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Powered by Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and a second season with Rudy Gobert after their oft-criticised blockbuster trade, Minnesota exceeded expectations en route to a Western Conference Finals finish, having knocked out the defending champion Denver Nuggets – where president of basketball operations Tim Connelly was lured away from – no surprise they want more.
Continue reading “Timberwolves prez of basketball ops Tim Connelly: Proud but must keep growing”
24 hours after Boston recovered from another deficit to snatch a commanding 3-0 series lead out East, Dallas’ determined defensive efforts down the stretch proved decisive as they joined Joe Mazzulla’s ball club in being one game away from punching their ticket into this season’s NBA Finals – powered by star backcourt Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving alongside an inspired Daniel Gafford. Continue reading “Gafford’s inspired late showcase on both ends typifies another frenzied Mavs win”
Pictures often tell the full story and they do here, Boston again rallying from a big deficit – 18 points just as Dallas did earlier in the week – to stun Indiana on the Pacers’ home floor and take a historically unassailable series lead in their Eastern Conference finals matchup, punctuated by Jrue Holiday’s clutch defensive play late on. Unwell and struggling with his shot, that didn’t matter. Continue reading “Holiday hassles in the clutch on off-night, Boston take commanding 3-0 series lead”
Jayson Tatum led the way with 36 points – including 10 in overtime alone – as the Boston Celtics clawed back from the brink of an early defeat. Indiana’s late-game mistakes painfully saw Boston snatch victory in the first of a possible seven-game series during their intriguing Eastern Conference Final matchup. Continue reading “East Finals: Tatum sinks immature Indiana to snatch hard-fought Game 1 in overtime”
After a disappointing two-game home stint, Dallas Mavericks’ superstar Luka Doncic rebounded with a big Game 5 showing in Oklahoma – a 31-point triple-double – as Jason Kidd’s side regained a slender series lead and can now clinch a WCF berth this weekend among home comforts vs. the West’s #1-ranked team. Continue reading “Luka Doncic’s sharpened focus sees Dallas regain series lead in Oklahoma, now 3-2 up”
On the night he received his third MVP award from league commissioner Adam Silver, Nikola Jokic again showed why he’s the NBA’s best player – slicing through the Minnesota Timberwolves’ various defensive schemes to slow him down, producing an inspiring masterclass as the defending champion Denver Nuggets now stand on the brink of a return to the Western Conference Finals. Continue reading “After collecting his third MVP, Jokic does it all as Denver skilfully erase series deficit”
Anthony Edwards picked up where he left off in Phoenix and posted a new playoff career-high 43 points, inspiring the Minnesota Timberwolves to snatch a gritty road win over the defending champion Denver Nuggets. Defensive length and a purposeful collective start helped as Chris Finch’s side begun what promises to be an intriguing playoff series with a morale-boosting victory.
Continue reading “Edwards’ 43-point night sees Minnesota draw first blood in frantic Denver series”
There were nervy moments late on but Jalen Brunson relished the responsibility, reeling off a new career playoff-high 47 points alongside 10 assists to power the Knicks into a hard-fought road win over Philadelphia, taking a commanding series lead in their first-round matchup with the 76ers. Continue reading “Knicks 97-92 Sixers: Brunson’s playoff high 47 helps New York take big series lead”
LA Clippers’ All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard missed the last eight games of the regular season through inflammation to his surgically repaired right knee and now with the postseason getting underway this weekend, faces a race against time to heal before helping lead his inconsistent Clippers teammates against a familiar foe in MVP candidate Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks in R1. Continue reading “Kawhi Leonard’s inflamed knee injury leaves him doubtful for Mavericks series”
De’Andre Hunter’s three-point dagger with 9.2 seconds remaining sunk the Eastern Conference’s best team by record in a shellshocked Boston, who led by as many as 30 points during a tale of two halves as Atlanta rallied together after half-time without a cluster of their injured key players to log a morale-boosting comeback win at home, weeks before their postseason fate is settled. Continue reading “De’Andre Hunter’s dagger sinks Boston, capping a remarkable Atlanta turnaround”
They could’ve leaned into the fact injuries have hurt their sense of continuity, or a rough recent schedule hurting form but instead star forward Paul George declared they lack an identity after their home defeat by an Atlanta side without Trae Young on Sunday. Collectively, their efforts don’t exude the same confidence it once did earlier this term as the playoffs are fast approaching. Continue reading “Lacking identity? Clippers’ teething problems persist at worst possible time”
There have been four coaching changes since late January and all in the Eastern Conference, but continuity is key for Orlando to fire on all cylinders with a young core growing together in the seasons to come. News of head coach Jamahl Mosley’s four-year extension this week only further reinforces that. Continue reading “Mosley’s new four-year deal comes with Magic quietly humming on all cylinders”
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