Cavaliers, Mavericks trying to close out 1st-round NBA playoff series in Game 6s

The Orlando Magic desperately want an opportunity to go back on the road. The Los Angeles Clippers are hoping to go home, though not for good.

There are two more elimination games in the NBA playoffs Friday night, with the Magic hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Clippers visiting the Dallas Mavericks after falling behind 3-2 in the first-round matchups.

With Donovan Mitchell scoring 28 points and Evan Mobley blocking Franz Wagner's layup in the closing seconds of a one-point victory Tuesday night, Cleveland is on the brink of advancing to face Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals after taking Games 1, 2 and 5 at home.

Pablo Banchero and the Magic won Games 3 and 4 at home by a combined 61 points, though, and are confident they can send the series back to Ohio for a decisive seventh game Sunday.

“You have to go take it,” said coach Jamahl Mosley, who spoke with his team Thursday about the challenge ahead.

“No game has been the same. ... Game 6 is going to be different than Games 3 and 4 at home. Just because you're home does not mean you can play the exact same way you did then,” Mosley added. "You have to change a little bit of the energy, the effort. All those little things are going to matter."

The Dallas-Los Angeles winner will face Oklahoma City in the West semifinals.

The Clippers are facing elimination after a 30-point loss to the Mavs in Game 5. Los Angeles played without the injured Kawhi Leonard for the third time, and Paul George and James Harden combined for just 22 points of 6-for-25 shooting.

“That wasn’t who we’ve been in this series, and that’s not who we are,” George said. “We’ve got to be better, especially in this situation.”

Mavs coach Jason Kidd expects Los Angeles to play better Friday night.

“We’ve got to find a way to protect home, understanding in this series both teams have been able to win on the road, so we can’t take anything for granted,” Kidd said.

The Cavs and Magic have spent five games exchanging elbows, trash talk and bad vibes.

Game 6 — or in this case Round 6 — should be no different.

“Just getting ready for a fist fight,” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “That’s what it’s going to come down to. It’s going to be a physical game. We expect that, but it’s one of those things where mentally you got to be prepared from the start and there’s no smoothing your way into this one.”

The Cavaliers found a way to grind out and win the only close game in the series Wednesday without starting center Jarrett Allen, who is dealing with a painful rib injury and may not be ready.

Allen, who did not practice Thursday, has been Cleveland’s best player in these playoffs and in many ways is their most indispensable piece.

Allen’s absence forced Bickerstaff to alter his rotation and dip deeper into his bench, something he had been reluctant to do and was widely criticized for not doing.

Mobley was shifted from power forward to center. Bickerstaff started Isaac Okoro. He also benched the ineffective Georges Niang, giving most of those minutes to veteran Marcus Morris Sr., who came through in a big way with 12 points and provided toughness.

By necessity, the Cavs won by committee and with Allen’s status uncertain for Friday, they may have to do it again.

Cleveland leads series 3-2, Game 6, 7 p.m. EDT, ESPN

— NEED TO KNOW: Home has been sweet with both teams holding serve in their respective boisterous arenas. The Cavaliers have lost six straight postseason road games, dropping the last four by an average 22.5 points. Cleveland has never won at Orlando in the playoffs, losing all five visits (three in 2009, and the two last week).

— KEEP AN EYE ON: Mitchell. He scored 18 in the first half of Game 4 before going scoreless while attempting just four shots in the second half, when the Cavs were outscored 37-10 in the third quarter. Mitchell insists a bone bruise in his left knee isn’t bothering him, but he’s been playing in spurts, perhaps a sign he’s only pushing himself when he absolutely must.

— INJURY WATCH: Allen’s rib injury is making it tough for him to breathe or move as needed. Bickerstaff said the big man will “give it a go if he can” but expect the Cavs to be extra cautious with Allen given the possibility of a Game 7 or another series.

— PRESSURE IS ON: The Magic. To extend the series and save the season, one of the NBA’s youngest teams will have its readiness and resolve tested like never before. This is a huge spot for a team with minimal postseason experience but major potential.

Dallas leads 3-2. Game 6, 9:30 p.m. EDT, ESPN

— NEED TO KNOW: The Mavericks are right back where they were three years ago, leading the Clippers 3-2 with a chance to close out a first-round series at home after winning Game 5 in Los Angeles. Dallas lost that Game 6 and the series in 2021. Luka Doncic didn’t have Kyrie Irving then, so this might show what difference a player with an NBA championship on his resume can make. Leonard has missed three of the five games with right knee inflammation, and there’s no indication the Clippers plan for him to return. The burden is likely to fall to Paul George and James Harden again.

— KEEP AN EYE ON: Doncic has an ailing right knee and apparently has been fighting a respiratory illness. The Slovenian star brushes off the latter, but has been blowing his nose during timeouts. Another two days might help the illness, but Doncic figures to have to keep managing the pain in his knee after tweaking it in Game 3. The NBA scoring champion struggled in a Game 4 loss, but had 35 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in Dallas’ 123-93 win in Game 5.

— INJURY WATCH: The right knees of Doncic and Leonard have been the story of the series. While Doncic (who isn't listed on the injury report for Game 6) appears healthy enough to play through his issue, the Clippers haven’t sounded optimistic since Leonard returned to the sideline for Game 4 after missing the opener and playing in the second and third games. The two-time NBA champion was clearly uncomfortable in Game 3. Team president Lawrence Frank has said Leonard won’t play until the knee feels the way it did going into Game 2, which was after Leonard had been sitting for three weeks. Dallas G Tim Hardaway Jr. will miss a fourth consecutive game with a sprained right ankle.

