Happy Tuesday, everyone! Hope you had a wonderful long weekend.
Let’s get right to it.
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The Thunder are one game away from the NBA Finals after a rousing 128-126 Game 4 win over the Timberwolves.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came up one rebound shy of a 40-point triple double, Jalen Williams delivered a massive secondary performance with 34 points, and Chet Holmgren had 21. Those three combined for 34 points in a frantic fourth quarter.
- After a Williams 3 gave Oklahoma City a 123-116 advantage with 1:21 left, Minnesota reeled off five points, and a thrilling finish looked to be next. Instead, it was a strategic foul fest from both teams — eight free throws attempted over the last 8.1 seconds — and the hosts never got closer than two.
- The way the game ended put a major damper on what had been a tremendous contest for 47+ minutes, Brad Botkin writes. I agree. (Elam Ending, anyone?)
The numbers Minnesota’s stars didn’t put up stand out, too. Anthony Edwards had 16 points on 5 for 13 shooting. Julius Randle had five points on 1 for 7. In fact, Minnesota only stayed in the game thanks to a marvelous 64-point outing from its bench, which actually outscored the starters 64-62. (Oh yeah, and Jaden McDaniels was fantastic.)
That’s where Oklahoma City’s supporting cast deserves credit. Lu Dort, Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace won’t blow you away in the box score, but they led a terrific team-wide defensive showing against Edwards, Jack Maloney writes.
- Maloney: “However you want to describe Edwards’ performance, or divvy up the blame (or credit), the fact of the matter is he wasn’t at his best in Game 4. The Timberwolves need him to be on Wednesday in a must-win Game 5 back in Oklahoma City. ”
Oklahoma City won on the edges, too: 23 turnovers forced and 19 offensive rebounds. The Thunder took 11 more shots than the Timberwolves did, and that math was a major factor.
As we’ve said all season, it’s not just the stars. It’s not just the depth. It’s both, and how they coexist. After a blowout loss in Game 3, the Thunder needed a big response. They got it, predictably, from just about everyone.
Tonight, the Knicks hope to do what the Timberwolves could not: Even the series at 2-2 after going down 2-0. New York even having that chance is a minor miracle. The Knicks rallied from 20 points down to beat the Pacers 106-100 in Game 3 Sunday. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 20 points in the fourth quarter, saving the season when Jalen Brunson was in major foul trouble. His play — plus Tom Thibodeau‘s rotation shakeups early, middle and late — have given New York life.
Indiana is facing the potential absence of Aaron Nesmith (ankle), a bigger issue than you may think, Sam Quinn writes. At least Tyrese Haliburton‘s dad will be back.
😄 Honorable mentions
🤕 And not such a good morning for …
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CAITLIN CLARK AND THE INDIANA FEVER
All the WNBA’s biggest star can do is watch. Caitlin Clark (strained quad) will miss at least two weeks. She suffered the injury in a last-second loss to the Liberty on Saturday. Fever coach Stephanie White said it’s different from the injury Clark dealt with in the preseason.
Prior to the news of her injury, Clark was the early-season MVP frontrunner. However, the odds shifted dramatically Monday, Robby Kalland noted.
👎 Not so honorable mentions
🏈 100 days until NFL season: 100 things to know, 100 most important players
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Rejoice, NFL fans! It’s 100 days until the Cowboys and Eagles kick off the 2025 season, and to celebrate, we have 100 things to know, courtesy of Cody Benjamin, and the 100 most important players of the season, courtesy of yours truly.
Among Cody’s top storylines is …
- Benjamin: “Can the other AFC powers get over the hump? At the end of the day, of course, the Chiefs are still the Chiefs, which means the pressure is still on basically every other elite signal-caller in the conference — Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow — to finally come through when it counts. The Bengals, Bills and Ravens all profile as contenders, but only Burrow has actually gotten past Patrick Mahomes in the postseason.”
The point before that assesses if the Chiefs have finally fallen off. It seems like we’ve seen these two questions in tandem before.
As for my 100 most important players, here are some of my favorites:
- “Matthew Stafford has arguably the best 1-2 wide receiver punch of his career in Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, which is really more of a 1A-1B punch. Stafford’s numbers dropped off sharply across the board when Nacua wasn’t on the field last season (he played in just 11 games), and in Adams, the Rams gain a bonafide star capable of creating separation all over the field.”
- “Aidan Hutchinson appeared to be joining the truly elite tier of pass rushers with 7.5 sacks in four-plus games before suffering a broken leg. Detroit’s defense was never the same as injuries mounted elsewhere, too. If/when Hutchinson rediscovers his form will be crucial for the Lions, who are replacing former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.”
⚾ MLB Power Rankings, weekend roundup
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Memorial Day has come and gone, and we’re about one-third of the way through the MLB season. There have been surprises both good (hello, Cardinals, Tigers, Mariners and Giants!) and bad (yuck, Orioles), and we have a group of contenders taking shape. Here’s the top five of Matt Snyder’s latest MLB Power Rankings:
- Phillies (previous: 6)
- Tigers (1)
- Yankees (3)
- Dodgers (2)
- Mets (4)
Here’s more:
📺 What we’re watching Tuesday
⚾ Braves at Phillies, 6:45 p.m. on TBS
🏀 Knicks at Pacers (Pacers lead 2-1), 8 p.m. on TNT
🏒 Stars at Oilers (Oilers lead 2-1), 8 p.m. on ESPN
