The Heat ran that exact play last year and began a historic run to the Finals with an 8 vs. 1 upset over Milwaukee. Now they’ll try to do it vs. Boston – a frequent Playoff opponent – after eliminating Chicago, 112-91. | Recap

• Heat Depth Shines: With Jimmy Butler out (knee sprain), Miami got a combined 45 points from Tyler Herro (24 pts, 10 reb, 9 ast) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (21 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast) as the Heat ran away after a 28-6 run to end the 1st quarter

A 6-0 Sweep: The Pelicans finished a perfect season against the Kings, with their sixth win of the season being the most important as it secured the 8th seed in the West while ending Sacramento’s season.

Brandon Ingram (24 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast) and Jonas Valanaciunas (19 pts, 12 reb) led the way for the Pelicans, who also got huge contributions from their bench, to help overcome the absence of Zion Williamson. | Recap

• Larry Nance Jr., Naji Marshall and Jose Alvarado combined for 34 points on 15-of-26 shooting and six steals as NOLA’s reserves outscored Sacramento’s 34-12
• De’Aaron Fox (35 pts) and Domantas Sabonis (23 pts, 14 reb, 7 ast) led the Kings, but it was not enough to earn their second straight trip to the Playoffs

It took the Denver Nuggets 47 seasons to win their first NBA championship. Today, they’ll try to take the first step toward making it two titles in 48 seasons as their title defense begins in the Mile High City against a familiar opponent – the Los Angeles Lakers.

• The Rematch: The Lakers were the final Western Conference team standing between the Nuggets and their first Finals appearance last year. The last hurdle to clear – the Final(s) Boss – was a team with 32 Finals appearances and 17 championships

• The Streak: Denver’s won eight straight against L.A., including a four-game sweep in the Western Conference Finals, with three of the four wins coming by six points or less. The Lakers have not beaten the Nuggets since December 2022

• Star Watch (Lakers): In last year’s series, LeBron James nearly averaged a triple-double (27.8 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 10 apg), while Anthony Davis (26.8 ppg, 14 rpg) opened the series with a 40/10 game

• Star Watch (Nuggets): Jokic did average a triple-double (27.8 ppg, 14.5 rpg, 11.8 apg) in last year’s series as he orchestrated the Nuggets offense. Jamal Murray averaged a series-high 32.5 ppg on 52.7/40.5/95 shooting splits

And it all starts this afternoon in Cleveland.

(4) Cavs vs. (5) Magic (1 ET, ESPN)

• Clash of Similar Styles: If you came to see a lot of scoring, then this may not be your series. Both the Magic (3rd) and Cavs (7th) boast top-10 defenses with versatile defenders that can wreak havoc all over the court for opposing offenses

• Offensively, the Cavs (16th) have the edge over the Magic (22nd), and have a proven playoff scorer in Donovan Mitchell (27.8 ppg in 44 games, 7th all-time, min. 40 games played), though Banchero did just become the youngest player to lead a team in pts, reb & ast

• Regular Season Series: Tied 2-2, with both teams showing they can win on the other team’s court. They have not played each other since Feb. 22, when the Magic won in Cleveland.