NBA playoffs: So fresh and so clean

The GIST: Bust out the brooms because a few squads are on the brink of a first round sweep. Giving spring cleaning a whole new meaning.

Last night’s games: First, in non-sweep news, last night’s Western Conference triple-header saw the No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies overcome a 26-point deficit to top the No. 7 Minnesota Timberwolves 104–95 and take a 2-1 series lead. Then, the No. 4 Dallas Mavericks (still without superstar Luka Doncic due to a calf strain) defeated the No. 5 Utah Jazz 126–118 to also pull ahead 2-1.

• Lastly, the No. 3 Golden State Warriors took down the No. 6 Denver Nuggets 118–113 to claim a decisive 3-0 lead in the series. One more win would make the Warriors the first team to punch their ticket to the conference semis.

Weekend preview: Back to those brooms. The Eastern Conference No. 5 Toronto Raptors and No. 8 Atlanta Hawks could be eliminated before the weekend’s up. The Hawks face the No. 1 Miami Heat tonight at 7 p.m. ET and will rely on the home crowd’s support to rally their way back from a 0-2 deficit.

• The Raps, down 0-3, face the No. 4 Philadelphia 76ers tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET. Toronto took Philly to overtime on Wednesday, but MVP candidate Joel Embiid called game, sinking a buzzer-beater to capture the dub. Will Shaq be proven right?

Injury updates: In the West, the No. 1 Phoenix Suns (tied 1-1 with the No. 8 New Orleans Pelicans) will be without superstar Devin Booker for approximately two to three weeks after suffering a hamstring injury in Game 2. Damn.

• And over in the East, No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton will miss at least the remainder of their series with the No. 6 Chicago Bulls (tied 1-1).

• As for returns, Ben Simmons could make his debut for the No. 7 Brooklyn Nets (down 0-2) in Monday’s Game 4 of their spicy series with the No. 2 Boston Celtics. What could go wrong?