Top Stories

• Indiana is headed to the ECF

• Minnesota is headed to the WCF

• No Games Tonight

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Games of the day

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

Tyrese Haliburton scored 26 points and the Pacers set an NBA playoff record by shooting 67% from the field, beating the New York Knicks 130-109 to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 10 years. The No. 6-seeded Pacers advanced to face top-seeded Boston in a series that begins Tuesday. Indiana last reached the conference finals in 2014, losing to Miami, which is best remembered by Paul George becoming a star and dueling with LeBron James. Jalen Brunson left in the second half with a broken left hand, one final injury for a Knicks team that was plagued by them. They lost 4 starters to injuries, first Randle and Robinson, then Anunoby to an injury that kept him in and out, and he was only able to play 4 mins this game. Then Brunson broke his hand, and the injuries overwhelmed them. The No. 6-seeded Pacers advanced to face top-seeded Boston in a series that begins Tuesday.

Anthony Edwards overcame a slow start and the Timberwolves came back from a 20-point second-half deficit to eliminate the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets 98-90 in a Game 7 Minnesota masterpiece. The Timberwolves overcame a 15-point halftime deficit, the largest comeback in a Game 7 in NBA playoff history, behind Edwards, who had just four points, no rebounds and three assists at halftime but finished with 16 points, eight boards and seven assists. The Wolves, who got 23 points each from Karl-Anthony Towns and Jaden McDaniels, advanced to the Western Conference finals for the first time in exactly 20 years. Jamal Murray, coming off a 4-for-18 shooting performance in the Nuggets' 115-70 loss in Game 6, the largest ever in the playoffs by a reigning champion, made 13 of 27 shots for 35 points. Jokic added 34 points to go with 19 rebounds but the duo got little help as no other Denver players reached double figures in points. Minnesota will face the Dallas Mavericks beginning Wednesday night at Target Center.

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Around the League

• Injury Updates: Kristaps Porzingis (calf) is still out indefinitely. Maxi Kleber (shoulder) is out indefinitely. 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: Boston wins 4-1

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.

(Game 5) No Donovan Mitchell means no chance for the Cavs. They hung tough until the 4th, when Boston stepped on their necks.

Prediction: Celtics in 7

(2) Knicks vs (6) Pacers: Indiana wins 3-4

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.

(Game 5) Jalen Brunson scored 44, while Tyrese Haliburton had 13. The difference between the guards was the difference in the game. Indiana has one last chance to stay in this series and force a Game 7.

(Game 6) The Pacers came out aggressive and forced a Game 7. Jalen Brunson ended up missing 11 straight shots on the first half, and Josh Hart played hurt all game. Can the Knicks pull out one more victory to make the ECF?

(Game 7) Injuries and extended minutes finally caught up to NY, who lost Jalen Brunson to a fractured hand in the 2nd half. Tyrese Haliburton caught fire from 3 and Indy never looked back. The Pacers now face the task of taking on the juggernaut Celtics.

Prediction: Knicks in 5

Western Conference

(1) OKC vs (5) Dallas: Dallas wins 2-4

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.

(Game 5) Luka had a 31 point triple-double, looking the healthiest he has all season. He took over to bring Dallas to the brink of a WCF berth, all the have to do is take care of business at home next game

(Game 6) Dallas overcame a 17 point second half deficit to put OKC out. Next round we’ll see how they defend either Anthony Edwards or Nikola Jokic, and how Luka and Kyrie play against either team.

Prediction : Dallas in 6

(2) Nuggets vs (3) Timberwolves: Minnesota wins 3-4

(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.

(Game 5) Ant Edwards had his worst game of the series, going 5-15, while Joker went off for 40. The Wolves have to protect home court and hope that Mike Conley plays next game for them to extend this series.

(Game 6) Minnesota’s defense came back like it was the first 2 games of this series, holding Denver to 70 points. They have the momentum going into Game 7, but it all depends on which teams bench gives the better production.

(Game 7) Denver had a 17 point lead at the half, and were up by as much as 20 in the 2nd half. The Wolves roared back and took the lead behind stifling defense on Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. They had the largest comeback in a Game 7 in NBA history, and they now face Luka and the Mavs.

Prediction: Wolves in 6

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Overtime Thoughts