Captain Clutch delivers again.
Jalen Brunson & the Knicks rally past the Celtics to move one win away from the East Finals.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
May 13, 2025
Knicks Up 3-1: Jalen Brunson & Mikal Bridges shine in the clutch as NY takes Game 4
Wolves Up 3-1: Ant Edwards & the Wolves break Game 4 open in 3rd quarter on the road
Mavs Win Lottery: Dallas defies the odds to land top pick in 2025 NBA Draft
Thunder-Nuggets: The keys for tonight’s pivotal Game 5 in this 2-2 series
Cavs-Pacers: Indy tries to close series, Cleveland seeks step one of a comeback
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Yesterday’s scores & what to watch today…
Tonight’s TNT doubleheader features a pair of critical Game 5s. In Cleveland, the Cavs face a must-win to extend their season when they host the Pacers (7 ET). Then, in Oklahoma City, the Thunder host the Nuggets (9:30 ET) with both teams seeking an edge in a 2-2 series.
1. BRUNSON SHINES AGAIN AS KNICKS PUT DEFENDING CHAMPS ON ROPES
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Jalen Brunson was named the Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year for his outstanding play with the game on the line during the regular season.
He’s taken it to another level in the Playoffs, including a masterpiece in Monday’s Game 4 to put the Knicks within a win of reaching the East Finals for the first time since 2000.
Knicks 121, Celtics 113: Brunson (39 pts, 12 ast, 4 3pm) and Jayson Tatum (42 pts, 8 reb, 4 stl, 7 3pm) dueled all night, but it was New York that dominated the 2nd half, outscoring Boston 70-51 after the break to take a commanding 3-1 lead. | Recap
- Boston Leads Early: The Celtics used a 12-0 run on four 3s in the final 75 seconds of the 1st quarter to take a 12-point lead. They led throughout the 2nd quarter and extended the lead to 14 early in the 3rd before the tables turned
- New York Answers: Having already overcome two 20-point deficits in this series, Brunson (18 in the quarter) and the Knicks responded by winning the 3rd 37-23, including a 17-6 run to close the frame and take a 3-point lead into the 4th
Clutch Time: Neither team led by more than five points for the first eight minutes of the 4th, setting up Brunson – and his former Nova teammate Mikal Bridges – to close it out with an 11-2 run down the stretch.
- 4:00: Brunson pull-up jumper puts NY up 5
- 3:22: Bridges fading jumper (assisted by Brunson) puts NY up 7
- 3:03: Bridges steal to OG Anunoby dunk, NY up 9, Tatum injured
- 2:25: Brunson 28-foot pull-up 3 puts NY up 12
- 1:32: Brunson assist on OG dunk, NY back up 12 after Brown layup
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Brunson joined Walt Frazier – who was sitting courtside with other Knicks legends in an electric Madison Square Garden – as the only Knicks with 35 pts, 5 reb & 10 ast in a Playoff game.
- He also joined Kobe Bryant as the only players with 100+ 4th quarter points in the first 10 games of a Playoff run since 1998
- Helping Hands: Bridges, who’s delivered in the clutch throughout the Playoffs, scored 10 of his 23 pts in the 4th. Karl-Anthony Towns (23 pts, 11 reb) and Anunoby (20 pts, 4 3pm) combined to add 43
- Brunson on Bridges: “I have full trust in him, no matter what the situation is.”
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Tatum had it going from the opening tip. He scored 15 points with three 3s in the 1st quarter and finished the half with his 28th 20+ point half since 2020 – the most of any NBA player in that span.
- JT Injured Late: Tatum added 11 points in both the 3rd and 4th quarters before exiting the game with 2:58 left with a lower leg injury
- Tatum finished with 42 points for his 5th career 40+ point Playoff game, tying John Havlicek and Larry Bird for most in Celtics history
- Derrick White (23 pts, 6 3pm) and Jaylen Brown (20 pts, 7 reb) combined to add 43 in the loss
What’s Next: With NY up 3-1, the series shifts back to Boston for Game 5 on Wednesday (7 ET, TNT) with the Knicks looking to close and the Celtics trying to keep their title defense alive.
2. ANT, WOLVES STRIKE IN 3RD QUARTER TO TAKE 3-1 LEAD BACK HOME
Jesse D. Garrabrant & Ezra Shaw/NBAE via Getty Images
In the closing seconds of the 1st half, Anthony Edwards launched a 30-foot pull-up 3 over two of Golden State’s top defenders – Gary Payton II and Draymond Green – that splashed as the buzzer sounded.
