Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash said he is hopeful of Ben Simmons debuting with his new team before the playoffs, but indicated it is far from a sure thing.
With only 14 games to play before the postseason begins, Simmons still has not been cleared to practice due to a back injury that has only worsened since arriving in Brooklyn.
The Nets have shown they can win without Simmons for the time being – including a dominant performance in Philadelphia against former team-mate James Harden – but to be a serious title contender, the former first overall pick will need to play a significant role.
Currently occupying the eight-seed in the Eastern Conference, Brooklyn have an uphill battle to try to make up the four games they sit behind the six-seed Cleveland Cavaliers to avoid the play-in tournament and secure a guaranteed playoff berth.
While he has not been able to participate in team practices, Nash said the team are trying to get Simmons as involved as possible and build the necessary chemistry, and that he has "extremely high hopes that we'll see him in the regular season".
"The biggest thing we've tried to do is to have him be involved in everything," Nash said.
"The travelling is the one caveat, where sometimes you're weighing the cost-benefit of him on aeroplanes and buses and different beds.
"When he's with us, we want him in every meeting, in every walkthrough, in every film session, whatever it may be, so he's around the group.
"We'd love for him to travel, be with the team all the time, but we have to weigh that scenario as well."
While Simmons is a "perfect fit" for Brooklyn's team construction and style, according to Nash, there is no way to simulate on-court repetitions alongside stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
"I think he has a pretty good understanding [of what the Nets are doing]," the coach said. "Now, has his focus been on learning what we're doing? No, it's been on getting better.
"We've had him around, we want him to learn, but there's a lot going on when you're desperately trying to fight to get on the court.
"I don't expect him to be totally dialled in on what we're doing, because part of that is also feel; getting out there with your team-mates, seeing how it fits.
"I think he'll be a perfect fit for our guys – but some of that stuff is also getting out there and doing it, learning on the fly, rather than reading it off the notes."
NBA: Edwards scores 43 to lift Timberwolves over Nuggets in Game 1
Anthony Edwards poured in a playoff career-high 43 points and Naz Reid scored 14 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets 106-99 on the road in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals on Saturday.
Edwards had 25 points in the first half and Reid took over in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 straight points at one point during a pivotal late run.
His 3-pointer with 4:19 remaining capped the surge for a 94-88 lead and the Timberwolves held on down the stretch, with Edwards scoring eight points in the final three minutes.
Game 2 is Monday night in Denver.
Nikola Jokić had 32 points, nine assists and eight rebounds but also had seven turnovers for Denver and Jamal Murray added 17 points after he was held scoreless in the first half.
Karl-Anthony Towns battled foul trouble to score 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting and Mike Conley added 14 points and 10 assists for the Wolves, who improved to 5-0 in these playoffs.
Three days after knee surgery, Minnesota coach Chris Finch was on the bench in the second row, next to the scorer’s table and behind assistant Micha Nori, who did the instructing, roaming and switching.
NBA: Magic survive 'special' Mitchell onslaught to force series decider in Cleveland
The Orlando Magic survived a "special" Donovan Mitchell showing to overcome the Cleveland Cavaliers and force Game 7 in the NBA Playoffs.
Mitchell posted 50 points but that was not enough for the Cavaliers, who will have home advantage on Sunday in the winner-takes-all decider after their 103-96 loss in Game 6.
Mitchell's half-century haul tied for the second most in a loss in a potential series clincher in NBA history, according to ESPN.
Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley was quick to heap praise on Mitchell as Orlando edged through to a series decider.
"He was going, but the other guys didn't have it going as much," Mosley said. "No one overreacted [to Mitchell]. He's a special, special player.
"To be able to have 50 and only make three 3s, that's very special. But our ability not to overreact or panic to what was happening because we continued to share it, move it, trust each other."
Mitchell scored all his team’s 18 points in the fourth quarter, including a pair of 3s.
The Cavaliers star fell one point shy of matching the franchise playoff scoring record set by LeBron James, who had 51 in May 2018 against Golden State in the NBA Finals.
"We missed shots. Mine went in, but if it's not 50 maybe it's 60 or whatever it is," Mitchell said. "Maybe it's 30-10-10, whatever the game calls for. It is what it is.
"We didn't win the game. If I had 20 more, we would be up 20 more. Whatever the game calls for, it's my job to figure it out."
Cleveland won Games 1, 2 and 5 but Mitchell says previous encounters will be meaningless come the decider.
"All of the stuff you've done for six games all goes out the window," Mitchell said. "It's all about desperation and will.
"It's going to be just like tonight – find ways to continually be relentless. I have no doubt that we'll show up."
Franz Wagner had 26 points and Jalen Suggs added 22 for the Magic, who have not won a series for 14 years.
"Anything they have done to try and throw us off our game, knock us off balance, we've responded to it," Suggs said.
"We didn't want to end it here, and I think we all found comfort in that – in understanding how much pressure, you can call it, is on this game. But it was just another game for all of us."
Doncic: 'It's a pleasure' working with 'unbelievable' Irving
Luka Doncic hailed Kyrie Irving's performance against the Los Angeles Clippers as "unbelievable" after the Dallas Mavericks progressed in the playoffs.
Irving starred with 30 points, six rebounds and four assists as the Mavs won 114-101 on Friday to seal a 4-2 series victory.
Eight-time All-Star Irving scored 28 points in the second half to propel the Mavs to victory, leaving teammate Doncic, who finished with 28 points, seven rebounds and 13 assists, in awe.
"I would say unbelievable," Doncic said of Irving's display.
"So it's even more special, but just to have the guy like that on your team, it's a pleasure.
"Just working with him, just playing with him, it's a pleasure no matter what. He's always positive energy, always. Not even one second of negative energy, which helps a lot, helps everybody and we're so happy to have him."
Across the series, Irving averaged 26.5 points and 51.4 per cent shooting.
"He doesn't force anything," Mavs forward Derrick Jones Jr. added of Irving, who joined Dallas from the Brooklyn Nets in 2023.
"He lets the game come to him and he knows the perfect moments where he should be more ultra-aggressive."
A bullish Irving said: "I just got to get there to that point to be able to be ready to have the other team submit.
"One of the hardest things to do as a competitor is to have your opponent concede or submit. And I do want to take this time to give a respectful shoutout and also show my respect to the Clippers organisation and the players. It's always fun."
Clippers star Paul George bowed to Irving's imperious performance.
"You give someone like Kai those looks, that basket gets bigger and bigger," he said.
"I thought that was really all he needed to see. Everything else was a playground for him."
The Mavs will face the Oklahoma City Thunder for a place in the Conference finals.
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