What NBA Playoff games are on today, Wednesday 11 May 2022?
With things even in the east, it is last chance saloon out west for the Memphis Grizzlies as they face elimination at the hands of the Golden State Warriors
The NBA playoffs are a game of two halves, for sure. In Wednesday’s Eastern Conference playoff game, the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics are running neck-and-neck and will be jockeying for position going into Game 6, while out west, things are of an altogether more desperate nature for the Memphis Grizzlies, who face elimination at the hands of the Golden State Warriors.
To make matters worse for Memphis, it was announced yesterday that the bone bruise on the knee of star point guard Ja Morant has ended his season.
NBA playoffs for Wednesday 11 May
Milwaukee Bucks @ Boston Celtics (all even 2-2) - 7:00 pm ET
The Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics will face off in a tie-breaking Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series Wednesday night.
For Boston, Al Horford exploded in Game 4 for 30 points as the Celtics evened the series at 2-2 with a 116-108 win in Milwaukee on Monday. Both teams have alternated wins and losses in the first four games, so home court is not necessarily an advantage here.
As you would expect, Giannis Antetokounmpo (42 points in Game 3) and Jayson Tatum (30 in Game 4) were the main forces for their respective clubs but a team is only as successful as its supporting cast.
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer has promised that nobody other than his team would know anything about the inner workings of their strategy until required by league rules to be informed. “I’ve come up with a new policy: I’m not going to comment on my starting lineup to the media ... ever. I just have no comment on my starting lineup for the rest of my coaching career. Bam.”
Golden State Warriors @ Memphis Grizzlies (GSW lead 3-1) - 9:30 pm ET
The Memphis Grizzlies will be without star point guard Ja Morant for the second straight game when they try to stave off elimination Wednesday night against the visiting Golden State Warriors. Morant is out for the rest of the post season with a bone bruise on his knee that he sustained in Game 2.
Golden State holds a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals and have benefited greatly by Morant’s absence.
The Warriors were without coach Steve Kerr on Wednesday due to a positive COVID-19 test and the expectation is that he won’t travel to Memphis. Associate head coach Mike Brown guided the team and is now 12-0 in the postseason while filling in for Kerr.
The Grizzlies will be back in front of their exuberant fans with their season on the line. “You recognize the good things you did and just focus on the season isn’t over yet,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. “It’s 3-1. I told them to forget what the record is in the series. You’ve just got to focus on just winning a game. Just go focus on winning one game right now.”