The triple cut the Warriors’ lead from five to two entering the locker room.
But it was just a precursor of what was to come.
Wolves 117, Warriors 110: After dominating 4th quarters throughout these Playoffs, the Wolves made their statement a bit earlier on Monday. Minnesota opened the 3rd on a 22-8 run – with Ant scoring 16 points – to seize control and earn a 3-1 series lead. | Recap
- A Complete Quarter: Minnesota won the 3rd quarter 39-17 as they shined on both offense (15-of-23 shooting, 6-of-12 from 3) and defense (holding Golden State to 7-of-19 shooting, 0-of-6 from 3 and forcing 6 turnovers)
- The Turning Point: Minnesota’s 3rd quarter broke open a back-and-forth game that saw eight lead changes, six ties and neither team leading by more than eight points in the 1st half
- The Buzzer-Beater: Ant led the NBA in 3s made this season (320), but shot just 3-of-23 (13.0%) from 30+ feet in the regular season. He was 0-of-3 on 30-footers in the Playoffs before Monday, but continued to practice them in warmups for moments like this
Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images
Dynamic Duo: Edwards (30 pts, 6 3pm) and Julius Randle (31 pts, 4 3pm) combined for 61 points and 10 triples as they became the third duo in Wolves history to each score 30+ in the same Playoff game, joining Kevin Garnett & Troy Hudson and KG & Sam Cassell.
- Hitting Their Stride: The Wolves are now 24-6 over their last 30 games since Randle returned from injury at the start of March – 17-4 to close the regular season and 7-2 in the Playoffs
- Elite Company: Edwards posted his 13th career 30+ point Playoff game to break a tie with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the 5th most by a player 23 or younger. Luka Dončić, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant all have 17, while LeBron James has 21
- “He is one of one” – Draymond praised Edwards after Ant’s Game 4 performance
Jonathan Kuminga scored a team-high 23 for the Warriors, while Jimmy Butler III and Draymond added 14 apiece in the loss. Golden State’s reserves made a late 19-5 push, but ultimately came up short.
What’s Next: The Wolves lead 3-1 as the series shifts to Minnesota for Game 5 (Wednesday, 9:30 ET, TNT). Curry, who’s been out with a hamstring injury since early in Game 1, will be evaluated before Game 5.
3. MAVS WIN DRAFT LOTTERY
“With the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Dallas Mavericks select…”
In just five weeks, the NBA world is set to hear those words after the Mavs overcame long odds to win the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery presented by State Farm on Monday.
Dallas had the 10th-lowest odds (1.8%) of winning the 2025 No. 1 pick, but the drawing – held at McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, site of this week’s 2025 NBA Draft Combine – went its way. | Picks 14-5 | Picks 4-1 | Draft Order (1-59)
Lowest Odds To Ever Win NBA Draft Lottery
- 1. Orlando Magic (1993): 1.52%
- T-2. Cleveland Cavaliers (2014): 1.70%
- T-2. Chicago Bulls (2008): 1.70%
- 4. Dallas Mavericks (2025): 1.80%
- 5. Cleveland Cavaliers (2011): 2.80%
How it started (the odds) → Hot it ended (the results)
Dallas had never won the NBA Draft Lottery – which debuted in 1985 – in its franchise history. The Mavs will select first overall for the first time since 1981, when they took Mark Aguirre.
The Mavs weren’t the only team to beat the odds. The Spurs and Sixers also moved up the draft board.
- San Antonio – which has the past two Kia NBA Rookies of the Year in Victor Wembanyama & Stephon Castle – jumped from 8th to 2nd. The Spurs also got the 14th pick from Atlanta via a previous trade
- Philadelphia – which had to remain in the top 6 in order to keep its pick, otherwise it would go to OKC – climbed from 5th to 3rd for its highest draft position since 2017
- The Other Side: For teams to move up, that means other teams had to drop. Charlotte, which shared the highest odds of winning the No. 1 pick (14%) with Utah and Washington will select 4th overall, followed by the Jazz and Wizards
The 2025 NBA Draft will be held Wednesday, June 25 (First Round) and Thursday, June 26 (Second Round) at the Barclays Center. Draft Hub
4. PIVOTAL GAME 5 TONIGHT IN OKC
OKC & Denver entered the West Semis on entirely different trajectories.
