Top Stories

• Celtics take a 3-1 Series lead

• OKC ties series with Mavs 2-2

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Games of the day

Last Night’s Top Games! (link to the box scores of every game from yesterday)

Jayson Tatum scored 33 points with LeBron James watching from a courtside seat and the Celtics beat the severely short-handed Cavaliers 109-102 in Game 4 to take a commanding 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series. Jaylen Brown added 27 for the Celtics. The Cavs got pushed to the brink of elimination with two of their top players in street clothes on the bench, as Donovan Mitchell (calf) and Jarrett Allen (ribs) sat out with injuries. Darius Garland scored 30 and Evan Mobley and Caris LeVert 19 apiece for the Cavs, who stayed connected with the Celtics and only trailed by 10 going into the fourth. Boston then pulled away late in the period. Game 5 is Wednesday in Boston. Game 6, if necessary, would be back in Cleveland on Friday.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder overcame a Dallas lead that lasted all game, rallying for a 100-96 victory to even their Western Conference semifinal series at 2-2. P.J. Washington led Dallas in scoring again with 21 points, while Doncic had 18 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Kyrie Irving had his second single-digit scoring game of the series with nine points. The teams split a pair on each other's home court. Game 5 is Wednesday night in Oklahoma City.

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Around the League

• Injury Updates: Kristaps Porzingis (calf) is likely out for the entire second round. Bojan Bogdanovic (foot and wrist) had surgery and is out for the season. Mitchell Robinson (ankle) has a fracture and will be out 6-8 weeks. Maxi Kleber (shoulder) is out indefinitely. Julius Randle (shoulder) is out for the season. Benedict Mathurin (shoulder) underwent surgery and is out for the season. We wish all these guys speedy and successful recoveries.

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NBA Playoff Matchups

Eastern Conference

(1) Boston vs (4) Cleveland: Series is 3-1

With a healthy Jarrett Allen, Cleveland has the size and defense to contend with Boston. Expect them to actually give Boston a run for their money.

(Game 1) Boston did what was expected of them, holding down homecourt. Both teams were missing their starting centers, but the Cavs got beat so bad it didn’t matter who was missing.

(Game 2) The Celtics did what they tend to do, playing down to their competition and getting embarrassed. Now with an even series, Boston now has to play from behind to regain homecourt advantage.

(Game 3) Jayson Tatum had a game where he left his mark, and thanks to the efforts of him and Jaylen Brown, Boston is up 2-1.

(Game 4) Boston handled business again, and that was expected since Cleveland didn’t have Donovan Mitchell available to play. One more win sends Boston to the ECF, but the Cavs might be able to take another Game.

Prediction: Celtics in 7

(2) Knicks vs (6) Pacers: Series is 2-2

Indiana doesn’t play both sides of the ball like New York does, and Tyrese Haliburton is going to have to actually play defense.

(Game 1) New York continues to execute in the clutch, coming back to beat Indiana in the final minutes of the 4th (albeit with the help of some questionable calls). Tyrese Haliburton had 6 points…

(Game 2) Haliburton bounced back and had a good game, but despite Jalen Brunson missing part of this game with an injury Indiana couldn’t overcome Donte DiVincenzo and Isaiah Hartenstein at the end of the game.

(Game 3) Tyrese Haliburton led Indiana to a narrow home win to keep their series hopes alive. Jalen Brunson didn’t play very well, but Donte DiVincenzo had a career high in playoff points (35).

(Game 4) The Knicks are worn out, and the Pacers are literally running them off the floor. Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson can only play through injury so much, and they’re running out of gas.

Prediction: Knicks in 5

Western Conference

(1) OKC vs (5) Dallas: Series is 2-2

OKC has enough shooting to keep up with the Mavs, but the duo of Luka/Kyrie plus their size will ultimately be the deciding factor.

(Game 1) OKC was able to keep Luka in check, holding him to 19 points. He needs to find a way to deal with Lu Dort if they want a chance to win.

(Game 2) Luka was back to his old self, and with a balanced team effort Dallas stole a game on the road. Now with the blueprint to win, which is ignoring Josh Giddey and Gordon Hayward, Dallas is set up for success.

(Game 3) Luka and Kyrie seem to have solved the OKC defense, and they’re making them pay. PJ Washington had his 2nd straight 25+ point game.

(Game 4) Luka and Kyrie struggled badly, but despite that Dallas led for the whole game up until about 6 minutes left. If they can’t get their All-Star backcourt going, they stand no chance of winning this series.

Prediction : Dallas in 6

(2) Nuggets vs (3) Timberwolves: Series 2-2

(Game 1) Minnesota came out guns blazing, with Ant Man dropping 43 points. If Joker can’t find a way to be effective and efficient against the bigs of Minnesota, Denver could be in serious trouble.

(Game 2) Even without the likely DPOY Rudy Gobert missing the game due to the birth of his first child, Minnesota won by 26, holding Denver to 80 points (their lowest of the entire season). The Nuggets are in unfamiliar territory, being down 0-2 in a series for the first time in years.

(Game 3) Jokic and Murray came alive to keep Denver’s hope alive. They shot the Wolves out of the gym to keep themselves out of the 3-0 hole.

(Game 4) Denver seems to have figured the Wolves defense out. Nothing can stop Joker regardless, but Murray waking up has been the difference these last 2 games. The tide of this series has completely shifted now.

Prediction: Wolves in 6

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Overtime Thoughts

Hoopgrids

Hoopgrids is a daily basketball trivia game. You cross match each category to find a player that fits both. The rarer the player, the lower the score. The goal is to get the lowest rarity score possible.