Jaylen Brown starred as the Boston Celtics routed the Philadelphia 76ers 121-87 Wednesday to spoil Joel Embiid’s return from injury and coronation as league MVP.

Boston's runaway victory was an emphatic bounce-back performance that tied the second-round series at a game apiece.

Embiid had missed the 76ers' previous two games, including their Game 1 victory Monday, due to injury.

After being announced as the NBA's MVP on Tuesday, Embiid was unable to produce in full force during Game 2, finishing with 15 points and three rebounds while shooting 4 of 9 from the field.

Embiid did make his presence felt on the defensive end by blocking five shots, all in the first half.

James Harden, who scored 45 points in Philadelphia's Game 1 win, shot just 2 of 14 from the field, missing all six of his three-point attempts.

The Celtics held a decided advantage from beyond the arc, making 20 three-pointers to the 76ers' six.

Boston led 57-49 at halftime and connected on seven three-pointers in the third quarter to blow the game open for good.

The Celtics were able to cruise to victory despite frigid shooting performances from both Jayson Tatum and Al Horford, who were a combined 3 of 17 from the field and 1 for 11 from three-point range.

Brown was their star performer with 25 points, while Malcolm Brogdon added 23 from the bench.

Boston guard Marcus Smart was able to play through a chest contusion but briefly left the game after he suffered a right shoulder stinger during a tumble with Embiid. He was able to return.

The series will shift to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Friday.

Joel Embiid's 2023 MVP win shows the influence the 1992 United States men's team had on growing basketball globally, believes former coach Justin Harden.

The Philadelphia 76ers man claimed the league's top individual honour after back-to-back finalist finishes behind Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic in 2020-21 and 2021-22.

Embiid, who hails from Cameroon, averaged 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists over 66 games, becoming the third straight international player to win the award following Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jokic.

Harden, who coached Embiid during his senior year at The Rock School in Florida, feels his success underlines how the United States team that conquered the 1992 Olympic Games helped grow the sport globally.

Commonly referred to as the 'Dream Team', the squad was the first to feature professional NBA players, with a team including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird cruising to gold medal success in Barcelona.

"When you think about who's in the top ten players [in the NBA], a good host of them are international players," Harden told Stats Perform.

"From Nikola Jokic to Giannis [Antetokounmpo] to Luka Doncic, [and] then you've got a guy who is undoubtedly going to be the number one pick [in Victor] Wembanyama.

"I can imagine he's going to be great too. I think it just is a testament to the Dream Team and their influence on what they did for international basketball playing in Barcelona.

"There's great coaching all throughout the world. The United States is not necessarily the epicentre or the only option for great basketball to be played.

"It's awesome to see that these guys are going to be MVP. Luka could be the next MVP, and then you have four in a row that are international guys.

"I think it's really neat to see that our game has become such a global sport, because when Joel was here, we had 13 guys on our team, and seven of them were international players, five of them from the continent of Africa.

"We've always cherished what international players can bring to our programme."

Having known Embiid from such a young age, Harden is proud of both the player and the man Embiid has become, saying: "I'm super excited for him. I mean, this is like a breakthrough moment. 

"He's had a couple of runner-up finishes, and so it's good to see him be able to break through and have another great season, I think his third in a row.

"I think this was the best one because he withstood from being injured. I think the last two seasons were hampered by his injuries and so out of his control, but his play was certainly great.

"I'm super excited for him. He's a good guy. I knew him when he was a boy, a young boy becoming a man.

"Now he's a grown man. He's got a family. As much as I'm excited to see him win MVP, I'm also equally excited to see him as a father and as a husband."

One day after being announced as the NBA's most valuable player, Joel Embiid could return from a right knee injury when the Philadelphia 76ers visit the Boston Celtics for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Wednesday.

Embiid took part in the team's shootaround on Wednesday morning, and he now has a chance to suit up for the first time since Game 3 of the first round against the Brooklyn Nets.

Embiid sat out Game 4 of the opening round on April 22 due to a sprained ligament in the knee as Philadelphia swept Brooklyn. 

The six-time All-Star then missed Game 1 of the semifinals in Boston on Monday, as the 76ers won 119-115 behind James Harden's 45 points.

Embiid finally won MVP honours on Tuesday after runner-up finishes in the previous two seasons. 

He averaged a career-best 33.1 points in 2022-23 to claim his second straight scoring title, also adding 10.2 rebounds and a career high-tying 4.2 assists per game.