- The Nuggets took the long road, but emerged victorious after going the distance with the Clippers. In the meantime, the Thunder hit the ground running with their sweep of the Grizzlies
- Now, both are locked into a back-and-forth battle
- The Thunder knotted the series at 2-2 in Sunday’s defensive clash, and find themselves home for tonight’s Game 5 (9:30 ET, TNT)
- Neither side has been able to win consecutive games as three of their four meetings have been decided by single digits
OKC held Denver to 87 points in Game 4 as the Nuggets fell to 0-6 on the season when being held under 100 points.
For the series, Denver is averaging 106.7 ppg on 40.1% shooting – down 14.1 ppg and 10.5 FG%, respectively, from its regular-season marks.
Let’s break down a few examples of how OKC has slowed Denver down.
Isaiah Joe steps up to stop Peyton Watson’s drive, forcing a kick out to Russell Westbrook in the corner, Alex Caruso closes out, Westbrook finds Jokić in the paint, but OKC collapses on him to force two misses inside
Aaron Gordon backs down Jalen Williams in the post, but Chet Holmgren rotates over for a perfectly-timed double resulting in a block
Denver can look to Jamal Murray to pick up some slack offensively. He racked up 43 points on eight 3-pointers in Game 5 against the Clippers.
- Stepping Up: The 8th-year guard holds all-time averages of 18.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 4.7 apg in the regular season. Those improve to 23.8/4.9/6.1, respectively, in the postseason
- Magic Number: Murray has played 11 Game 5s in his career, and owns marks of 26.1 ppg, 50.2 FG% and 46.8 3P% in those outings. Denver is 10-1 in that span
5. CAVS HOST PACERS WITH SEASON ON THE LINE IN GAME 5
The path has been laden with broken records for these Cavaliers.
They built the longest winning streak in franchise history – twice. They became one of the most efficient-shooting squads of all-time. And earlier this Playoffs, they achieved the largest-ever point differential in a series.
More history is necessary if they wish to continue their campaign.
Tonight, Indiana can eliminate Cleveland and advance to its second-straight East Finals with a victory in Game 5 (7 ET, TNT) after taking a 3-1 lead Sunday. The conference’s No. 1 seed returns to Rocket Arena, but needs three consecutive wins to salvage a historic season.
- Darius Garland: “This group is always competing at a high level, it doesn’t matter what circumstance it is. Go out there with a chip on our shoulder and a lot of desperation…”
- Spida Day-To-Day: Donovan Mitchell (ankle) will be a game-time decision. He averaged 41.3 ppg through Games 1-3, and Cleveland is 9-2 without him in 2024-25
Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images
This 3-1 deficit opens a flood of memories for the Cavs’ faithful. It’s been nearly 10 years since their team overcame it at the championship level.
- Time Machine: Cleveland trailed Golden State, 3-1, in the 2016 NBA Finals, tasked with doing what no team had ever done, and against the 73-9 defending champions
- Comeback Complete: The Cavaliers won Games 5 and 6 by double digits, then claimed Game 7 behind LeBron James’ iconic block and Kyrie Irving’s clutch 3. They secured the franchise’s only NBA crown and ended the city’s 52-year title drought
- Still, there have been 292 different 3-1 deficits in league Playoff history and only 13 teams (4.5%) beat the odds
The Pacers featured seven scorers in double figures in Sunday’s win. Their ball movement continues to generate opportunities for players beyond Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam.
With the Cavs in zone, Haliburton finds Siakam in the paint, who draws the defense before dishing back to Bennedict Mathurin for the layup
Haliburton and Myles Turner run a wing pick-and-roll, Turner gets pass from Haliburton, stops his roll and finds a cutting Obi Toppin for the baseline slam
When Indiana gets quality looks, it doesn’t waste them. The group owns a 50.1 FG% and 40.4 3P% through the first nine Playoff games thus far – the first since the 2014 Spurs with such numbers.
Rick Carlisle’s crew ended the regular season on a 4th-best 34-14 run dating back to New Year’s Day, and is now 7-2 this postseason – tied with Minnesota for the top mark among conference semifinalists.
“We’re going to keep approaching this like we have everything to prove,” said the Pacers coach. “We know people don’t believe in us.”
