After an offseason of massive free agent signings, blockbuster trades and the captivating Olympic Games in Paris, the 2024-25 NBA season will tip off on Tuesday.

While player movement and new rosters have grabbed the majority of the headlines since June, the defending champion Boston Celtics remain mostly unchanged and poised to make a run at a repeat.

Jayson Tatum returns as one of the top scorers in the league, and Jaylen Brown is coming off a Finals MVP performance. Tatum, however, barely played for this year’s gold medal-winning Team USA squad – and Brown was left off the roster entirely – despite Boston teammates Derrick White and Jrue Holiday playing key roles in Paris.

These dynamics could cause a lesser team to engage in a power struggle, but the core of this Celtics team appears to be as cohesive as they come, with Brown and Tatum gladly passing the “primary scorer” baton back and forth in their seven seasons together.

The Celtics finished last season 64-18, then followed with a 16-3 post-season, making them one of the most dominant champions in recent memory. Sports books have forecasted Boston’s win total this season at 58.5, the highest in the league.

With Tatum and Brown still in the heart of their primes, the Celtics will be difficult to dethrone, but Al Horford, 38, and Holiday, 34, may begin to regress. Boston will also closely monitor the status of Kristaps Porziņģis, who underwent left leg surgery in June and may be out until the calendar turns to 2025.

Knicks, Sixers load up to compete in East

The Celtics’ most likely challengers in the Eastern Conference appear to be the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers, both of whom made attention-grabbing acquisitions in the offseason.

The Knicks lost Isaiah Hartenstein to free agency but made a massive trade to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns. The multi-talented big man joins a stacked starting lineup that includes Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby.

New York won 50 games last season before injuries decimated their play-off hopes. This year’s squad is undoubtedly more talented than last year’s, but how quickly can this group gain cohesion after losing three of last season’s top five scorers?

The Knicks will play in the NBA’s tip-off game Tuesday in Boston, where the Celtics will raise another championship banner.

The 76ers were successful in their gambit to accrue salary cap space for last offseason and made a massive addition in signing Paul George to a four-year max contract that includes a player option.

George teams up with former MVP Joel Embiid and rising star Tyrese Maxey on a team with title aspirations. Philadelphia also added veteran role players this offseason in Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon, Caleb Martin and Reggie Jackson.

The 76ers are built to contend this season but face a number of durability questions. Embiid announced last week that he will not play on back-to-back nights after missing 45 games last season. George, 34, played 74 games last season but averaged 47 games played over the previous four seasons.

Philadelphia have said that their sole focus will be on having a healthy roster when the playoffs start in April, so Embiid and George could have plenty of rest days during the regular season. 

While Philly and New York appear to be Boston’s most formidable challengers in the East, others are lurking just a tier below.

The Milwaukee Bucks expect the second year of the Giannis Antetokounmpo-Damian Lillard pairing to yield better results under coach Doc Rivers, while Tyrese Haliburton and a young Indiana Pacers team will look to build on last season’s Eastern Conference finals appearance.

James family history

While the Western Conference is loaded with championship contenders, a team likely outside the title conversation has stolen most of the attention this offseason.

The Los Angeles Lakers used the 55th overall pick in June’s draft on Bronny James, making him teammates with his father, LeBron James. The pair will become the first father-son duo to play in the same NBA game.

Bronny struggled in six preseason games, shooting under 30 percent from the field and racking up more turnovers than assists. Even if Bronny spends most of the season in the G League, the Lakers will almost certainly allow him to take the court with his legendary father at some point.

The elder James will celebrate his 40th birthday this season as the future Hall of Famer enters his 22nd NBA season.

While James seems to have defied the aging process over the last several years, Los Angeles will likely ease his workload and give more opportunities to Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves and DeAngelo Russell.

James and Davis missed just 17 combined games last season, and the Lakers will need a similarly healthy season to compete in a loaded West.

MVP race: West is best

Luka Dončić won last season’s scoring title at 33.9 points per game and guided the Dallas Mavericks to an NBA Finals appearance.

The Mavs added veteran sharpshooter and long-time Golden State Warrior Klay Thompson in hopes of a title run and will be banking on big growth from second-year center Derek Lively II.

