{"id":768587,"date":"2026-05-02T16:56:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T16:56:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/768587\/"},"modified":"2026-05-02T16:56:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T16:56:47","slug":"starting-5-cade-drives-historic-comeback-rj-gets-ot-bounce-sixers-celtics-tonight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/768587\/","title":{"rendered":"Starting 5: Cade drives historic comeback, RJ gets OT bounce, Sixers-Celtics tonight"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>The bounce<\/strong> that saved a season.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RJ Barrett\u2019s miraculous <\/strong>3 in OT sends Raptors-Cavs to Game 7.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Get ready<\/strong> for three first-round Game 7s for the first time since 2003.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1777740978_650_original.gif\" alt=\"RJ Barrett\" width=\"100%\"\/><\/p>\n<p>5 STORIES IN TODAY\u2019S EDITION \ud83c\udfc0<\/p>\n<p>May 2, 2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>Game 7 Primer:<\/strong> Everything you need to know for tonight\u2019s Game 7 between the Sixers and Celtics<\/p>\n<p><strong>How We Got Here: <\/strong>Walk back through six star-packed Philly-Boston games that led to Game 7<\/p>\n<p><strong>Comeback Cade: <\/strong>Cunningham\u2019s Pistons stun Magic with 24-point rally to force Game 7 Sunday<\/p>\n<p><strong>Saving Bounce:<\/strong> Toronto-native RJ Barrett saves Raps\u2019 season, forces Game 7 with big-bounce OT 3<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lakers Moving On:<\/strong> LeBron\u2019s near triple-double, Lakers\u2019 D close out Rockets; OKC up next<\/p>\n<p>BUT FIRST \u2026 \u23f0<\/p>\n<p>Game 7 Saturday\u2026<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1777740979_8_original.jpg\" alt=\"Scores &amp; Schedule\" width=\"100%\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>It all comes down to this<\/strong>, as the 76ers and Celtics clash in this postseason\u2019s first Game 7 (7:30 ET, NBC &amp; Peacock | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/how-to-watch-game-redirect\/0042500117?partnerRef=NBA&amp;platform=Email&amp;surface=Starting5&amp;lid=83b22motsyi7\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tap To Watch<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Up Next: <\/strong>Two more Game 7s come your way Sunday, with finales for the Magic and Pistons (3:30 ET, ABC) and the Raptors and Cavaliers (7:30 ET, NBC &amp; Peacock).<\/p>\n<p><strong>This year\u2019s three<\/strong> Game 7s in the First Round are the 2nd-most since the change to the current 7-game format in 2003.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1777740979_863_original.jpg\" alt=\"Playoffs Bracket\" width=\"100%\"\/><\/p>\n<p>1. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR SIXERS-CELTICS GAME 7<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1777740980_365_original.jpg\" alt=\"Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown\" width=\"100%\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cGame 7.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The best two words\u00a0<\/strong>in sports.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Two words <\/strong>the Sixers and Celtics have heard more than most.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tonight<\/strong> (7:30 ET, NBC &amp; Peacock), the storied rivals will meet again on that stage, this time to decide who advances to face the No. 3 Knicks in the East Semis.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Game 7 Suits Them: <\/strong>For Boston, Saturday marks the 38th Game 7 in franchise history, the most for any NBA franchise. The C\u2019s are 27-10 all-time in Game 7s<\/li>\n<li><strong>No Stranger: <\/strong>It\u2019s the 19th Game 7 for Philly, good for 3rd-most in the NBA<\/li>\n<li><strong>Going The Distance Early:<\/strong> For all their experience, this is just the fifth (3-1) first-round Game 7 for the Celtics, and the first since 2018 (W). In Philly, this will be their first<\/li>\n<li><strong>Setting Of 7:<\/strong> In Game 7s it\u2019s hosted, Boston is 22-6, while the Sixers have a 1-10 Game 7 road record. That lone road win came in 1982 \u2013 at Boston Garden<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Celtics All-Stars<\/strong> Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum will share the floor together for their eighth of the franchise\u2019s 37 Game 7s, which will tie for the 2nd-most of any C\u2019s duo.