Embiid also set a personal best by shooting 54.8 per cent from the field, while his 66 games were the second-most he has played during a single campaign in his career.

James Harden's "perfect mindset" was lauded by Doc Rivers after the Philadelphia 76ers got the better of the Boston Celtics.

The 76ers nudged themselves ahead in their Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Celtics with a 119-115 win on Monday.

Philadelphia were without talisman and NBA MVP candidate Joel Embiid, who was ruled out of Game 1 due to a sprained ankle.

Yet Harden stepped up, scoring 45 points, matching his playoff career-high.

"I thought that he had just the perfect mindset tonight," 76ers coach Rivers said of Harden.

"He really did. I'm so happy for him because it just tells you what he can do on given nights.

"The guy is a Hall of Famer, and all you hear is the other stuff about him, and he was fantastic."

Harden finished with 17-for-30 from the field and 7-for-14 three-pointers.

"I haven't felt one of those zones in a minute," Harden said. "You know what I mean? Just to be aggressive and shoot the basketball and do what I want.

"That felt really good. I'm capable of doing it, so it felt good. It felt good to make those shots, to give ourselves a chance."

Harden, though, does not feel he needs to prove himself all over again – he just wants to help the Sixers win.

"I don't need to make a statement," Harden added. "My coaches, my team-mates, what they expect me to do all throughout the course of the year was be a facilitator and get Joel the basketball and score when necessary. Joel wasn't here tonight, you know what I mean? And, we knew that going into this series.

"Now it's like, 'All right, open the floor. James, you be aggressive.' And tonight, I was aggressive. So, it's not that I'm not capable of doing it, this is my role for this team. Now, if you want me to do [what I did] tonight, then I can do that as well.

"I don't think a lot of players can do that. So yeah, I appreciate that."

For Harden's team-mate P.J. Tucker, Monday's win was evidence the Sixers are not wholly reliant on star player Embiid.

"I think we take pride in playing without the big fella," Tucker said. "As good as he is, I think it gives others opportunities to step up and play.

"Everybody took a little step up with him out. It's like a pride thing for us."

The Philadelphia 76ers are still not declaring Joel Embiid will be available for Game 1 of their Conference Semifinals starting on Monday due to a sprained right knee.

Embiid missed Game 4 on Saturday as the 76ers completed a 4-0 sweep of the Brooklyn Nets, offering the MVP candidate an opportunity for rest ahead of their next series against either the Boston Celtics or the Atlanta Hawks.

The 76ers center is yet to practice ahead of Game 1 and head coach Doc Rivers said he was undergoing doctor's examination on Thursday.

"I'm just going to wait," Rivers told reporters after Thursday's team practice. "They'll call me later and we'll see where he's at."

Embiid appeared banged up during Game 3 against the Nets, taking a series of falls, before missing Game 4 which the 76ers won 96-88.

Trae Young's game-winning three-pointer clinched Atlanta's 119-117 win on Tuesday, extending the Hawks-Celtics series to a sixth game, allowing the 76ers more time to recover after their sweep.

That Conference Semifinals series would have started on Saturday if it had concluded on Tuesday, with Rivers offering an insight into Embiid's status when asked about that factor.

"If we played on Saturday, I don't know how realistic it would have been, so that's a good thing," Rivers said.

The 76ers went 11-5 in Embiid's absence during the regular season, providing Rivers hope that they could triumph without him.

"Just look at our record all year," Rivers said. "Look at our record last year and the year before. Each year we’ve gotten better when guys are injured.

"Last year we were better. This year, we were way better. That's what gives me confidence."

Embiid averaged a league-high 33.1 points across 66 games in the regular season but was down at 20.0 points during the first round series.

He also averaged 10.2 rebounds and matched a career-high 4.2 assists per game during the regular season.

Anthony Davis bounced back while LeBron James scored 25 points as the Los Angeles Lakers claimed a 2-1 first-round series lead with a 111-101 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.

Ja Morant returned from a hand injury for the Grizzlies, scoring a game-high 45 points, including 22 in a row for his team in the fourth quarter at Crypto.com Arena.

But the damage was done early, as the Grizzlies shot three-of-25 in the first quarter as the Lakers raced to a 35-9 lead.

Dillon Brooks was ejected for a flagrant 2 foul early in the third quarter following a hit to James' midsection, following tension between the pair after the former's comments after Game 2.

