The first round of the NBA Playoffs provided some top-notch action. But with the dust finally settled from the first eight series, the playoffs now move to the second round of action on Monday night.
We’re down to the Elite Eight, if you will, to put it in college basketball terms. From the West, you’re looking at the 1-seed Oklahoma City Thunder taking on the 4-seed Los Angeles Lakers, and the 2-seed San Antonio Spurs against the 6-seed Minnesota Timberwolves. From the East, we’ll see the 1-seed Detroit Pistons against the 4-seed Cleveland Cavaliers and the 3-seed New York Knicks against the 7-seed Philadelphia 76ers.
We started the playoffs with five former Tennessee players in the mix. The only one eliminated so far is VFL Grant Williams, as the Charlotte Hornets lost in the play-in round to the Orlando Magic. That leaves four players who survived the first round and are now in the second round: Tobias Harris, Chaz Lanier, Dalton Knecht, and Julian Phillips.
Lanier, Knecht, and Phillips all saw very limited action in their first-round series. Harris, though, was a crucial element of the Pistons’ series comeback. In the Pistons’ 4-3 series win over the Magic, Harris averaged 21.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. He was scoring more than eight points above his regular-season average to help the Pistons advance, including a 30-point showing in Game 7 on Sunday.
More From RTI: Tennessee Basketball’s Portal Class Rises to Top Two Ranking After Landing Elite Transfer Juke Harris
Harris’s teammate, rookie Chaz Lanier, only saw one quick showing during the series. He got one minute off the bench in Game 7, but made the most of it by hitting his only shot attempt. Lanier averaged 2.4 points in 7.7 minutes per game during the regular season.
Knecht played in two games during the Lakers’ 4-2 series win over the Rockets. He scored eight points in seven minutes during Game 4, going 2-of-3 from three-point range. He then got three minutes on the court during the series-clinching win in Game 6, but missed the lone shot attempt that he took from range. During the regular season, Knecht averaged 4.2 points in 10.2 minutes per game.
Like Knecht, Phillips saw action in two games during the T-Wolves’ 4-2 series upset win over the Nuggets. He didn’t take any shots during his two appearances, but he did record one minute in Game 3 and three minutes in Game 5. During the regular season, Phillips averaged 3.2 points in 7.2 minutes per game. He was traded from the Bulls to the Timberwolves during the trade deadline.
Harris, Lanier, and the Pistons will begin their second-round journey against the Cavaliers on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock. Knecht and the Lakers, meanwhile, will take on the Thunder at 8:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday night on NBC/Peacock.
Phillips and the Timberwolves will begin their second-round series on Monday night at 9:30 p.m. ET against the Sputs on NBC/Peacock.
