Knicks and Nuggets have a chance to eliminate Pistons and Clippers from NBA playoffs

DETROIT (AP) — Two teams will have a chance to advance in the NBA playoffs on Thursday night against franchises playing a Game 6 on their home court in each conference.

All four squads will count on key players they added over the last year.

The third-seeded New York Knicks will get a second shot at eliminating the sixth-seeded Detroit Pistons in an Eastern Conference first-round series. In the nightcap, the fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets will have their first opportunity to get past the fifth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers in the West.

New York, in a quest to at least reach the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000, made win-now moves to acquire Karl-Antony Towns and Mikal Bridges to complement Jalen Brunson. With Brunson banged up in Game 5, Towns and Bridges scored 17 points apiece.

Detroit, desperately seeking relevance, welcomed Tobias Harris back for a second tour with the team as part of a busy summer that surrounded Cade Cunningham with some veterans.

In a season-extending win in New York on Tuesday night, Harris became the first Pistons player in a playoff game to fill out the box score with 17 points, eight rebounds, four blocks, two assists and two steals.

“He is our safety blanket," Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "He’s reliable. He’s dependable. He understands what needs to happen in the moment. He’s an unbelievable human being, unbelievable teammate. Fierce competitor.”

Denver, trying to win an NBA title for the second time in two years, signed nine-time All-Star and former Clippers guard Russell Westbrook to improve the roster with reigning MVP Nikola Jokic.

Westbrook, looking like the MVP he was eight years ago, had 13 points in a seven-minute stretch in the first half of Game 5 and finished with 21 points of a 131-115 win at Denver that gave the Nuggets a 3-2 lead in the series.

Los Angeles, seeking a new formula to win after choosing not to keep All-Star Paul George, added depth with subtle moves such as acquiring Kris Dunn from Utah in a trade that involved Westbrook to give the Kawhi Leonard-led team more depth.

Dunn, who has started each playoff game, scored 15 points on Tuesday night for his second double-digit scoring performance against Denver.

When/Where to Watch: Game 6, 7:30 p.m. EDT (TNT)

Series: Knicks lead 3-2.

BetMGM Sportsbook: Knicks by 2.5.

What to Know: Each team has won two games on the road. If the Pistons lose a third straight game at Little Caesars Arena, they will be eliminated and break an NBA record with a 10th straight home playoff loss in a skid that dates to 2008. “Need to protect the crib now,” Cunningham said. "Never say die. We’re still in it.” Cunningham is the third NBA player to have at least 120 points, 40 rebounds and 40 assists in his first five playoff games, joining Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson and five-time All-Star Luka Doncic. The Knicks are limping back to the Motor City. Brunson aggravated his injured right ankle in Game 5. “I’m all good,” Brunson said after he had as many field goals (four) as turnovers and was stuck on the sideline late in the game because coach Tom Thibodeau chose not to call a timeout. Josh Hart has a wrist ailment, but said his whole body is hurting and Thibodeau said OG Anunoby also missed some time Tuesday night with an injury. Detroit has been without rugged center Isaiah Stewart (knee) since he played in Game 1 and shooting guard Jaden Ivey since he broke his leg in January.

When/Where to Watch: Thursday, Game 6, 10 p.m. EDT (TNT)

Series: Nuggets lead, 3-2

BetMGM Sportsbook: Clippers by 6.5.

What to Know: The Jokic-led Nuggets have two chances to close out the series, just as they did last year, and are hoping for a different result. Denver lost Game 6 in Minnesota and then blew a 20-point, second-half lead in Game 7 at home in the second-round exit. Jokic refuses to spend too much time looking back. “I’m just playing,” he said after he had 13 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in Game 5. For the Clippers, they simply would like to avoid falling behind by big margins. In the last two games, they trailed by 22 points before climbing back. “Just trying to stay in the game early instead of trying to make the heroic comebacks,” Leonard said. “That’s all we can do. We’ve got to fight.” The Clippers are trying to find a way to get James Harden back on track. He’s 8 of 20 from the floor — 1 of 4 from 3-point range — over the last two losses.

AP Sports Writer Pat Graham in Denver contributed to this report.