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Jays In Sevens:<\/strong> Tatum averages 26.7 ppg, 9.3 rpg and 5.1 apg in his seven career Game 7s, while Brown adds 16.5 ppg and 5.8 rpg<\/li>\n<li><strong>Expected to all play together<\/strong> for a fourth straight game, this would be Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Paul George\u2019s first Game 7 as teammates<\/li>\n<li><strong>Process Points:<\/strong> Maxey is leading the Sixers with 26.3 ppg and 6.5 apg on 41.2 3P% in the series, while Embiid has added 26.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 7.3 apg after his near triple-double in Game 6<\/li>\n<li><strong>Playoff P Loading:<\/strong> George is coming off his highest-scoring game of the series \u2013\u00a023 pts \u2013 bumping him up to 18.2 ppg on 54.3 3P%<\/li>\n<li><strong>C\u2019s Top Scorers:<\/strong> In the series, the Celtics are led by Brown\u2019s 24.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg and 3.2 apg, while Tatum has added 23.3 ppg, 10.7 rpg, and 6.8 apg<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1777740981_708_original.jpg\" alt=\"Joel Embiid\" width=\"611\" height=\"425\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jesse D. Garrabrant\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p><strong>Three-Ball Key: <\/strong>Boston has shot at least 36% from 3-point range in its three wins in this series, but was held below 30% in all three losses.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Impacting Identity:<\/strong> The Celtics have seen their made threes drop per-game from 18.3 to 11.5 in the Sixers\u2019 back-to-back wins<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Read more<\/strong> on today\u2019s impending Sixers-Celtics Game 7:<\/p>\n<p>2. HOW WE GOT HERE: GAME 7 IN BOSTON<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1777740981_421_original.jpg\" alt=\"Jayson Tatum\" width=\"583\" height=\"497\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maddie Meyer\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p><strong>Right from opening night <\/strong>\u2013 a one-point win for VJ <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/game\/0022500083?lid=fdceyjsuawxv\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Edgecombe\u2019s eye-popping debut<\/a> \u2013 a Sixers-Celtics pairing had the makings of a thrilling series.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Then, the refreshed rivals<\/strong> went on to play two more regular-season tilts decided by a single possession.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In this first-round<\/strong> face-off, No. 2 Boston set the tone and No. 7 Philly has answered.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Game 1<\/strong>: Jaylen Brown (26 pts) and Jayson Tatum (25 pts) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/game\/phi-vs-bos-0042500111?lid=udvdw9ri2mf2\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">set the scoring pace<\/a> while Boston held Philly under 100 points, 123-91 (1-0 Boston)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Game 2<\/strong>: VJ Edgecombe (30 pts) and Tyrese Maxey (29 pts) helped the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/game\/phi-vs-bos-0042500112?lid=5zyapkflha28\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sixers even the series<\/a>, despite 36 from Brown, 111-97 (1-1)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Game 3<\/strong>: Tatum made his mark in the series with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/game\/bos-vs-phi-0042500113?lid=7v30gi3lqxle\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a takeover on the road<\/a>, dropping 11 of his 25 in the 4th, including the dagger triple with 25.3 seconds left, 108-100 (2-1 Boston)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Game 4: <\/strong>Payton Pritchard dropped 32 points, hitting six of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/game\/bos-vs-phi-0042500114?lid=ltnuo9ncd0oo\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Boston\u2019s Playoff record 24 triples<\/a> in a 128-96 win. Joel Embiid (appendectomy) made his series debut with 26 points (3-1 Boston)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Game 5: <\/strong>With the rust removed, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/game\/phi-vs-bos-0042500115?lid=5wmb5slcnr8x\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Embiid extended the series<\/a> with 33 points, his first 30+ point game in the Playoffs in 2 years. Philly also held Boston under 100 points for the first time in the series, 113-97 (3-2 Boston)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Game 6: <\/strong>Back at home, Philly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/game\/bos-vs-phi-0042500116?lid=8kpuw11f2l39\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">faced down elimination again<\/a>, with 30 from Maxey, Embiid\u2019s (19 pts, 10 reb, 8 ast) near triple-double, and PG\u2019s (23 pts) 2nd-highest scoring Playoff game since 2021. Boston was kept under 100 points again, 106-93 (3-3)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>But tonight\u2019s Game 7<\/strong> goes back farther than the six showdowns of this series, linked all the way back to 2012.