James put that aside to score 25 points on 10-of-20 shooting with nine rebounds, while Davis scored a team-high 31 points with 17 rebounds and three blocks.

The Grizzlies scored the final 10 points of the second quarter to close to 53-37 at half-time but were not helped by Brooks' ejection with 11:43 left in the third.

The Lakers kept Memphis at arm's length for most of the game, although Morant's remarkable fourth-quarter scoring run offered hope, getting within 10 points after a three-pointer with 2:54 left.

Jaren Jackson Jr lost the battle against Davis, contributing 13 points with five rebounds while Desmond Bane was kept to 18 points on three-of-seven three-point shooting. Morant made six-of-10 three-pointers, with 13 assists and nine rebounds.

Heat upset Bucks but left with injury worries

The Miami Heat claimed a 2-1 series lead with a 121-99 victory over the Eastern Conference top seed Milwaukee Bucks who were without Giannis Antetokounmpo due to a bruised lower back again.

But the excitement for the Heat was quelled by a worrying knee injury suffered late by Victor Oladipo, while Jimmy Butler battled a sore glute.

Butler top scored for Miami with 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting in 28 minutes. Duncan Robinson, on his 29th birthday, added 20 points on five-of-six three-point shooting.

Milwaukee shot at 44.7 per cent from the field, giving up 18 turnovers. Khris Middleton top scored with 23 points and six assists but was guilty for five turnovers.

Nets swept again, Suns go 3-1 up

The Brooklyn Nets suffered a first-round series sweep for the second straight year after the Philadelphia 76ers triumphed 96-88 in Game 4 despite the absence of Joel Embiid.

Tobias Harris scored a game-high 25 points with 12 rebounds, while James Harden had 17 points on four-of-18 shooting with eight rebounds and 11 assists. Embiid was out due to sprained right knee.

Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie managed a team-high 20 points and Nic Claxton had 19 points with 12 rebounds and four blocks.

The Phoenix Suns took a 3-1 lead in their series against the Los Angeles Clippers with a 112-100 win headlined by Kevin Durant's 31 points, 11 rebounds and six assists and Devin Booker's 30 points.

The Philadelphia 76ers will need Joel Embiid back for the Eastern Conference semi-finals, despite their Game 4 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

That is according to Tyrese Maxey, who labelled team-mate Embiid as a "leader", though the Sixers secured a 4-0 series sweep of the Nets without him on Saturday.

Embiid led the league for points per game in the regular season (33.1), but suffered a knee sprain in Game 3 against Brooklyn.

While a series comeback still seemed unlikely, the Nets had some hope on Saturday when they led by eight at half-time at Barclays Center, only for the Sixers to fight back and take the game 96-88.

Philadelphia will face either the Boston Celtics or Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semis, which the Celtics lead 2-1 ahead of Game 4 on Sunday, and Maxey hopes Embiid can be back in time.

"It starts with Joel," the Sixers guard said. "He's the leader of this team and for him, he takes the guys before the game and he told us good luck and we appreciate him for that. And we need him to get healthy."

Tobias Harris top-scored with 25 on Saturday, while James Harden had an impressive outing with 17 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, and he echoed Maxey's comments.

"Obviously, today was big for us, so we can get [the] big fella healthy," Harden said. "That's priority number one."

Coach Doc Rivers had explained the situation with Embiid before the game, but clarified further afterwards, suggesting the Cameroonian perhaps has a "50 per cent" chance of making it for the next round.

"I just don't know," he said. "I would say, right now, it's probably the same percentage I said before the game... probably 50 per cent, at best."

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers is unsure when Joel Embiid will return from injury after a knee sprain sidelined the MVP favourite for Game 4 against the Brooklyn Nets.

It was announced on Friday that Embiid had suffered the injury in Thursday's Game 3 win over the Nets – the 76ers' third straight victory in the series.

Embiid has sustained injuries during several previous postseason campaigns, including sitting out two games as the 76ers were beaten by the Miami Heat in last year's Eastern Conference semifinals.

An ESPN report suggested Embiid could return to the court as early as next week, but Rivers was unwilling to put a timeframe on the center's recovery on Saturday.

"This is another obstacle in the story that we're going to write this year, and we're going to be okay. It may take a minute, but this is just part of it," Rivers said.

"He's human, and goodness, this happens again. Let's win, let's get him back on the floor and let's keep on our own journey."

