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Plenty is happening around the NBA, especially with the playoffs continuing in full swing. The Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks all advanced to the second round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs.
The Sixers silenced all concerns of potentially blowing a 3-0 series lead against the Toronto Raptors with a 132-97 win on the road.
Meanwhile, the Suns held off the New Orleans Pelicans, winning the tie 115-109 in Devin Booker's return from a hamstring injury to the Western Conference semis.
The Suns will be taking on the Mavericks, who beat the Utah Jazz 98-96 to win their first playoff series since their championship-winning run in 2011.
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On that note, let's have a look at some more top stories from around the league in today's NBA News Roundup:
Chris Paul makes NBA Playoffs history, becomes the first player to go 14-of-14 from the field in closeout win over Pelicans
Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns fended off a surprisingly challenging New Orleans Pelicans team to advance to the Western Conference semis. Many expected the Suns to sweep the eighth-seeded Pelicans, but Willie Green's team brought their 'A-game' to make this a closely contested series.
The Suns had to deal with Devin Booker's injury mid-series as well. However, Chris Paul made sure Phoenix didn't end up in much trouble, putting together a string of solid performances for the team in Booker's absence. CP3 finished the series on a strong note by scoring 33 points and dishing out eight assists.
He ended up achieving an unreal record as he became the first player in NBA Playoffs history to make 13+ shots in a playoff game without a miss. He also went 4-of-4 from the free-throw line to complete a 100/100/100 game.
Shaquille O'Neal open to season 2 of 'Winning Time'
Shaquille O'Neal is one of the best former or current NBA players when it comes to the business side of things. The former champion is always open to exploring new ventures and widening his portfolio outside of the basketball world.
In his most recent interview with Reuters' Rory Carroll, O'Neal expressed that he wouldn't mind HBO producing a season 2 of their latest television show, 'Winning Time,' based on the 'Showtime Lakers.' 'Big Diesel' said on the matter:
"Let's do it. I'm the type where you can say or do whatever you want, no problem. I understand the entertainment world," O'Neal said.
You may click here to view the full story.
Dallas Mavericks win first playoffs series since 2011
The Dallas Mavericks have been deprived of postseason success since their surprise championship-winning run in 2011. They failed to win a single playoff series since the 2012 NBA Playoffs until Thursday, when they defeated the Utah Jazz 98-96 to bag a 4-2 first-round series win.
Luka Doncic and Co. were down 12 points at halftime, but a solid defensive display down the stretch swung the tie in their favor. They have been remarkable on that end of the floor throughout the series, holding the Jazz to only eight threes per game, the lowest for any team in the playoffs this year. Utah averaged over 14 threes per game during the regular season.
NBA fine Jimmy Butler and Miami Heat $15,000 each for 'obscene gesture'
Jimmy Butler didn't feature in the Miami Heat's closeout Game 5 win over the Atlanta Hawks, but he didn't stay away from making the headlines. Butler was having a blast on the sidelines and was spotted celebrating a Max Struss 3-pointer, making an obscene gesture from the sidelines.
The Heat's social media team ended up making a 'GIF' for the same. The player and the franchise were fined $15,000 each for their actions. Heat's Twitter account later took down the post from their profile. Here's a clip of what went down that led to the fines:
Khris Middleton is expected to miss the entire Eastern Conference semis series between Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics
The defending champions Milwaukee Bucks suffered a huge blow in their 2022 NBA Playoffs campaign. All-Star Khris Middleton is expected to miss their entire second-round series against the Boston Celtics because of a Grade 2 MCL sprain he suffered on his left knee against the Chicago Bulls in the first round.
Here's what The Athletic's Shams Charania reported regarding this:
"The left MCL injury of Bucks All-Star Khris Middleton is a Grade 2 sprain and he is expected to miss the entire second-round series vs. Celtics, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. The recovery of Grade 2 MCL places a potential Conference Finals in jeopardy for him as well."
Middleton was vital to the Bucks' championship-winning run last year. In his absence, the likes of Jrue Holiday, Bobby Portis, Brook Lopez and Grayson Allen will have to produce the goods and support talisman Giannis Antetokounmpo in the best way possible.