Dončić opens the season as the betting favourite to win MVP, but he will have plenty of competition both for personal accolades and team success.

Nikola Jokić was voted MVP for the third time last season and enters the 2024-25 season as one of the favourites, although he would need a truly spectacular season to overcome voter fatigue and win a fourth MVP in a five-year span.

After the free agent departures of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown and Jeff Green the last two off-seasons, the Nuggets will need contributions from younger players and will hope Jamal Murray’s health improves as the season progresses.

For years, the Oklahoma City Thunder were considered a sleeping giant, and OKC has signalled over the past year that they are ready for contention.

The Thunder were the top seed in the West last season with a 57-25 record, then used the playoffs to identify weaknesses and gain experience. OKC acquired Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein in the offseason, giving them a better-fitting and more flexible roster, and the Thunder enter this season as the favourites in the West.

Hartenstein will miss the first six-or-so weeks of the season after breaking his left (shooting) hand, but once healthy he should help negate a rebounding weakness that doomed the Thunder in the playoffs.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is among the MVP favourites after averaging 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.2 assists last season while shooting a career-high 53.5 percent from the field.

As deep and talented as the Thunder are as currently constructed, they own a staggering amount of future draft capital and could become a juggernaut if they decided to trade for another star player.

The Minnesota Timberwolves turned heads with their run to the West finals last season and stunned the basketball world when they traded Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.

The decision to move on from Towns puts more of the offensive load on Anthony Edwards, whose scoring and efficiency have improved each year since being the No. 1 overall pick in 2020.

Minnesota made easy work of the Phoenix Suns last post-season, but the Suns will look to rejoin the contenders’ conversation as Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal enter their second season as a teammate trio.

Wembanyama: A matter of time

One of the most prevalent storylines entering 2024-25 is the continued growth of Victor Wembanyama in his second NBA season.

Wembanyama had one of the best rookie seasons in recent memory, with the 7-foot-4 center leading the league in blocks and finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Wembanyama followed with an impressive run in the Paris Olympics and has hit all the early checkpoints of a future MVP.

Most experts agree that the San Antonio Spurs aren’t ready to compete for a play-off spot this season, but Wembanyama seems destined to become a top-five player, and his ascendancy could happen sooner rather than later.

Flounder for Flagg?

This year’s rookie class is full of questions, but prognosticators are bullish on several top prospects in the 2025 class, setting the stage for a race for the bottom.

Duke forward Cooper Flagg is projected to be a two-way force and is the consensus No. 1 prospect in the class after playing with Team USA Select Team over the summer.

Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe, along with Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper of Rutgers, have also got scouts excited in a draft class considered much deeper than 2024’s crop.

With one or more possible franchise-changers available in the 2025 draft, many of the NBA’s less talented teams will be content to sit at the bottom of the standings this season, especially in the Eastern Conference.

From the Washington Wizards to the Brooklyn Nets to the Portland Trail Blazers, there will be a handful of organisations focused more on the 2025 draft than their 2024-25 record.

Kawhi Leonard has been ruled out for the rest of the Los Angeles Clippers’ preseason due to an ongoing knee issue.

The inflammation in his right knee has prevented him from playing any of their four preseason matches so far, including Monday's 110-96 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

The injury also saw him miss the final eight games of the last regular season, while he was limited to just two appearances in their six-game, first-round loss to Dallas in the postseason.

Clippers coach Ty Lue confirmed that Leonard will not play in their final warm-up game against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday, and he is a doubt for their NBA season opener against the Phoenix Suns on October 23.

Meanwhile, former Clippers star Paul George suffered a hyperextended left knee injury in Monday's preseason 104-89 win against the Atlanta Hawks.

George was playing just his second game since joining the 76ers as a free agent on a four-year max contract, but planted his left leg awkwardly, jarring his knee.

He did not play the rest of the game, but when asked about the injury, he was not too worried.

"I felt that it hyperextended, and immediately it was, all right, I need to get taken out and [looked at], but if you ask me, I'm not too concerned about it," George told The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The 76ers begin their NBA season against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 23.

The Philadelphia 76ers and Joel Embiid have agreed to a multi-year contract extension, the team announced Friday.

