NBA

Murray hasn’t missed a playoff game yet this year. While his playoff performance has dipped lately, he should take on his usual workload.

Conley is good to go after missing his last game and is likely start and bump Nickeil Alexader-Walker back to the bench.

Anonoby is set to miss his forth consecutive game. The Knicks will likely start Precious Achiuwa or Miles McBride in his place.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker filled in for Conley in Game 5, but it appears like Minnesota’s floor general is trending toward playing again after a one-game layoff. NAW will likely return to the bench with Conley back in the rotation.

After scoring at least 19 points in all four games of Oklahoma City’s first-round sweep of New Orleans, JDub has been held in check by Dallas. Game 3 was the only game in which he scored 20 points or more, and he shot 11-of-32 from the field in Games 4 and 5. The steals production has provided DFS players with some production, but Williams has to be more productive as a scorer if Oklahoma City is to force a decisive Game 7. Game 6 is on Saturday night in Dallas.

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault changed the starting lineup for Game 5, with Joe replacing the ineffective Josh Giddey. Joe picked up two quick fouls and could not offer much value in his 21 minutes on the court. While Giddey (11 points, three rebounds, two assists, and one 3-pointer) shot 5-of-8 from the field, the minutes total (12) is a clear sign that he isn’t trusted in this series. The question ahead of Saturday’s Game 6 is whether or not Daigneault will stick with Joe as the fifth starter. And even if Giddey receives the nod, he’s unlikely to get the minutes needed to be of value to DFS players.

Gilgeous-Alexander had another big scoring night, as he’s scored at least 29 points in all five games in this series. However, he didn’t have as much help as needed, with Chet Holmgren (13/4/1/0/1 with one 3-pointer) being the best of the rest. Dallas is making SGA work, but he continues to get his numbers. Whether or not the Thunder can force a Game 7 on Saturday night depends on whether SGA’s supporting cast increases its production.

Dallas received 48 minutes of solid basketball from its rotation centers, with Lively recording a double-double off the bench and Daniel Gafford (9/7/1/0/1 in 25 minutes) shooting 4-of-4 from the field. Oklahoma City has continued to foul Lively intentionally during crunch time, and the rookie delivered in Game 5. He shot 5-of-6 from the foul line in Game 5 and is now 14-of-21 (66.7%) over the last three games. That percentage isn’t great, but it is much higher than Lively’s number during the regular season (50.6%). Dallas leads the series three games to two and will look to close out the Thunder on Saturday.

Jones may not have offered much outside of the points and 3-pointers, but the scoring output was much-needed on a night in which only one other Maverick (Luka Doncic) scored more than 12 points. Airplane Mode was efficient with his scoring opportunities while also playing solid defense. PJ Washington only scored 10 points, but he was also responsible for 10 rebounds, four assists, one steal, and two 3-pointers in his 37 minutes on the floor. Dallas will need those two to remain productive in Game 6 on Saturday, with the Mavericks looking to close out the series.

Injuries have been an issue for Doncic throughout this series, but there was also the habit of focusing too much on the officials. Playing with an apparent laser focus, the Mavericks point guard came up huge in Dallas’ Game 5 victory. Doncic recorded an efficient triple-double, shooting better than 50% from the field and controlling the action. With Kyrie Irving (12/2/4/1 with two 3-pointers in 39 minutes) taking a back seat offensively, the Mavericks need Doncic to be at his best. That was the case on Wednesday, and Game 6 isn’t until Saturday in Dallas. Doncic will get a welcome respite before the Mavericks look to end the series at home.