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Preview capsules on the NBA’s conference semifinal series:
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West: No. 6 Minnesota (49-33, 4-2) vs. No. 2 San Antonio (62-20, 4-1)
Season series: Timberwolves, 2-1.
Schedule: Game 1 at San Antonio, Monday; Game 2 at San Antonio, Wednesday; Game 3 at Minnesota, Friday; Game 4 at Minnesota, May 10; Game 5 at San Antonio, May 12 (if necessary); Game 6 at Minnesota, May 15 (if necessary); Game 7 at San Antonio, May 17 (if necessary).
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How they got here: San Antonio beat No. 7 Portland 4-1, Minnesota beat No. 3 Denver 4-2.
Storyline: Minnesota rallied in the first round after losing Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles tendon) and Anthony Edwards (knee) to injuries. Edwards may be able to play at some point in this series — “week to week” is the official word at this point — and that would give the Timberwolves a serious boost. The Spurs had a penchant for getting into a bit of trouble at times in Round 1, though they rallied and wound up winning in five games. Spurs star Victor Wembanyama’s light only seems to get brighter.
Prediction: Spurs in 6.
West: No. 4 LA Lakers (53-29, 4-2) vs. No. 1 Oklahoma City (64-18, 4-0)
Season series: Thunder, 4-0.
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Schedule: Game 1 at Oklahoma City, Tuesday; Game 2 at Oklahoma City, Thursday; Game 3 at Los Angeles, Saturday; Game 4 at Los Angeles, May 11; Game 5 at Oklahoma City, May 13 (if necessary); Game 6 at Los Angeles, May 16 (if necessary); Game 7 at Oklahoma City, May 18 (if necessary).
How they got here: Lakers beat No. 5 Houston 4-2, Oklahoma City beat No. 8 Phoenix 4-0.
Storyline: Game 1 of this series will be the 299th career playoff game for Lakers star LeBron James, which is far more than anyone else in league history — and is certain to stay that way for a long time. The 41-year-old James averaged 23.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 8.3 assists in the Round 1 win over Houston, and he’ll likely need to be that good or better to give the Lakers a chance in this series. The Thunder are the defending champions, have the MVP favorite in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and seem to have easily navigated the issues that come with a title defense. Will Luka Doncic return for the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nba-conference-semis-thunder-lakers-173257436.html
Author : TIM REYNOLDS
Publish date : 2026-05-03 17:32:00
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