Asked whether Embiid could return during this series if Brooklyn were to force a Game 5, Rivers added: "I don't know. I can't answer that, but I'm not sure.

"From my understanding, they checked his knee out right after the game because he was complaining about some soreness behind the knee, which is always a scary thing to hear about with players. 

"There was swelling already, which is way too early, so we did the MRI. As a coach, I hate that word. I hate those three letters, because it never comes out well. 

"It just feels like that, whenever they tell a coach you're going to get an MRI, it doesn't turn out well most of the time, and this time it did not."

Two of the most important players in the playoffs will miss their respective Game 4s as Philadelphia 76ers MVP favourite Joel Embiid and Los Angeles Clippers franchise player Kawhi Leonard battle injuries.

It was announced on Friday that Embiid had suffered a knee sprain and would be unable to suit up for Game 4, although he is expected to return "early next week", per ESPN.

The 76ers lead their series against the Brooklyn Nets 3-0, with Tyrese Maxey stepping up as Philadelphia's top scoring option down the stretch of Game 3.

Embiid is having a down series by his lofty standards, averaging 20.0 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.3 blocks in the three games so far, shooting 46.2 per cent from the field and only hitting one of his eight three-point attempts.

Meanwhile, Leonard was a surprise absentee in Game 3 with a knee injury of his own, and he has not been able to recover in time to make it back for a crucial Game 4 with his Clippers trailing 2-1.

Leonard has returned to his status as one of the best players in the league, and he was averaging 34.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.0 steals through his two games against the Phoenix Suns this series, shooting a blistering 54.5 per cent from the field, 60.0 per cent from deep and 88.2 per cent from the free throw line.

The Clippers lost Game 3 despite receiving a 42-point outburst from Norman Powell and a 30-point, 12-assist showing from the resurgent Russell Westbrook.

James Harden could not understand why he was ejected from Game 3 between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets, although he was not the only individual frustrated with the officiating on Thursday.

A hot-tempered affair saw a player from each side ejected and the Nets claiming Joel Embiid should have joined them.

Embiid and Nic Claxton clashed after the MVP frontrunner was fouled in the first quarter. As Claxton stared Embiid down, the Sixers big man appeared to aim a kick at his opponent.

While Embiid was issued a flagrant foul one, Claxton was hit with a technical and would later be ejected for a second technical, again for confronting Embiid.

Embiid later described himself as "too valuable" to allow that situation to escalate, but team-mate Harden was thrown out of the game in a separate incident.

He caught Nets forward Royce O'Neale while in possession late in the third quarter, and referee Tony Brothers explained after the game: "Based on the point of contact directly to the groin, it rose to the level of excessive and ejection."

Harden disagreed, not even believing the incident was worthy of a foul.

"Unacceptable, unacceptable flagrant two," Harden said. "First time I've been ejected.

"I'm not labelled as a dirty player, and I didn't hit him in a private area. Somebody is draped on you like that defensively, that's a natural basketball reaction. I didn't hit him hard enough for him to fall down like that.

"For a flagrant two, it's unacceptable. This is a playoff game. We've seen around the league, things are much worse than that play was.

"Honestly, I didn't think it was a foul on me. But that's unacceptable. It can't happen."

By contrast, Brothers said Embiid's foul was "unnecessary" but "didn't rise to the level of excessive" as contact was made with Claxton's leg.

Nets coach Jacque Vaughn responded: "I don't think I've ever seen that in my career before.

"For a guy to intentionally kick someone in an area that none of us want to be kicked at or towards, for him to continue to play...

"I've never seen that before in a game and a guy continues to play. Intentional."

Despite Harden playing only 29 minutes and Embiid scoring just 14 points, the 76ers won 102-97 to take a 3-0 series lead.

Doc Rivers' "cursing" had the desire effect as the Philadelphia 76ers stepped it up in the second half to take a 2-0 lead over the Brooklyn Nets in the Eastern Conference playoff series.

The Nets led Game 2 at Wells Fargo Center on Monday by five points at half-time and Rivers decided just over a minute into the third quarter it was time for him to unleash some verbal volleys.

Sixers head coach Rivers' intervention sparked his side into life and they went on to win 96-84.

Tyrese Maxey top scored with 33 points, including six three-pointers, while Joel Embiid finished with 20 points, 19 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks.

Tobias Harris also weighed in with 20 points and 12 rebounds as Philadelphia took command of the first-round series before travelling to New York for Game 3 on Thursday.

