4 percent from the field in the first round.

Brunson registered 41 points (13-27 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 12-16 FT), three rebounds and 12 assists over 44 minutes during Thursday's 118-115 win over the 76ers in Game 6 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Brunson made history with his performance in this Game 6 win, becoming the fourth player in NBA history to record 39 or more points in four consecutive playoff appearances, which Michael Jordan last achieved during the 1992-93 season. Brunson averaged 35.5 points, 9.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game in the first-round series and should play a prominent role as the Knicks take on the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Allen (ribs), who's listed as questionable for Friday's Game 6 against the Magic, was present during Cleveland's morning shootaround, Chris Fedor of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Allen was in uniform, but it's unclear how active he was during the shootaround. The big man was stellar through the first four matchups of the series and averaged 17.0 points, 13.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks, but he was sidelined for the Cavaliers' Game 5 win due to a rib injury he sustained following a collision with Franz Wagner in Game 4. If Allen is sidelined, Isaac Okoro would likely remain in the starting lineup, while Evan Mobley operates as the primary center again.

Lillard tallied 28 points (7-16 FG, 4-12 3Pt, 10-10 FT), four assists and two rebounds over 35 minutes in Thursday's 120-98 loss to Indiana in Game 6 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Lillard returned in Game 6 after missing the previous two games with an Achilles injury, doing all he could to help Milwaukee extend the series by leading all players in Thursday's series-ending contest in scoring and threes made while ending perfect from the free-throw line. Despite dealing with some injury issues during the first-round series against Indiana, Lillard posted 28 or more points in all four of his appearances while adding four or more threes in each of those contests.

Portis ended with 20 points (8-17 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 3-7 FT), 15 rebounds and two assists over 36 minutes in Thursday's 120-98 loss to Indiana in Game 6 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Portis once again dominated the glass for Milwaukee in a season-ending loss Thursday, leading all players in the contest in rebounds while ending as one of three Bucks with 20 or more points in a double-double outing. Portis stepped up nicely in the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) in the first-round series, posting a double-double in five of the six contests while surpassing the 20-point mark in the final two games against Indiana.

Middleton recorded 14 points (6-15 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 1-1 FT), eight rebounds, three assists and two steals over 38 minutes in Thursday's 120-98 loss to Indiana in Game 6 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Middleton led Milwaukee seemingly on a nightly basis over the course of the first-round series against Indiana, but he was held in check in the series-ending contest Thursday while failing to record 15 points for the only time in the series. Middleton, who dealt with some foul trouble that seemed to impact his performance and aggressiveness in the first half, put together a strong opening-round series, scoring 20 or more points in four of the six contests.

McConnell tallied 20 points (7-9 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 4-4 FT), nine assists, four steals and two rebounds over 23 minutes in Thursday's 120-98 win over Milwaukee in Game 6 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

McConnell was outstanding off the Pacers bench in the series-clinching victory, ending second on the team in scoring and assists while leading all players in steals and coming up one dime shy of a double-double to provide a much-needed spark on the second unit. McConnell put forth his best performance of the postseason thus far, scoring more than 10 points for the first time while handing out his highest assist total of the first round. Indiana will look for McConnell to continue to provide a spark off the bench in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Toppin posted 21 points (8-15 FG, 3-10 3Pt, 2-2 FT), eight rebounds, two assists and one block over 24 minutes in Thursday's 120-98 win over Milwaukee in Game 6 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Toppin gave Indiana a much-needed lift off the bench, leading all Pacers in scoring while connecting on a team-high-tying trio of threes and ending two rebounds shy of a double-double in just under 25 minutes on the second unit. Toppin has been stellar off the bench this postseason but posted his best outing of the playoffs thus far in the series-clinching victory. Toppin concluded the first-round series by surpassing the double-digit scoring mark in four straight outings.

Haliburton finished with 17 points (7-16 FG, 2-10 3Pt, 1-1 FT), 10 assists and six rebounds over 32 minutes in Thursday's 120-98 win over Milwaukee in Game 6 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Haliburton once again provided an offensive lift for Indiana in a series-clinching victory, leading all players in Thursday's contest in assists while adding a half-dozen rebounds in a double-double performance. Haliburton recorded a double-double in three of the six games in the first round against Milwaukee, finishing with at least 15 points in four straight outings to round out the series.