Knicks look to close out defending champion Celtics in Game 5. Timberwolves can do same to Warriors
Knicks look to close out defending champion Celtics in Game 5. Timberwolves can do same to Warriors
BOSTON (AP) — Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves are on the brink of their second straight trip to the Western Conference finals. In the East, Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks are a win away from reaching the conference finals for the first time in 25 years.
New York wasn’t given much of a shot entering its semifinal matchup against a Boston Celtics team it went 0-4 against during the regular season.
There aren’t a lot of Knicks doubters now.
New York rode huge fourth-quarter performances from Brunson and Mikal Bridges to overcome a double-digit deficit for the third time in the series and defeat the defending champions 121-113 in Game 4.
Brunson believes the Knicks brought a sense of urgency and desperation into the matchup.
“We’re playing a really good team, and I don’t even think we’re playing our best basketball yet,” Brunson said. “And we have a team that’s fairly new this year and we still have a long way to go to be the best team we can be and it’s always time to learn for us so we got to make sure we’re never satisfied.”
New York took a 3-1 series lead, and Boston suffered a devastating blow when star Jayson Tatum went down in the fourth quarter with a ruptured right Achilles tendon. Players from both teams walked over to offer support to Tatum as he writhed in pain on the court at Madison Square Garden. He had surgery Tuesday.
Teams leading 3-1 in the NBA playoffs have won 95.6% of the time, with only 13 teams in 293 tries coming back to win three straight games.
And that’s the same tough spot the Golden State Warriors are in after the Timberwolves’ 117-110 win on Monday.
Julius Randle led the way with 31 points, followed by Edwards with 30. Edwards got off to a sluggish start, but he scored 11 points during a 17-0 third-quarter run.
“I didn’t like how we were playing overall, and I didn’t like how I was playing individually,” Edwards said. “I know I had to pick it up.”
The Warriors opened the series with a win at Minnesota and will have to win there again to keep their season alive. They’ll still be without star Stephen Curry, who missed his third consecutive game and was set to have his strained left hamstring re-evaluated Wednesday.
Jimmy Butler didn’t feel well before or during Game 4 but coach Steve Kerr is counting on “Playoff Jimmy” showing up with the season on the line Wednesday.
“He does whatever is necessary to win,” Kerr said. “And I’m confident that Game 5, he’s the ultimate competitor. He’ll be ready to roll.”
New York Knicks at Boston Celtics
When/where to watch: Game 5, 7 p.m. EDT (TNT).
Series: Knicks lead 3-1.
BetMGM Sportsbook: Celtics by 4.5.
What to know: The Celtics’ reign as NBA champions is in peril as they return home trailing the Knicks 3-1. Boston surrendered a double-digit, second-half lead for the third time in the series and lost Tatum to the torn Achilles tendon late in the fourth quarter. The Celtics hit a series-best 18 3-pointers in Game 4, but were just of 6 of 24 after halftime. They’ll have to contend with a Knicks team that got another strong night from Brunson, who continued to show why he was named the NBA’s clutch player of the year. He finished with 39 points and 12 assists — his sixth game this postseason scoring 30 or more — to help New York get within a victory of advancing to its first conference finals appearance since 2000.
Golden State Warriors at Minnesota Timberwolves
When/where to watch: Game 5, 8:30 p.m. EDT (TNT).
Series: Timberwolves lead 3-1.
BetMGM Sportsbook: Timberwolves by 11.5.
What to know: The Timberwolves’ 1-2 punch of Edwards and Randle has been too much for Golden State, and without Curry, the Warriors don’t have the scoring power to stay with Minnesota. With Curry set for a re-evaluation of the hamstring he hurt in Game 1 last Tuesday, it would seem highly unlikely he would be thrust right back into action, even in an elimination game. The Warriors regularly put rehabbing players through on-court work before they return to game action. “We don’t need Superman. I play the long game,” longtime teammate Draymond Green said. Curry wouldn’t even get a chance to return if the Warriors don’t stave off elimination and force a Game 6 back home at Chase Center on Sunday. The Wolves knocked down 16 of 32 3-pointers Monday night while the Warriors were cold from long range again. After they managed only five 3-point attempts in the first half of Game 3 — missing them all — and finished 10 for 23 from deep, they were even worse in Game 4 at 8 of 27.
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AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney in New York and AP Sports Writer Janie McCauley in San Francisco contributed to this report.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
By KYLE HIGHTOWER
AP Sports Writer