— PRESSURE IS ON: George and Harden are going to have to turn it on in Dallas again after falling flat at home. They led the Clippers to a 111-106 road win in Game 4, combining for 66 points — 33 apiece — and 11-of-15 shooting from 3-point range. With a chance to take control of the series, the Clippers got blown out instead. George scored 15 points on 4-of-13 shooting and Harden had just seven while going 2 of 12 from the field. Without Leonard, LA has precious little scoring punch beyond the two healthy stars.

AP Sports Writers Tom Withers in Cleveland and Schuyler Dixon in Dallas contributed to this report.

Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook (0) shoots as Dallas Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber (42) defends during the second half in Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, left, dries toward the basket as Los Angeles Clippers guard Brandon Boston Jr. follows during the second half in Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley yells against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff calls a play against the Orlando Magic during the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) dunks against Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) during the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives past Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South Africa's election will determine how weary the country has become of the ruling African National Congress party that has been in power since the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule 30 years ago.

President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ANC are struggling to keep their parliamentary majority and opinion polls predict that the party will likely receive less than 50% of the national vote for the first time in the May 29 election.

That doesn't mean that the beleaguered ANC will be out of power in Africa's most advanced economy.

Even as the famous organization once led by Nelson Mandela has seen a decline in its popularity, no one has risen to a position to replace it. Instead, South Africans who have turned away from the ANC have gone looking for answers among an array of opposition parties.

So, the ANC is still expected to gain the largest share of votes. But without an outright majority, it would need to form a coalition to stay in government and keep Ramaphosa for a second and final term as president. For a key country on the African continent, that might bring new complications, given some recent coalitions at local level have been spectacular failures.

While most South Africans appear ready to register their disgruntlement with the ANC in a defining moment, a coalition government may not easily solve the country's big problems, which include the world’s highest levels of unemployment and inequality.

South Africans don't vote directly for their president, but rather decide the makeup of Parliament, which is called the National Assembly. They do that by choosing parties and those parties get seats in Parliament according to their share of the national vote. The 400-member National Assembly then elects the president, meaning whichever party has a majority chooses the head of state.

That has always been the ANC since the first all-race elections in 1994, but this time it may need to strike agreements with other parties to get the required 201 votes from lawmakers to reelect the 71-year-old Ramaphosa and form a government.

The election effectively starts on Friday and Saturday, when South African citizens living overseas vote in embassies and foreign missions. The main election will be held on May 29 across all nine provinces. It will decide the makeup of both the national and provincial legislatures.

Just over 27 million of the population of 62 million are registered to vote in what is only the country's seventh fully democratic national election since apartheid was dismantled.

There are 70 political parties registered for the vote, the most ever, and independent candidates will be allowed to stand for the first time.

The ANC's fate is the headline story: Ramaphosa is the party's leader and the face of its campaign. The main opposition is the centrist Democratic Alliance, or DA. It has entered into an agreement with some smaller parties in the hope that their combined vote might force the ANC out of government completely. Polls indicate they are some way off that mark.

The far-left Economic Freedom Fighters, or EFF, is the third biggest party and led by Julius Malema, a fiery former ANC youth leader.

The DA won around 20% in the last national election and the EFF 10% to the ANC's 57.5%. Neither opposition party appears to have significantly increased in popularity.

That's largely because of the dozens of other parties, many of them new, that have captured small shares. While 80% of South Africa’s population is Black, it is a multi-racial, multi-cultural society, with five defined racial groups, many ethnicities and 12 official languages. An equally diverse political picture is beginning to appear.

Of the new parties, uMkhonto weSizwe (which means Spear of the Nation) has gained the most attention because it is led by former South African President Jacob Zuma, who has turned his back on the ANC he once led in a bitter battle with Ramaphosa, the man who replaced him.

Unemployment and poverty stand out as the most pressing issues for the majority of people. While South Africa is regarded as Africa's most advanced country, its contradictions are stark. It also has an unemployment rate of 32% — the highest in the world — and more than half of South Africans are living in poverty, according to the World Bank.

That has driven most of the discontent as millions of the poor Black majority feel the ANC has not improved their lives sufficiently three decades after apartheid, which brutally oppressed Black people in favor of the white minority.

Other prominent election issues that are seen as pushing voters away from the ANC are the high rate of violent crime, multiple government corruption scandals over the years, the failure of some basic government services and a crisis within the state-owned electricity supplier that has led to nationwide blackouts at regular intervals to conserve power. The blackouts have eased ahead of the election but they angered people and further damaged a struggling economy.

This story has been corrected to show the ANC won 57.5% of the vote in the last national election, not 62%.

AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

FILE - Cars travel on a normally well-lit section of a freeway during a power outage in Johannesburg on Sept. 21, 2022. Power shortages, unemployment and poverty stand out as the most pressing issues as the country heads to a general election May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell, File)

File — Residents of the township of Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa, queue for water Saturday, March 16, 2024. Unemployment and poverty stand out as the most pressing issues for the majority of people in the country as the country heads to a general election May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)

File — A young girl carrying an empty water bottle through a flooded street caused by an overflowing water reservoir in Hammanskraal, Pretoria, South Africa, Friday, May 26, 2023 during a cholera outbreak. Unemployment and poverty stand out as the most pressing issues for the majority of people in the country as the country heads to a general election May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe,File)

An array of election posters from various political parties are displayed on poles in Pretoria, South Africa, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

An array of election posters from various political parties are displayed on poles in Pretoria, South Africa, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

An array of election posters from various political parties are displayed on poles in Pretoria, South Africa, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)