Asked what Rivers said during a huddle early in the third quarter, James Harden said: "Cursing us out. That's it. Just cursing us out.

"The first possession, we didn't run a play that he drew up, for whatever reason. But we got it right."

Rivers felt the Sixers made life difficult for themselves before raising their game to dominate the second half.

"We got guys to the right space," Rivers said. "Joel was patient. James was patient. We moved the ball, we got every shot we wanted.

"That was a hard game, because we got outside of ourselves in the first half. I thought we were forcing it. We were trying, nothing selfish, but we're trying to score all of us, instead of being there giving you the answers with their traps. Trust your stuff, trust your spacing, move the ball and the right guys are going to end up with the ball.

"And if we do it enough, eventually, Joel, you're gonna get one-on-ones, and then you're going to dominate the game. And I thought we did that in the second half."

Cam Johnson led the Nets with 28 points but they were unable to level the series.

The Golden State Warriors' title defense is on rocky ground after Monday's 114-106 loss to the Sacramento Kings left them 2-0 down in their playoffs first round series.

To make matters worse for the reigning champions, Draymond Green faces a ban for Game 3 back at Chase Center after being ejected for stomping on Domantas Sabonis with 7:03 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Kings led 91-87 at the time with the contest wide open until Sacramento pulled away with 12 of the final 17 points. The Warriors were left to rue 20 turnovers, along with making 13-of-40 three-point attempts.

De'Aaron Fox, who finished with 24 points on 10-of-23 shooting with nine assists, made a three-point shot with 2:17 remaining before Sabonis assisted Davion Mitchell's triple for 112-103 with 1:17 left. Sabonis scored 24 points on eight-of-12 shooting with nine rebounds and four assists.

Warriors guard Stephen Curry shot three-of-13 from three-point range, finishing with 28 points and six assists, while Klay Thompson made five-of-10 from beyond the arc in his 21-point haul.

Andrew Wiggins contributed strongly again with 22 points and five rebounds, while Green had four rebounds, five assists and eight points before his ejection.

The Green incident came when Sabonis fell to the ground amid a scrum of players attempting to rebound Malik Monk's failed two-point attempt.

The Kings center appeared to grab Green's leg as the Warriors tried to launch a break, prompting the reaction. Green's right foot landed heavily on Sabonis' chest, with the Lithuanian remaining on the floor in pain as the officials reviewed the play.

The officials called Sabonis for a technical foul for grabbing Green's leg, with the Warriors center given a flagrant-2 foul, prompting his automatic ejection and potential suspension.

The Kings fans at Golden 1 Center yelled at Green during the review, with the four-time All-Star egging them on, waving them on and holding a hand to his ear calling for more.

Maxey stars as 76ers open up 2-0 lead

Tyrese Maxey drained six three-pointers as the Philadelphia 76ers claimed a 2-0 lead in their playoffs first round series with a 96-84 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

Maxey scored a game-high 33 points for the 76ers, including a triple from Joel Embiid's pass with 1:54 remaining to open up a 12-point lead. Maxey's total was a playoff career-high.

Embiid pulled down 19 rebounds, with 20 points on six-of-11 shooting and seven assists, while Tobias Harris added 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Philadelphia showcased their depth, with James Harden only having eight points on three-of-13 shooting and seven assists.

The Nets had started strongly, leading by 10 points in the second quarter with Cam Johnson having 22 first-half points but he finished with only 28. Brooklyn only used eight players.

The 76ers turned the game in their favour with a 24-14 third quarter, condemning the Nets to their seventh straight postseason loss, having been swept by the Boston Celtics at this stage last year.

James Harden called the "perfect game" according to Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers after leading them to a 121-102 win over the Brooklyn Nets in Game 1 of their playoffs first round series.

Harden starred against his former franchise, scoring 23 points on seven-of-13 three-point shooting with 13 assists.

The Nets put attention into MVP candidate Joel Embiid throughout, restricting him to 26 points, but the 76ers stepped up elsewhere, making a franchise-record 21 three-pointers in a playoff game.

"James, I thought that was one of his best games as a 'catcher' where he was calling the perfect game," Rivers told reporters about Harden.

"He's in shape, he's healthy. He's confident in how we play. Last year, even when he was playing, he was like 'am I doing the right thing here?'. There was a lot of good there."