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Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook, left, looks to pass the ball as Los Angeles Clippers guard Kris Dunn defends in the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball playoff series Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook, right, reacts after dunking the ball for a basket as Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden looks on in the second half of Game 1 of an NBA first-round playoff series Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) looks to pass around New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) and Mitchell Robinson (23) during Game 5 in an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris reacts after a basket during Game 5 in an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks, Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's photo portrait display at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery has had references to his two impeachments removed, the latest apparent change at the collection of museums he has accused of bias as he asserts his influence over how official presentations document U.S. history.

The wall text, which summarized Trump's first presidency and noted his 2024 comeback victory, was part of the museum's “American Presidents” exhibition. The description had been placed alongside a photograph of Trump taken during his first term. Now, a different photo appears without any accompanying text block, though the text was available online. Trump was the only president whose display in the gallery, as seen Sunday, did not include any extended text.

The White House did not say whether it sought any changes. Nor did a Smithsonian statement in response to Associated Press questions. But Trump ordered in August that Smithsonian officials review all exhibits before the nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4. The Republican administration said the effort would “ensure alignment with the president’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.”

Trump's original “portrait label," as the Smithsonian calls it, notes Trump's Supreme Court nominations and his administration's development of COVID-19 vaccines. That section concludes: “Impeached twice, on charges of abuse of power and incitement of insurrection after supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, he was acquitted by the Senate in both trials.”

Then the text continues: “After losing to Joe Biden in 2020, Trump mounted a historic comeback in the 2024 election. He is the only president aside from Grover Cleveland (1837– 1908) to have won a nonconsecutive second term.”

Asked about the display, White House spokesman Davis Ingle celebrated the new photograph, which shows Trump, brow furrowed, leaning over his Oval Office desk. Ingle said it ensures Trump's “unmatched aura ... will be felt throughout the halls of the National Portrait Gallery.”

The portrait was taken by White House photographer Daniel Torok, who is credited in the display that includes medallions noting Trump is the 45th and 47th president. Similar numerical medallions appear alongside other presidents' painted portraits that also include the more extended biographical summaries such as what had been part of Trump's display.

Sitting presidents are represented by photographs until their official paintings are commissioned and completed.

Ingle did not answer questions about whether Trump or a White House aide, on his behalf, asked for anything related to the portrait label.

The gallery said in a statement that it had previously rotated two photographs of Trump from its collection before putting up Torok's work.

“The museum is beginning its planned update of the America’s Presidents gallery which will undergo a larger refresh this Spring,” the gallery statement said. “For some new exhibitions and displays, the museum has been exploring quotes or tombstone labels, which provide only general information, such as the artist’s name.”

For now, references to Presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton being impeached in 1868 and 1998, respectively, remain as part of their portrait labels, as does President Richard Nixon's 1974 resignation as a result of the Watergate scandal.

And, the gallery statement noted, “The history of Presidential impeachments continues to be represented in our museums, including the National Museum of American History.”

Trump has made clear his intentions to shape how the federal government documents U.S. history and culture. He has offered an especially harsh assessment of how the Smithsonian and other museums have featured chattel slavery as a seminal variable in the nation's development but also taken steps to reshape how he and his contemporary rivals are depicted.

In the months before his order for a Smithsonian review, he fired the head archivist of the National Archives and said he was firing the National Portrait Gallery's director, Kim Sajet, as part of his overhaul. Sajet maintained the backing of the Smithsonian's governing board, but she ultimately resigned.

At the White House, Trump has designed a notably partisan and subjective “Presidential Walk of Fame” featuring gilded photographs of himself and his predecessors — with the exception of Biden, who is represented by an autopen — along with plaques describing their presidencies.

The White House said at the time that Trump himself was a primary author of the plaques. Notably, Trump's two plaques praise the 45th and 47th president as a historically successful figure while those under Biden's autopen stand-in describe the 46th executive as “by far, the worst President in American History” who “brought our Nation to the brink of destruction.”

Barrow reported from Atlanta.

People react to a photograph of President Donald Trump on display at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery's "American Presidents" exhibit on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026 in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Visitors to the National Portrait Gallery walk past the portrait of President Donald Trump, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Visitors stop to look at a photograph of President Donald Trump and a short plaque next to it are on display at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery's "American Presidents" exhibit on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026 in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

A photograph of President Donald Trump and a short plaque next to it are on display at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery's "American Presidents" exhibit on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026 in Washington. (AP Photo/Anna Johnson)

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with oil executives in the East Room of the White House, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)