The max contract extension is worth $193million over three years, multiple media outlets reported, guaranteeing Embiid over $299million through the 2028-29 season.

Embiid announced the deal with a post on Instagram.

“Philadelphia is home. I want to be here for the rest of my career,” Embiid said in his social media post. “I love this community and everything you’ve given me and my family.

“There is a lot more work to do. You guys deserve a championship and I think we’re just getting started!”

The team announced the extension without disclosing terms, citing a team policy, with managing partner Josh Harris saying Embiid is “one of the greatest Sixers of all time and is well on his way to being one of the best players to ever play the game.”

With the start of the NBA regular season just over a month away, Embiid’s extension caps a massive offseason spending spree by the 76ers.

Philadelphia committed an estimated $550million in new money with extensions for Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, plus the free agent signings of Paul George and several role players.

Embiid has established himself as a franchise cornerstone and perennial MVP candidate but is still seeking the corresponding play-off success while dealing with several injuries.

Embiid was voted the 2022-23 MVP after second-place finishes in the two previous seasons.

He scored 34.7 points per game last season, but his 39 games played did not qualify him for the scoring title.

A seven-time All-Star, Embiid is coming off a summer in which he helped Team USA win the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

France Basketball celebrated Guerschon Yabusele's move to the Philadelphia 76ers after reports emerged on Sunday that he had agreed a $2.1million deal with the NBA franchise following his standout performances at the Paris Olympics.

The French forward is believed to have signed a one-year contract with the Sixers after propelling France to Olympic silver earlier this month.

Yabusele experienced a breakout tournament on the hosts' run to the final, scoring 22 points against Canada, 17 against Germany and 20 against Team USA in the gold-medal match.

His impressive run in the knockout rounds also saw him shoot 16-for-24 (66.7%) from the field overall.

Yabusele joins the 76ers from Real Madrid, ending a three-year stint in the Spanish capital.

During his spell with Madrid, the team reached the EuroLeague final four every season and even won the title in 2023.

Paul George is "all-in" with the Philadelphia 76ers, who he believes have a great shot at winning the NBA championship.

George joined the Sixers after the Los Angeles Clippers did not offer him a full max contract.

However, George holds no ill will towards the Clippers.

The 34-year-old said: "Amazing time. No regret, they went out and gave me an opportunity to play at home, which, at that point in time was a ton of value for myself to be able to play in front of my family, my friends, and have a legitimate shot to chase a championship every season.

"Obviously, injuries kind of deterred us a little bit. But just to speak on that situation as a whole, there's no ill will.

"Again, forever grateful for the opportunity that they gave me to come back.

"We had a great mutual talk as it all played out, and I felt it was great closure on the situation. I'm happy for them, they're happy for me, and I'm a Sixer now. So that's behind me."

And George feels everything is lining up perfectly for the Sixers.

"I thought everything just aligned perfectly," George said.

"Where they're at and where they're trying to go and where I'm trying to get to, as well.

"I think we got a real legitimate shot. I've always been a fan of Tyrese and Joel from afar, and Joel has secretly been one of my closest All-Star Game friends. And so, it kind of felt inevitable that at some point we would link up and be teammates.

"So, I'm all-in. My family's here all-in, and I'm excited, and looking forward to this next opportunity."

George feels one key asset he can bring is to help share the load with 76ers talisman Joel Embiid, who suffered an injury-hit season last term.

"I think just taking the pressure off Joel," George said.

"I think I can kind of help him get through a season healthy. And again, it's just not putting so much pressure on him.

"Regardless of how good you feel, I think pressure causes a lot of injuries as well, and you think you have to get overplayed, you have to touch every possession, that kind of just wears you down, especially for how physical he is.

"So that's the key. Everybody do their part, make sure we're working on our bodies, and that we don't just put that pressure on one individual to go out and win games for us."

Joel Embiid lauded the Philadelphia 76ers' planning as impressive "on paper" as he hailed a "fantastic" potential trio with Paul George and Tyrese Maxey.

Philadelphia signed nine-time All-Star George on a four-year maximum contract reportedly worth $212 million last week.

George is expected to help the 76ers contend for the Eastern Conference title next season after Philadelphia suffered a first-round playoff loss to the New York Knicks this year.