Rivers pointed out that the 76ers also generated 19 more shots than the Nets (89-70), while Harden acknowledged the Nets' tactics to limit Embiid's tactics but hailed his side's shooting, going at 48.8 per cent from beyond the arc. Fifteen of the 76ers' 21 triples were uncontested.

"I mean, he's the MVP," Harden said of Embiid. "So it's like, would you rather him score 40, or live with us making shots? Either way, it's fine. We'll be ready either way."

Embiid's 26 points came on seven-of-15 field-goal shooting with five rebounds, three assists and two blocks. The MVP contender was full of praise for Harden's impact.

"He's the best playmaker in the league, by far," Embiid said. "But we don't want him settling. I don't want him to fall in love with just that. We need him to be aggressive, and he was today.

"I think that's the key - not just being a playmaker, just being aggressive, going downhill and creating for himself and everyone else."

The 2023 NBA playoffs are here and promise to be as thrilling as ever.

There are narratives all over the place ready to be written, with the Golden State Warriors trying to retain their championship, the Los Angeles Lakers coming from 2-10 to potentially win it all, and the Boston Celtics looking to make up for last season's Finals heartbreak.

Between now and the start of the Finals in June, who knows how many shock results, big performances and memorable moments basketball fans will be treated to.

The final two places will be decided on Friday with the last two play-in games determining who will face top seeds the Milwaukee Bucks and the Denver Nuggets, while the first round gets underway straight away on Saturday.

Stats Perform takes a look at the six confirmed series so far, starting with arguably the most intriguing of them all.

Western Conference:

Phoenix Suns (4) v Los Angeles Clippers (5)

After an outstanding 2021-22 campaign in which they finished as the top seed in the West with a record of 64-18, the Suns began this season with a 6-1 run.

However, by the end of their first game of 2023, Phoenix had already lost as many as they did in the entirety of the previous regular season and only managed a record of 45-37 in the end to finish as a fourth seed.

Adding Kevin Durant in February gave them a much-needed boost, though, and his link-up with Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, DeAndre Ayton and Chris Paul feels like it could lead to something special in the postseason. Durant is 8-0 as a Net.

They will be up against a Clippers team who have had stumbles during the season but went 11-5 heading into the playoffs.

Kawhi Leonard's return from injury in November was huge for Ty Lue's team, with he and Paul George both averaging 23.8 points per game for the season.

The teams split their four meetings during the regular season, albeit including a Clippers victory in their final game when the Suns rested their starters.

Sacramento Kings (3) v Golden State Warriors (6)

It feels like the Kings quietly went about their business this season, amassing 48 wins, more than half of which (25) came on the road.

That could not really be further removed from the Warriors' experience, which saw only 11 of their 44 victories come as the away team.

However, after starting 7-29 on the road this season, Golden State won four of their final five. That included a 56-point victory at the Portland Trail Blazers on April 9, tied for the second-largest road win by any team in NBA history (Pacers at Thunder in May 2021 – 57).

De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis will lead the way for Sacramento, but a certain Stephen Curry will be expected to shine again in the postseason as he has done so often in the past.

Since 2013-14, Curry has gone 27-2 against the Kings, the second-best record by any player against a single opponent (min. 20 games) during that span (Norman Powell, 19-1 vs Nets). Curry has averaged 26.7 points, 7.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds over those games.

Golden State were 3-1 against the Kings this season, with Curry (25 points) and Klay Thompson (29) doing much of the damage in their victory in the penultimate game of the campaign against shorthanded opponents.

Memphis Grizzlies (2) v Los Angeles Lakers (7)

As LeBron James recently said, the Lakers were given just a 0.3 per cent chance of making the playoffs by analysts when they started the year 2-10.

As it turned out, they nearly reached the postseason without even needing the play-in tournament, but a fairly routine win against the Minnesota Timberwolves got them to the dance.

James has been outstanding again this season, averaging 28.9 points, and will be eager to produce fireworks now that he and the Lakers are back in the postseason.

On the other side, Ja Morant seems to have put recent problems behind him and looks ready to lead the Grizzlies.

His 26.2 points have been ably supported by Desmond Bane (21.5) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (18.6), though they will miss the presence of the injured Steven Adams, who averaged 11.5 rebounds this season.

The Lakers went 2-1 against the Grizzlies this season, although the home team won on each occasion.

Eastern Conference:

Cleveland Cavaliers (4) v New York Knicks (5)

It was a strong year for Cleveland, winning 51 games in the regular season, although they had a losing record on the road (20-21).

