For NBA fans, there is no better time on the NBA calendar than the start of the postseason.
With the final two playoff spots determined with Friday night’s play-in games, the chase for the NBA championship officially begins with four playoff games on Saturday.
And the play-in games provided a perfect appetizer. The game that decided the No. 8 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks had the feel of a Game 7. And the L.A. Clippers-New Orleans Pelicans matchup that decided the No. 8 seed in the West had it all, with the Pelicans finally taking control late in the fourth quarter.
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This season’s playoffs have a ton of compelling angles. Can the Phoenix Suns win their first NBA title? Will the Milwaukee Bucks repeat? Can Stephen Curry return and deliver the Golden State Warriors their fourth title in eight seasons? Can the upstart Memphis Grizzlies spring a surprise?
Follow along as the USA TODAY Sports network keeps you up to date with the action as it unfolds.
The availability of Luka Doncic looms large over the Dallas Mavericks-Utah Jazz series. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said during his pregame availability on Saturday that Doncic is day-to-day but will not play in Saturday’s Game 1. Doncic suffered a strained left calf in the regular season finale. He didn’t practice at all during the week and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported there’s “a great deal of skepticism” within the organization on Doncic’s availability the entire first-round. Jalen Brunson will start in Doncic’s place.
When the Brooklyn Nets acquired Ben Simmons at the NBA trade deadline, the expectation was that he could provide the kind of defense that could transform the Nets from a play-in participant to a legitimate title contender. According to reports, Simmons has had a significant recovery from a back injury that has kept him off the court. There is now hope that Simmons could make his season debut at some point in the Nets’ first-round series against the Boston Celtics, with Game 1 set for Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA playoffs 2022 live updates: Mavericks’ Luka Doncic out for Game 1