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1777740982_727_original.jpg\" alt=\"Paul Pierce\" width=\"698\" height=\"456\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brian Babineau\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>\u201cI\u2019ve been playing these guys for so long<\/strong>, I\u2019m tired of losing to them,\u201d Embiid said in the lead-up to Game 7. \u2026 \u201cWe have a chance to accomplish something special.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Embiid\u2019s era<\/strong> followed the end of the Celtics\u2019 \u201cBig 3,\u201d marked by a 2012 Philly-Boston Game 7 where the championship C\u2019s of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen were pushed by Andre Iguodala and Jrue Holiday\u2019s 76ers<\/li>\n<li><strong>New Blood:<\/strong> In came the drafts of Tatum, Brown, and Embiid, and a renewed rivalry that met in three Playoff series from 2018 to 2024<\/li>\n<li><strong>Last Time:<\/strong> 2024 brought these franchises\u2019 most recent Game 7, where Tatum\u2019s 51-point explosion set the record for most points in a Game 7 in NBA history<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>What new twist<\/strong> will Philly and Boston\u2019s latest Game 7 chapter bring tonight?<\/p>\n<p>3. CADE, PISTONS ROAR BACK FROM 24 DOWN TO FORCE GAME 7<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2189335\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/download19-ezgif.com-optimize.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Down by 24 <\/strong>less than one minute into the 2nd half.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Up by 14 <\/strong>with 2:34 left in the game.<\/p>\n<p><strong>No. 1 Detroit came all the way back <\/strong>Friday night, both from its largest in-game deficit of the series, and an even more daunting 3-1 series hole.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cWe dug ourselves a deep hole<\/strong>, and it\u2019s time for us to climb our way out,\u201d Cade Cunningham said postgame.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pistons 93, Magic 79:<\/strong> Cunningham (10 reb, 4 stl) followed up his 45-point Game 5 by leading the charge back to save Detroit\u2019s season and force Game 7, netting 32 points, including 19 in the 4th quarter.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tobias Harris<\/strong> (22 pts, 10 reb) again supported Cade, while Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane led Orlando with 17 apiece. | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/game\/det-vs-orl-0042500106?lid=g74zrjbgmocj\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Recap<\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Magic Couldn\u2019t Miss:<\/strong> After a back-and-forth 1st, Orlando started the 2nd on a 16-2 run and then didn\u2019t miss a field goal for over 4 minutes, for a 35-12 quarter<\/li>\n<li><strong>A Shift:<\/strong> Orlando\u2019s 60-38 halftime lead stretched to that 24-point high with the first make of the 3rd \u2013\u00a0but they wouldn\u2019t score from the field again for over 6 minutes<\/li>\n<li><strong>Detroit\u2019s vaunted D<\/strong> kicked in, weathering a 7-0 spurt to hold Orlando to an 11-point 3rd, and doubling down to allow just eight in the 4th<\/li>\n<li><strong>Magic Tough Stretch: <\/strong>Orlando missed 23 consecutive shots in that 4th, in what became a 19-point 2nd half of just four made field goals<\/li>\n<li><strong>Motor Cade: <\/strong>That opened the door for Cunningham to drive the Pistons back into the game, mounting the first 19+ point 4th in an elimination game since Jamal Murray in 2020<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1777740987_93_original.jpg\" alt=\"Cade Cunningham\" width=\"766\" height=\"475\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rich Storry\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cNever say \u2018die\u2019 \u2013 simple as that<\/strong>. Detroit grit,\u201d said Cunningham of the largest road comeback win in a Playoff elimination game of the play-by-play era.