Who’s playing on Friday 15th in the 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament?
With two tasty match-ups coming your way, we give you what you need to know about the Hawks vs Cavs and the Pelicans vs Clippers
As the playoff bracket becomes clearer and clearer, we are heading down to the wire in the NBA’s Play-In Tournament. It’s going to be something to see the action tips off on Friday!
Atlanta Hawks @ Cleveland Cavaliers - 7:30 p.m. (ET)
After dismantling the Charlotte Hornets 132-103 in the second Play-In game of the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks are on their way to Cleveland where they will take on the Cavaliers on Friday. While it wasn’t exactly a surprise, there were initial doubts especially when it appeared that Hawks star Trae Young was getting off to a slow start. What the Hornets weren’t counting on, however, was that Young’s teammates had no problems carrying the team while he warmed up. Kevin Huerter for example drained three triples on three attempts in the first quarter. That of course is saying nothing of the defense, which allowed six points during a six minute stretch during the 1st.
That brings us to the Cavs. While Cleveland lost an intense game to the Nets by a score of 115-108, they are still in with a chance at advancing. Even better for the Cavs is that they will have home court advantage. Another positive would be the performance of both Darius Garland and Evan Mobley who were stellar against the Nets on Tuesday night. Indeed, Garland took no prisoners as he posted 34 points on the night. After watching them against the Nets one can’t help but wonder about what could have been if not for the loss of Jarrett Allen and Ricky Rubio. None the less with everything to play for and the home crowd present, there’s no time for crying over spilt milk.
New Orleans Pelicans @ Los Angeles Clippers - 10:00 p.m. (ET)
If there is one thing that can be said about the Los Angeles Clippers 109-104 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, it’s that it was not the result of a lack of effort on their part and certainly not where star player Paul George was concerned. On the night George posted 34 points - 17 in the third quarter alone - along with seven rebounds and five assists. On the other end of the court his defense was as expected, solid. There was also the question of his 6 of 12 shooting from beyond the arc, but in the end it wasn’t enough. That being said, all is not lost as they will host the Pelicans on Friday night for one last shot at a playoff spot. If they are to clinch that spot, they will need to do a better job of supporting George.
On the other side of the divide we have the New Orleans Pelicans who are now one win away from clinching a spot in the Western Conference playoffs dismissing San Antonio Spurs 113-103 on Wednesday night in the 9/10 matchup of the play-in tournament. As has been the trend of late, it was once again the CJ McCollum show as the star finished with a game high 32 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Not to be outdone, both Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas posted above 20 points, as the Pelicans put in a strong offensive showing. The Spurs must be credited, with no less than six players scoring in double figures, but in the end it was not to be. With Spurs done and dusted, it’s now on to LA where McCollum and co. will have to bring their A-game if they are to advance to the playoffs as the 8th seeded team in the Western Conference.
Remember AS has you covered!
As always be sure to join us this Friday, as we will be taking you through the action right here with our live text coverage. Also be sure to check in with us as we will of course be providing you with all the information you need to know about how and where you can watch the games!