NBA Today: Luka Doncic 'Not Close,' Celtics Exit, 76ers Make History

The first round of the NBA playoffs has been an eventful one, to say the least. From the Oklahoma City Thunder dominating the Phoenix Suns for a sweep, to the Luka Doncic-less Los Angeles Lakers taking down the Houston Rockets after a brief scare, and to three matchups extending all the way to Game 7, the postseason has had plenty of storylines to offer. On Saturday, a number of developments emerged, adding more intrigue to an already exciting league landscape. Among the biggest NBA news of the day was Luka Doncic's status update heading into the Lakers' showdown with the Thunder. Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Doncic is in a 'slow path' to recovery and that he 'will be out to start' the series against the Thunder. Brian Windhorst of ESPN shared more updates, stating Doncic is 'not close' to returning to action, having not played for a month and not participating in scrimmages or workouts. The Lakers are likely to proceed without Doncic for at least another week to 10 days. The Thunder swept the Lakers in their four regular-season meetings, making the Lakers' task against the reigning champions and the league's best defense particularly challenging. Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics, considered title contenders, lost their playoff series to the Philadelphia 76ers in seven games. After a 3-1 lead, the Celtics collapsed, losing three straight games. In Game 7, Boston played without Jayson Tatum, who was dealing with a left leg injury. Joel Embiid led the Sixers' 109-100 victory, recording 34 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists. Tyrese Maxey added 30 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists. While Jaylen Brown scored 33 points, Boston struggled without Tatum, trailing by as many as 18 points throughout the game. The Sixers made history by becoming the first No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference to defeat a No. 2 seed since the playoff series expanded to a best-of-seven format. They are also just the 14th team in NBA playoff history to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a series. Rookie VJ Edgecombe scored 23 points in the Game 7 victory, setting a new Sixers record for the most points by a rookie in a Game 7, surpassing Maurice Cheeks' 20 points from 1979.