NBA playoffs 2024: Conference semifinals news, schedule, scores and highlights
Here's what you need to know about the conference semifinals, including the latest scores, news and schedules.
Ragans throws 7 scoreless innings as Royals win 6-2 and extend A's skid to season-high 6
— Cole Ragans allowed two hits in seven scoreless innings, Michael Massey and Maikel Garcia homered and the Kansas City Royals beat Oakland 6-2 on Friday night to extend the Athletics losing streak to a season-high six.
Angels beat Rangers 9-3 to give Ron Washington win in his 1st game as visiting manager in Texas
— Zach Neto and Taylor Ward homered, Tyler Anderson pitched two-hit ball over seven innings and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Rangers 9-3 on Friday night to give Ron Washington a victory in his first game as a visiting manager in Texas.
Nootbaar, Winn hit 2-run homers, Cardinals drop Red Sox below .500 with 10-6 win
— Lars Nootbaar and Masyn Winn hit two-run homers, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat Boston 10-6 on Friday night to drop the Red Sox below .500 for the first time since the season’s opening week.
Matt Waldron strikes out 10 as Padres silence Braves' bats in 3-1 win
— Matt Waldron struck out a career-high 10 and the San Diego Padres bounced back after being swept in their last series, beating the Atlanta Braves 3-1 on Friday night.
The NBA playoffs' conference semifinals roll on. One team has advanced, but there's still plenty at stake in the other matchups.
The No. 1 seed Boston Celtics are on their way to the Eastern Conference finals after eliminating the No. 4 seed Cleveland Cavaliers in five games. They now await the winners of the other East series between the No. 2 seed New York Knicks and the No. 6 seed Indiana Pacers.
In the West, the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder take on the No. 5 seed Dallas Mavericks. The other West clash pits the No. 2 seed and defending NBA Finals champion Denver Nuggets against the No. 3 seed Minnesota Timberwolves.
Each team must win their best-of-7 series to advance. All four rounds of the NBA playoffs are best-of-7, and teams are not reseeded after each round. The team with the better regular-season record in each series will have home court advantage for that series. All series are played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, with the team with the better record hosting Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 (if necessary).
We'll have complete coverage of the NBA playoffs all the way through the 2024 NBA Finals, which tip off on June 6 on ABC and the ESPN app.
MORE: First-round news and scores | Offseason guides
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Boston Celtics (1) eliminate the Cleveland Cavaliers (4), 4-1
Game 1: Celtics 120, Cavaliers 95
Game 2: Cavaliers 118, Celtics 94
Game 3: Celtics 106, Cavaliers 93
Game 4: Celtics 109, Cavaliers 102
Game 5: Celtics 113, Cavaliers 98
Sources: Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis expected out for start of ECF
Celtics fend off Cavs, return to Eastern Conference finals
Bickerstaff's Cavs future in question after Game 5 loss; Mitchell, too
Sources: Celtics assistant Charles Lee to become Hornets coach
Marks: What the eliminated Cavaliers need to do this offseason
New York Knicks (2) tied with the Indiana Pacers (6), 3-3
Game 1: Knicks 121, Pacers 117
Game 2: Knicks 130, Pacers 121
Game 3: Pacers 111, Knicks 106
Game 4: Pacers 121, Knicks 89
Game 5: Knicks 121, Pacers 91
Game 6: Pacers 116, Knicks 103
Game 7: Sunday, May 19 at New York (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
Pacers force Game 7 after blowout win over Knicks
Borden: Behind the 'Go NY Go' song pumping up the Knicks' Garden
Kweon: The will and weariness of Thibodeau and his Knicks squad
Windhorst: The growing Tyrese Haliburton-Jalen Brunson rivalry
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Dallas Mavericks (5) lead the Oklahoma City Thunder (1), 3-2
Game 1: Thunder 117, Mavericks 95
Game 2: Mavericks 119, Thunder 110
Game 3: Mavericks 105, Thunder 101
Game 4: Thunder 100, Mavericks 96
Game 5: Mavericks 104, Thunder 92
Game 6: Saturday, May 18 at Dallas (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
Game 7 (if necessary): Monday, May 20 at Oklahoma City (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
Luka Doncic focuses on game, not refs, as Mavs take Game 5
Lowe: How Mavericks' surprisingly good defense is befuddling the Thunder
MacMahon: Kyrie is still standing in a postseason dominated by young stars
Shelburne: How Chet Holmgren became a perfect fit in OKC's budding dynasty
Pelton: Why OKC's championship window is wide open for years to come
Denver Nuggets (2) tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves (3), 3-3
Game 1: Timberwolves 106, Nuggets 99
Game 2: Timberwolves 106, Nuggets 80
Game 3: Nuggets 117, Timberwolves 90
Game 4: Nuggets 115, Timberwolves 107
Game 5: Nuggets 112, Timberwolves 97
Game 6: Timberwolves 115, Nuggets 70
Game 7: Sunday, May 19 at Denver (8 p.m. ET, TNT)
Timberwolves hammer Nuggets by 45 to set up Game 7
Nuggets' Jamal Murray hopeful elbow feels better by Game 7
McMenamin/Williams: The 'wild' chess match between Nuggets, Timberwolves
Lopez: How Nickeil Alexander-Walker became an X-factor for the Timberwolves
Holmes: The forgotten Serbian legend who paved the way for Jokic and other stars