NBA fans and bettors had the chance of having four Game 6s in the first round of the playoffs on Thursday, but three of the series ended in Game 5 on Tuesday. The Philadelphia 76ers blasted the Brooklyn Nets to advance, and the Toronto Raptors did the same to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference.
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Out West, the Portland Trail Blazers eliminated the Oklahoma City Thunder in a thriller, 118-115 on a Damian Lillard 37-footer at the buzzer. He finished with a playoff career-high 50 points. Frankly, the only series with any drama in the entire first round, then, has been the second-seeded Denver Nuggets against the No. 7 San Antonio Spurs.
Denver can advance to face No. 3 Portland in the Western Conference semifinals with a win in Game 6 on Thursday, but the Spurs opened as 2.5-point home favorites to force a Game 7 on Saturday back in the Mile High City. San Antonio had one of the best home records in the NBA during the regular season at 32-9, while Denver was just 20-21 on the road. The teams have split two games in San Antonio this series, each winning by double digits.