NBA Playoff Bracket 2026, Updated Picture, Schedule After Knicks, Wolves Eliminate Hawks, Nuggets
The New York Knicks are one step closer to a shot at redemption from last spring's Eastern Conference Final loss.
The Knicks advanced to the second round Thursday night with a blowout victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
New York wasn't the only team that closed out a first-round series with a Game 6 win, as the Minnesota Timberwolves took down the Denver Nuggets by the final score of 110-98 to advance to the second round.
Here's a look at the updated playoff picture and remaining schedule now that the Hawks and Nuggets have been eliminated.
Thursday Schedule and Results
New York Knicks 140, Atlanta Hawks 89 (Knicks win series 4-2)
Philadelphia 76ers 106, Boston Celtics 93 (Series tied 3-3)
Minnesota Timberwolves 110, Denver Nuggets 98 (Timberwolves win series 4-2)
Friday Schedule
Detroit Pistons at Orlando Magic, 7 p.m. ET (Magic leads series 3-2)
Cleveland Cavaliers at Toronto Raptors, 7:30 p.m. ET (Cavaliers lead series 3-2)
Los Angeles Lakers at Houston Rockets, 9:30 p.m. ET (Lakers lead series 3-2)
Thursday highlights
Knicks 140, Hawks 89
It didn't take much time for the Knicks to make it clear they were closing out their first-round series against the Hawks on Thursday night.
The Knicks grabbed an early advantage, then went on a 67-13 run to secure the largest halftime lead in NBA playoff history.
That run ended with a fight between Mitchell Robinson and Dyson Daniels, who were both ejected late in the second quarter.
OG Anunoby led the Knicks with a game-high 29 points in 27 minutes thanks to 11-for-14 shooting from the field.
The Knicks also received 44 points from 10 different bench players late in the blowout victory. Jalen Johnson led the Hawks with 21 points in the loss.
New York will now advance to play either the Celtics or the 76ers in the second round.
76ers 106, Celtics 93
The 76ers' big three stars have successfully forced Game 7.
After trailing the Boston Celtics by five points early in the second quarter of a must-win Game 6, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Paul George erased the deficit and never looked back.
The Sixers led by as many as 23 points on their way to extending their postseason.
Maxey led the Sixers with 30 points in the victory, while George added 23 points. Embiid contributed 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Leading Celtics scorers Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were each held below 20 points in the loss.
This series will now come down to Saturday's Game 7 in Boston at a time yet to be determined. Whichever team wins will get the chance to face the Knicks in Round 2.
Timberwolves 110, Nuggets 98
The final game of the night was a hard-fought battle, as neither team held a double-digit lead until late in the fourth quarter.
With the Timberwolves owning a narrow 100-97 edge and two minutes left in the fourth, Terrence Shannon Jr. was fouled while connecting on a layup and extended their advantage to six points.
Although Denver cut the deficit to five points shortly afterwards, Jaden McDaniels gave Minnesota some more separation with a pull-up jumper on the team's ensuing possession.
The Nuggets failed to respond, as the Timberwolves hit five free throws to seal the win and advance to the second round.
Minnesota's victory was particularly impressive considering Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo, Ayo Dosunmu and Kyle Anderson were all sidelined due to injuries.
McDaniels stepped up in their absence, scoring a game-high 32 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He shot 13-of-25 from the field and 1-of-4 from three-point territory.
Rudy Gobert recorded a double-double for the Timberwolves, finishing with 10 points and 13 rebounds to go along with eight assists.
Nuggets star Nikola Jokić racked up 28 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in 43 minutes on the floor. It wasn't enough for Denver to keep its season alive, though.
Minnesota will now face the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Semifinals.