Maxey is coming off a breakout year, too, averaging a career-high 25.9 points per game en route to winning the NBA's Most Improved Player Award.

"I think as far as the fit, it looks amazing," Embiid told ESPN. "It is great, when you got a player that posts up, you need to have willing shooters and guys that are not afraid to pull the trigger.

"PG, great shooter, 40%, 45 catch and shoot; Tyrese, we know great shooter, off the dribble, catch-and-shoot.

"On paper, and as far as the fit, it looks fantastic because you got both guys that can play off the ball, and they can play on ball and they're great shooters and they can handle the ball, and then you also got me."

The three 76ers star will be aiming to help Philadelphia improve upon a No. 7 finish in the Eastern Conference standings last season.

Embiid wants to create a new era with his side, though warned it will not all be straightforward.

"It feels like you're starting from scratch," he said. "And I know there's going to be a lot of growing pains. But you just got to stick it together.

"The goal is always to win a championship, but it just doesn't happen overnight.

"Hopefully, it doesn't take us as much time as it should when you're trying to bring everybody on the same page and making sure everybody knows their role and what they have to do to achieve that goal.

"But we're going to do the best job possible."

Having watched James Harden demand a trade last year, and Maxey still as an unknown quantity, the optimism now around Philadelphia proved to Embiid that patience is key.

"I'd be lying to say that patience wasn't tested," Embiid added. "Because I'm at the point where there's no awards, there's no regular season or no All-NBA or All-Stars is going to change the way my legacy is.

"Well, there's a few things that can change it, but the main one is the championship. So when you start thinking about what you want to be remembered as, you want to be remembered as someone that's won.

"When you are presented with a plan, sometimes it goes wrong, sometimes it goes right. We've still got long way to go. On paper it looks great. But we still got to go on the court and make it work."

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes reached another milestone in his meteoric rise Sunday, when MLB announced the rookie sensation was selected as an All-Star less than two months after his big-league debut.

Skenes, 22, has used his 100-mph fastball to dazzle fans and frustrate hitters, just 10 starts into his MLB career.

The 2023 top overall draft pick is 5-0 with a 2.12 ERA and has 78 strikeouts in 59 1/3 innings pitched.

The Philadelphia Phillies had a league-high and franchise-record seven players selected to the All-Star Game, which will be played on July 16 at Globe Life Field in Texas.

The Phillies will send pitchers Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suarez, Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm to the Midsummer Classic. Position players Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Alec Bohm were voted by fans as starters, although Harper remains on the injured list with a left hamstring strain.

The Los Angeles Dodgers had six players selected, including injured shortstop Mookie Betts, who got the nod for the eighth straight season. Freddy Freeman was named an All-Star for the sixth year in a row (eight total selections), while Shohei Ohtani will make his fourth consecutive appearance.

The Cleveland Guardians had five players named to the All-Star roster, the most in the American League. Jose Ramirez and MLB batting leader Steven Kwan were voted in by the fans and will be joined by Emmanuel Clase, David Fry and Josh Naylor.

This year’s game will feature 32 players who are first-time All-Stars. San Diego Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar got the nod for the first time during his 11th MLB season.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez and Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve were each selected for the ninth time, the most of any player on this year’s rosters.

Bahamian shooting guard Buddy Hield is on his way to San Francisco after the Philadelphia 76ers completed a sign-and-trade that will send the 31-year-old sharpshooting wing to the Golden State Warriors.

Hield has hit 200-plus 3-pointers in six straight seasons with a career 3-point shooting percentage of 40% on 7.6 attempts per game.

He’s played with the New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers since being selected with the 6th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Hield started last season with the Pacers and was traded to Philadelphia at the trade deadline.

He joins a Warriors backcourt looking to replace the production of Klay Thompson, who agreed to a deal with the Dallas Mavericks this week after playing his entire career with Golden State.

Hield and new teammate Stephen Curry lead the NBA in 3-pointers made over the last five seasons.

Hield is currently starring for the Bahamas in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Valencia, Spain.

The Bahamas are currently in the semi-finals where they will play Lebanon on Saturday while hosts Spain will tackle Finland in the other semi-final.