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Franchise First: <\/strong>The 24-point rally is also the Pistons\u2019 largest comeback Playoff win of the play-by-play era<\/li>\n<li><strong>Swing Kings:<\/strong> Detroit is the first team in NBA Playoff history to win by 14 after trailing by 20+ at half. Only one other team (20-21 Clippers) has won by double-digits in that situation<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cNot everybody gets the opportunity<\/strong> to have a challenge like this in life,\u201d Cade said of the 3-1 climb-back. \u201cJust trying to make the most of it.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Now, the superstar<\/strong> with 77 combined points over his last two games hosts his first Game 7. And Cade\u2019s as eager as he is dangerous.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cExcited for it<\/strong>. Let\u2019s get to it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Game 7<\/strong> gets going Sunday at 3:30 ET in Detroit (ABC).<\/p>\n<p>4. TORONTO\u2019S BARRETT SINKS HIGH-BOUNCE 3 IN OT TO SAVE SEASON<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2189334\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/download20-ezgif.com-optimize.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Six-plus Playoff games<\/strong> (counting OT) \u2013 292-plus minutes of action\u2026 all came down to 1.7 seconds.<\/p>\n<p><strong>That\u2019s how much time<\/strong> came off the clock while RJ Barrett\u2019s high-bouncing triple hung in the air \u2013\u00a0with the series hanging in the balance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>When the shot dropped in<\/strong>, and Cleveland\u2019s counter clanged short, Toronto had forced Game 7.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Raptors 112, Cavaliers 110 (OT):<\/strong> Barrett (24 pts, 9 reb) went bucket-for-bucket with Donovan Mitchell (24 pts, 5 reb) and Scottie Barnes (25 pts, 7 reb, 3 stl, 3 blk) dueled with Evan Mobley (26 pts, 14 reb) while dishing a Playoff career-high 14 assists as Toronto again staved off elimination. | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/game\/cle-vs-tor-0042500136?lid=franqiva1gxk\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Recap<\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Cavs\u2019 Comeback:<\/strong> Mitchell logged 11 of Cleveland\u2019s 23 points in the 4th as the Cavs chipped away at the Raptors\u2019 11-point edge<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mobley\u2019s make<\/strong> with 15 seconds left tied the game (104-all) for the first time since the start of the 2nd quarter, and ultimately forced OT after a Cavs\u2019 defensive stand<\/li>\n<li><strong>James Harden<\/strong> (16 pts, 9 reb, 9 ast) scored four quick points in overtime for Cleveland\u2019s first lead since the 1st quarter, putting pressure on Toronto to save its season<\/li>\n<li><strong>But the Raptors\u2019 swarming D<\/strong>, which forced three OT turnovers, put the Toronto native Barrett in a position to extend the series<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201c<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NBA\/status\/2050402418232365133?s=20&amp;lid=9aw2wrqf4iwi\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong>Off The Heel!<\/strong><\/a><strong>\u201d <\/strong>Barrett\u2019s season-saving shot had the bounce of <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Hali\/status\/2050401915565994323?s=20&amp;lid=77xkanzwcsnu\" rel=\"nofollow\">Tyrese Haliburton\u2019s<\/a> East Finals game-winner from last year, and glimmers of Kawhi Leonard\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Raptors\/status\/1127749303357906944?s=20&amp;lid=01r7gaacz076\" rel=\"nofollow\">2019 East Semis clincher<\/a> for the Raps<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1777740992_955_original.jpg\" alt=\"RJ Barrett\" width=\"682\" height=\"505\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mark Blinch\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cMy teammates trusted me,\u201d<\/strong> Barrett said. \u201cI told Scott [Barnes] right before the shot\u2026 \u2018If you\u2019ve got nothing, I got you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Barnes\u2019 assist<\/strong> on the game-winner set his Playoff career-high and matched Chris Childs\u2019 (2002) Raptors Playoff record. He\u2019s also the first Raptor with multiple 25+ point, 10+ assist, 5+ rebound Playoff games<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cI said earlier <\/strong>we\u2019re gonna do it for Toronto\u2026 every night,\u201d Barrett said. \u201cIt meant a lot\u2026 Now we gotta go get Game 7.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cSometimes the basketball gods aren\u2019t with you,\u201d<\/strong> Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said of Barrett\u2019s bouncer. \u201cAnd then it\u2019s like, \u2018OK, let\u2019s go get Game 7.