Donovan Mitchell (28.3 points) has been sensational for the Cavaliers, who could hold a significant advantage throughout the playoffs as they boasted a perfect 7-0 record for games that went into overtime during the season.

The Knicks are looking for their first playoff series win in 10 years in what is only their second postseason appearance in that time.

Coach Tom Thibodeau has Julius Randle (25.1) and Jalen Brunson (24.0) to thank for guiding his team to a comfortable playoff place, with Randle also averaging 10.0 rebounds.

New York's starters are averaging 86.5 points this season, the most by any starting unit (Cleveland rank fifth at 83.5). That accounts for 74.6 per cent of the team's scoring, which is the highest rate by a Knicks squad since 2010-11 (74.7).

The Knicks were 3-1 against the Cavs this season, including their last one at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse just two weeks ago.

Philadelphia 76ers (3) v Brooklyn Nets (6)

Ever since he went to Philadelphia, it has felt like James Harden has been the story heading into any clashes between these two.

It feels like there is so much more to it now, though, especially since the Nets also lost Durant and Kyrie Irving.

No longer a team of stars, the Nets are reinventing themselves as just a team, and it will be interesting to see how they manage the postseason. The Nets finished the season 10-4 in games decided by three or fewer points, tied with the Knicks for the best record in the league (min. 10 one-possession games).

Harden and Tyrese Maxey have provided capable support to Joel Embiid, who has been his usual impressive self, with an average of 33.1 points, the most in the entire league.

The Sixers certainly have the momentum going into this series, winning all four of their meetings this season, including in the final game. It was the first time one of the teams swept the season series since Philadelphia won all four matchups against the New Jersey Nets in 2010-11.

Boston Celtics (2) v Atlanta Hawks (7)

Few expected the Celtics to make the Finals last year, and even fewer thought they would take a 2-1 lead against the Warriors.

It all went south from there, though, ultimately losing 4-2, but their response this season has been impressive again.

Boston started 21-5, and although that levelled out towards the middle of the regular season, they put together some more impressive runs to finish 57-25.

Jayson Tatum's average of 30.1 made him briefly a contender for MVP, while Jaylen Brown (26.6) and Marcus Smart are expected to be fit again during the first round.

Trae Young led the Hawks through their play-in clash with the Miami Heat, and he and they will now need to step up again.

Young has scored 30 or more points in four straight road games against the Celtics. Since the NBA-ABA merger, just four players have scored 30-plus points in five straight games in Boston (including playoffs): Dominique Wilkins, Michael Jordan, Curry and James.

The Celtics won all three regular season meetings, including in their final games before the postseason, although both fielded weakened teams.

Joel Embiid's stellar showing against the Boston Celtics led Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers to declare the MVP race "over".

Embiid is a likely contender, alongside Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo, for the NBA's MVP award.

But with just five days of the regular season remaining, the Sixers star made an almighty push for the gong with a remarkable display against the Celtics.

Embiid scored 52 points, over half of Philadelphia's total in a 103-101 victory on Tuesday, while adding 13 rebounds and six assists.

The 29-year-old is the first player in the stop-clock era to score more than half of his team's points and shoot 80 per cent from the field.

Wilt Chamberlain, meanwhile, was the only other player to have previously shot 80 per cent from the field and record at least 50 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

For Rivers, it means job done in the MVP race.

"The man just scored half our points, in an NBA game," Rivers said. 

"I'm biased, but the MVP race is over.

"We did so many things wrong, but what we did right was Joel Embiid."

Embiid's team-mate James Harden echoed Rivers' sentiment, adding: "Joel should win it.

"He's been in contention for it the last few years. He led the league in scoring last year. It looks like he's going to lead the league in scoring this year.

"We're the third seed in the East. He's been consistent all year."

When the comments of Rivers and Harden were put to him, Embiid quipped: "They're probably right, but we got bigger goals.

"We understand we got a chance, but it's not going to be easy. For me, it was kind of disappointing because we found so many ways to lose the game, and that's on all of us.

"I'm part of it. I could've been better. You know, I had a couple of dumb plays. I could've been better, and we could've been better as a team.

"Like I said, we got bigger goals in mind, but we got to be better than that."

As for how to stop Embiid, who is second in the NBA for points this season (2,162) and leads the way for points per game (33.3), Celtics guard Derrick White is non-plussed.

"I think the whole league's trying to figure that out right now," said White. "So, if you got any ideas, I think every other NBA team would like to know."