The tournament winners will advance to the Olympics in Paris.

Paul George has informed the Los Angeles Clippers he will be joining another team, with the Philadelphia 76ers reportedly the leading candidate to land the coveted free agent.

The Clippers released a statement Sunday saying they were informed by George and his representatives of his plans to leave the team after five seasons. The nine-time All-Star declined a $48.7 million player option for the 2024-25 season on Saturday.

According to The Athletic, George will meet with the 76ers on Sunday night and is expected to make a decision shortly thereafter, with no other teams believed to be involved in the bidding for the veteran forward.

“Paul has informed us that he is signing his next contract with another team,” the Clippers announced. "Paul is a tremendous talent and an elite two-way player. We feel fortunate for the five years we spent with him.

We negotiated for months with Paul and his representative on a contract that would make sense for both sides, and we were left far apart. The gap was significant. We understand and respect Paul’s decision to look elsewhere for his next contract. We explored an opt-in and trade scenario, but it would have left us in a similar position under the new CBA, with very little asset value to justify the restrictions.

“We will miss Paul. At the same time, we’re excited by the opportunities we’ve now been afforded, including greater flexibility under the new CBA.

ESPN reports George was seeking a four-year extension and the Clippers were unwilling to budge beyond a contract similar to the three-year, $152 million deal the team awarded to fellow star Kawhi Leonard in January.

The Clippers acquired George from Oklahoma City in July 2019 by orchestrating a blockbuster trade in which they gave the Thunder five first-round picks as well as future All-Star Shai GIlgeous-Alexander. Leonard signed with Los Angeles that same summer to help turn the Clippers into one of the Western Conference's more consistently successful teams, though their winning ways often did not extend to the post-season.

Los Angeles reached the West finals during the 2021 play-offs but was ousted in six games by the Phoenix Suns, and the Clippers have not advanced past the first round in any of the last three seasons.

George often battled injuries - his 74 games played this past season were his most in any of his five seasons in Los Angeles - but maintained an elite level of play when healthy. The 34-year-old averaged 23 points, six rebounds and 4.5 assists per game during his tenure with the Clippers while shooting just under 40 per cent from 3-point range.

Armed with ample cap space, the 76ers are well positioned to make a big splash this off-season and potentially pair George with two other All-Stars, 2022-23 NBA MVP Joel Embiid and sharpshooter Tyrese Maxey, in an effort to challenge reigning NBA champion Boston in the Eastern Conference.

Philadelphia has also found post-season success to be elusive in recent seasons, as the 76ers have reached the play-offs in seven straight years but have failed to advance beyond the second round during that period.

Jalen Brunson scored 14 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter and Josh Hart made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 24.4 seconds left as the New York Knicks advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 118-115 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday.

Donte DiVincenzo added 23 points, OG Anunoby had 19 and Hart finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists as the Knicks reached the second round for the second consecutive season.

New York will face Indiana in the East semis after the Pacers eliminated the Bucks in six games. Game 1 is Monday at Madison Square Garden.

Brunson became the first player to score 40 or more points to close out a series since Michael Jordan for Chicago against Cleveland in 1989.

Joel Embiid had 39 points and 13 rebounds but was held to six points in the fourth quarter. Buddy Hield scored 20 points off the bench and Tyrese Maxey was a non-factor in the first half and finished with 17 points on 6-of-18 shooting as the 76ers failed to win a playoff round for the first time since 2019-20.

The Knicks led 109-101 with 2 ½ minutes remaining in the back-and-forth game, but Kelly Oubre Jr. hit a 3 and a layup sandwiched around Maxey’s layup to make it a one-point game.

After Brunson’s layup put New York up 111-108 with under a minute to play, Maxey converted a three-point play with 35 seconds left to tie it.

Hart drilled a 3 from the top of the key before Embiid’s layup four seconds later made it 114-113. DiVincenzo and Brunson each sank two free throws to seal it.

Pacers advance with rout of Bucks

Obi Toppin led six players in double figures with a playoff career-high 21 points and the Indiana Pacers won a playoff series for the first time in a decade with a 120-98 rout of the Milwaukee Bucks.