\u2019\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Game 7 tips Sunday<\/strong> in Cleveland (7:30 ET, NBC &amp; Peacock) to decide a series where all six games have gone to the home team.<\/p>\n<p>5. LEBRON LEADS LAKERS TO ELIMINATE ROCKETS, OKC UP NEXT<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2189333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/download21-ezgif.com-optimize.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>The third time <\/strong>was the charm for LeBron James and the Lakers Friday.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lakers 98, Rockets 78: <\/strong>With Houston facing elimination in a third straight game, L.A. fired up defensively for the edge it needed to clinch the series 4-2, getting 28 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists from James and a late lift from Rui Hachimura (21 pts, 6 reb, 5 3s).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Amen Thompson <\/strong>(18 pts, 8 reb) and Alperen Sengun (17 pts, 11 reb) led the Rockets without Kevin Durant (knee) as Houston\u2019s run ends in the first round for the second straight season.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The No. 4 Lakers<\/strong> now move on to face the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, advancing to the Conference Semifinals for the first time since 2023. | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/game\/lal-vs-hou-0042500176?lid=ljdonnramept\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Recap<\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Road Run:<\/strong> L.A. used a 27-3 surge to flip a 5-point 1st-quarter deficit to a 19-point 2nd-quarter advantage, which kept the team ahead for good<\/li>\n<li><strong>Restrict Reed\u2019s Range: <\/strong>The Lakers keyed in on Game 5 X-factor Reed Sheppard (10 pts) on D, limiting him to 1-of-10 shooting from 3, and Houston as a whole to 5-of-28 (17.9 3P%)<\/li>\n<li><strong>King\u2019s Conquests:<\/strong> LeBron achieved his 22nd-career series-clinching win on the road Friday, passing Derek Fisher and Tim Duncan for most all-time<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1777741007_763_original.jpg\" alt=\"LeBron James\" width=\"698\" height=\"410\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jesse D. Garrabrant\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cHe just has this ability to set the tone<\/strong> for the entire group,\u201d coach JJ Redick said of James. \u201cHe did that again tonight, and our guys responded. And I\u2019m really happy for him.\u201d<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>\u201cA lot of our guys<\/strong>\u2026 have not been in a closeout situation, and then especially on the road,\u201d James said. \u201cSo, it\u2019s important for me to go out and set the tone.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cThe way [LeBron] can control a game<\/strong>, it\u2019s impressive,\u201d said Austin Reaves, who provided 15 points in his second game back (oblique). \u201cThe stuff that [he\u2019s] doing is not normal.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Luka Doncic<\/strong> (hamstring) remains out, despite this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DX0h4zfMmi_\/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&amp;lid=bpuuvk0inclk\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">reminder of his skills<\/a>, as L.A. prepares to face the top-seed Thunder (day\/time\/network TBD)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The bounce that saved a season. RJ Barrett\u2019s miraculous 3 in OT sends Raptors-Cavs to Game 7. Get&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":768588,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[12086,315262,3363,315260,1260,183174,315261,239758,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-768587","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-12086","9":"tag-bounce-shot","10":"tag-lebron-james","11":"tag-may-1","12":"tag-nba","13":"tag-nba-starting-5-newsletter","14":"tag-raptors-game-winner","15":"tag-rj-barrett","16":"tag-sports","17":"tag-united-states","18":"tag-unitedstates","19":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116506040610919745","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/768587","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=768587"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/768587\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/768588"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=768587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=768587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=768587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}