T.J. McConnell had 20 points and nine assists off the bench, Pascal Siakam added 19 points and Tyrese Haliburton contributed 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Pacers, who had lost their last six playoff series since 2014.

Indiana will face New York in the next round after the Knicks eliminated Philadelphia.

The Pacers went 8-3 against the Bucks this season and handed Milwaukee its second straight first-round exit.

Damian Lillard returned from a right Achilles injury with 28 points and Bobby Portis added 20 and 15 rebounds for the Bucks, who shot just 42.2 percent (35 for 83) from the field and 25.9 percent (7 for 27) from 3-point range.

Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the entire series after straining his left calf on April 9.

The Pacers used a 15-3 run in the first quarter for a 29-19 lead and never trailed again.

Milwaukee cut the deficit to 85-78 with 6:05 left in the third, but McConnell capped an 11-0 run with consecutive 3s to make it 96-78 early in the fourth.

Tyrese Maxey scored seven points in the final 25 seconds of regulation to save Philadelphia’s season and finished with a playoff career-high 46 as the 76ers staved off elimination in their Eastern Conference first-round series with an unlikely 112-106 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday.

Down six with 28 seconds left in regulation, Maxey converted the rare four-point play with 25 seconds to play, and after Josh Hart’s free throw, hit a 35-foot 3-pointer to tie it at 97 with 8.1 seconds remaining in front of a stunned Madison Square Garden crowd.

Joel Embiid had 19 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists and nine turnovers for the 76ers, who will host Game 6 on Thursday.

Maxey added nine assists and was 7 of 12 from 3-point range.

Brunson scored 40 points and Hart had 18 with nine rebounds for the Knicks, who were tantalisingly close to reaching the Eastern Conference semifinals for the second straight season.

Brunson scored the first five points of overtime but Maxey's 3 triggered a 9-0 run that Embiid capped with a 3-point play with 1:40 left for a 106-102 lead. Brunson tied it with a 3 but Kelly Oubre Jr. made the tiebreaking basket with 62 seconds to play, and Tobias Harris sealed it with two free throws. 

Short-handed Bucks stay alive

Khris Middleton had 29 points and 12 rebounds and Bobby Portis added 29 with 10 boards as the Milwaukee Bucks stayed alive with a 115-92 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 despite missing leading scorers Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.

Portis had the highest point total of his playoff career and made amends after he was ejected from a Game 4 loss. Middleton had his third straight game with at least 25 points.

Tyrese Haliburton scored 16 points and Myles Turner added 13 for the Pacers, who still lead the series 3-2 and will try to close it out at home in Game 6 on Thursday. Indiana hasn’t advanced past the first round since 2014.

The Bucks got a balanced effort without Antetokounmpo and Lillard, as every starter scored in double figures. Antetokounmpo has missed the entire series and hasn’t played since straining his left calf on April 9. Lillard sat out a second consecutive game after injuring his Achilles tendon in Game 3 on Friday.

Cavs edge Magic for 3-2 lead

Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points and Evan Mobley came up with a huge block in the final seconds to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 104-103 win over the Orlando Magic to take a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference series.

After Mitchell missed a jumper with 15.7 seconds left, Franz Wagner drove the left side for a potential game-tying layup but was denied at the rim by Mobley with six seconds left.

Mitchell, who had 14 fourth-quarter points, was then fouled and made two free throws with 3.2 seconds remaining to up Cleveland’s lead to 104-100. Paolo Banchero made a 3-pointer in the final second for the final margin.

The Cavs bounced back at home after losing two road games and can finish off the Magic in Orlando in Game 6 on Friday.

Max Strus scored 16 points to help Cleveland offset the loss of starting center Jarrett Allen (bruised rib) and Mobley added 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Banchero scored 16 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed eight rebounds, but the next closest Magic player was Wagner with 14 points.  

Jalen Brunson will not spend too long thinking about his 47-point haul in Game 4 against the Philadelphia 76ers as he looks towards the second round of the playoffs.

The New York Knicks took a 3-1 lead in their first-round series thanks to a 97-92 victory on Sunday.

Brunson inspired the Knicks with a stunning 47-point performance, while he also chipped in with 10 assists.

But with the Knicks just one win away from progressing, Brunson is not resting on his laurels.

"I'll look back when I retire," Brunson said.

"Seriously. It's great right now, it helped us get a win.

"But it's not going to do anything for us going forward."

Brunson's haul was a franchise record, as he surpassed Bernard King (46) for the most points scored in a playoff game for the Knicks.

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said: "I think we learned that throughout the course of the season. Jalen has played at such an incredibly high level all season long, and we can play off that.

"We have a little bit of everything. And the rebounding has been terrific. Everyone questioned the rebounding with Josh [Hart] at the power forward. We've been the best rebounding team all year. Everyone questioned Jalen being a leader.

"We have a lot to prove. It takes four to win a series, that's what we have to focus on."

The Sixers are staring down the barrel of an early exit, but Joel Embiid, who finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds, does not believe the pressure is on Philadelphia.

"One at a time," said Embiid. "We know we're good enough. We didn't make shots, so we just got to keep trusting ourselves.

"We got no pressure. We're the seven seed, down 3-1, a lot of guys are hurt.

"I don't know why we would feel the pressure. So we should just go out there and go out and play our best basketball and one at a time, win one, come back home, win another one and then Game 7 over there. So, yeah, I'm looking forward to it. Yeah. No pressure."

Fresh from putting up 50 points in the Philadelphia 76ers' Game 3 win over the New York Knicks, Joel Embiid revealed he has been suffering from Bell's palsy, a condition affecting the left side of his face and causing blurred vision.

The reigning NBA MVP added eight rebounds and four assists to his half-century as the Sixers dragged themselves back into their first-round series after two road losses.

He became the first player in playoff history to record a 50-point game while attempting fewer than 20 shots, going 13 of 19 from the floor and making 19 of 21 free throws.

He did it while suffering from a condition which causes temporary weakness or lack of movement in one side of the face.

Embiid has to continually use eye drops to combat the blurred vision, and he says the symptoms could last for weeks or months.

"I think it started a day or two before the Miami game [in the Play-In tournament], and I had bad migraines and thought it was nothing," Embiid said in his post-game press conference. 

"It's pretty annoying, you know, with the left side of my face, my mouth and my eye. So yeah, it's been tough.

"I'm not a quitter, so I've got to keep fighting, but yeah, it's unfortunate. That's the way I look at it. It's not an excuse. I've got to keep pushing."

Smiling, he added: "I just hope it could stay like this. I've got a beautiful face. I don't like it when my mouth is looking the other way.

"Like I said, it's an unfortunate situation, but everything happens for a reason. Like I said, I've got to take care of myself mentally."

Embiid has endured a difficult season after landing the NBA's top individual prize last year. He missed two months after undergoing surgery to repair the lateral meniscus in his left knee in February.

Still wearing a brace on the affected knee, Embiid said he is still unable to trust it completely. 

"No, I'm just trying to keep pushing," he said when asked if he had 100 per cent confidence in his condition. "Like I said, I'm not going to quit. 

"Even if it's on one leg, I'm still going to go out there and try, but no, that's not an excuse. I've got to keep playing better and better and better. 

"Tonight I got lucky. I made a few shots. I've got to find a way to rebound, and I don't even care about rebounds. I've just got to make sure that my man doesn't get it, and then box out my man and take him out of the play. Whatever it takes to win."

The Denver Nuggets are on the brink of sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers after opening up a 3-0 lead in the teams' first-round series on Thursday, registering their 11th straight win against them.

Aaron Gordon had a playoff career-high 29 points and added 15 rebounds, while Nikola Jokic was just short of a triple-double with 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists as Denver clinched a 112-105 win.

Having squandered a big lead in Game 2, the Lakers failed to respond at home as the Nuggets began the second half with a 24-10 run to pull away from their hosts. Los Angeles failed to get closer than eight points in the fourth. 

LeBron James had 26 points, six rebounds and nine assists, while Anthony Davis had 33 points and 15 rebounds, but Los Angeles were let down by their shooting from the field.

They shot just 5 of 27 from the floor, missing with 15 of their first 16 3-point attempts. 

Game 4 takes place at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday, with the Lakers needing to become the first team in NBA history to rally from a 0-3 playoff deficit to keep James' 21st season alive. 

A small group of home fans showed their displeasure with head coach Darvin Ham after the loss, staying behind to chant, "fire Darvin" as the rest of the crowd filtered out.

Embiid's half-century takes Knicks-Sixers to 2-1

Joel Embiid's huge 50-point haul breathed fresh life into the Philadelphia 76ers' series with the New York Knicks, bringing the Sixers back to 2-1 after two road losses to start the playoffs.

The 76ers triumphed 125-114 as Embiid became the first player in playoff history to score 50 points on fewer than 20 shots in a game, going 13 of 19 from the floor and making 19 of 21 free throws.

Philadelphia were three down at the half but produced a huge third quarter, Embiid dragging his team into a 98-85 lead with four 3s in that period.

Tyrese Maxey supported Embiid with 25 points and seven assists, after the NBA admitted the officials missed a foul on him in the closing stages of the Sixers' controversial Game 2 loss.

Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 39 points and 13 assists while Josh Hart tacked on 20 points, but Donte DiVincenzo only had five after hitting the decisive 3-pointer in Game 2.

Cavs suffer worst playoff loss as Magic hit back

The Orlando Magic also hit back after losing the first two games of their first-round series, dealing the Cleveland Cavaliers the heaviest loss in their playoff history on Thursday.

Taking the series back to Kia Center after a pair of road losses, Orlando recorded a 121-83 win behind Paolo Banchero's 31 points, with Jalen Suggs adding 24 for the fifth seeds in the East.

Orlando led by as many as 43 points in the fourth quarter before ultimately settling for a 38-point margin. The Cavs' previous worst playoff loss was a 36-point defeat to the Washington Wizards in 2008.

Franz Wagner tacked on 16 points and eight assists for Orlando, who now have the chance to level the series at home in Game 4 on Sunday.

Cleveland had four players in double figures but none managed more than the 15 put up by both Jarrett Allen and Caris Levert, the visitors shooting a miserable 8 of 34 (23.5 per cent) from the floor. 

The NBA has acknowledged numerous refereeing errors after the Philadelphia 76ers were on the wrong end of late decisions in a chaotic defeat to the New York Knicks.

Nick Nurse, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey all voiced 76ers frustration after the Knicks came back from 101-96 down to win 104-101 on Monday in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarter-final series.

Philadelphia coach Nurse suggested his timeout calls were ignored on two separate occasions in the frantic finale, while Maxey and Embiid were left aggrieved with foul decisions during the same period.

In its Last Two Minute Report, the league concurred with the 76ers claims after admitting Maxey was fouled in the build-up to Jalen Brunson's 3-pointer that cut Philadelphia's lead to just two.

The same report also found that Maxey was illegally felled by Josh Hart, turning over for Donte DiVincenzo missing a decisive go-ahead 3-pointer before making the winning shot with 13 seconds remaining.

"[Maxey] did his job," Embiid said after the game when asked about the turnover in the closing seconds. "That's on the league. That's on the NBA.

"That's on the referees. I hate to put the game on them. But I am sure the two-minute report is going to come out and we are going to see what happened."

Maxey blamed himself and refused to dwell on the matter after the 76ers fell 2-0 down in the best-of-seven series, while Nurse was also left disappointed on the sidelines by the officiating.

Nurse claimed he twice attempted to call timeout, with the league's report acknowledging one of those should have been granted when 76ers point guard Kyle Lowry was inbounding the ball.

"I guess I got to run out onto the floor or do something to make sure and get his attention, but I needed a timeout there to advance it," Nurse lamented after the game.

The Last Two Minutes Report reviewed two other errors in officiating, having missed an Embiid foul on DiVincenzo before Brunson's 3-pointer and a defensive violation by Knicks forward OG Anunoby.

Though the NBA acknowledged the mistakes, no replay will be granted – a decision the Knicks are all too familiar with.

New York wanted a replay earlier this season after referee Jacyn Goble made an incorrect call for a foul on Houston Rockets guard Aaron Holiday, though that call was labelled as human error.

Both teams will be hoping for less drama when Games 3 and 4 come on Thursday and Sunday in Philadelphia.