Jalen Brunson on Monday scored 39 points as the New York Knicks pushed the Boston Celtics to the brink of elimination from the playoffs while the Golden State Warriors were also left facing an early exit after a damaging defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In New York, Brunson spearheaded a sensational second-half rally as the Knicks overturned a 14-point third-quarter deficit before surging to a 121-113 win that gives the third seeds a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-final series.
In the Western Conference, the Timberwolves took a similar 3-1 stranglehold in their series against Golden State with a commanding 117-110 road victory in San Francisco. Boston’s hopes of hauling themselves back into their series suffered a devastating blow in the shape of a serious injury to Jayson Tatum, who looked distraught as he was carried off the hardwood in the fourth quarter.
Photo: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images/USA Today
Tatum, who had been magnificent to that point with a 42-point display, was later seen being ferried to the Madison Square Garden locker room in a wheelchair.
As the Celtics digested defeat and the brutal Tatum injury blow, the Knicks were left celebrating and eyeing a place in the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000.
“Just found a way to make plays and get us going,” Brunson said of the second-half revival that set up the Knicks win.
Photo: Elsa, Getty Images via AFP
“I was just in a flow and doing whatever. I wasn’t really trying to take over. It was just ‘whatever we’ve gotta do,’” he told ESPN.
“We didn’t quit, kept fighting, and that’s what’s most important. Whenever you get in a hole you can’t quit,” he said.
Boston started the game where they had left off in a convincing game three victory on Saturday, with Tatum and Payton Pritchard swiftly finding their range from outside the arc.
Photo: Ezra Shaw, Getty Images via AFP
A Derrick White three-pointer gave Boston their biggest lead of the night early in the third quarter, the point guard putting the Celtics 14 points up at 72-58.
However, just when it looked as if Boston were threatening to pull away, the Knicks flicked the switch at both ends of the court to launch a dramatic rally.
Brunson poured in 18 points as the Knicks outscored Boston 37-23 in the third quarter and take an 88-85 lead into the final frame.
Brunson kept the points flowing in the fourth quarter, and when O.G. Anunoby grabbed a steal off Tatum in the incident that left the Celtics star writhing in pain before making a dunk, the Knicks were home and dry at 118-106 with less than two minutes remaining.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said Tatum would undergo a scan to determine the extent and nature of what he described as a “lower body injury.”
“He’ll get the MRI tomorrow and we’ll see what it is,” said Mazzulla, whose team would host game five in Boston today.
In San Francisco, Anthony Edwards took over in the third quarter to leave Minnesota needing just one more win over Golden State to book their place in the Western Conference finals.
Edwards finished with 30 points, with an electrifying burst of scoring in the third quarter that saw Minnesota rattle in 17 unanswered points to open up a decisive 85-68 lead.
Minnesota led by 20 points heading into the fourth quarter and never looked like surrendering that advantage as they closed out a win that means they can seal passage to the Western Conference finals with victory in game five in Minneapolis today.
The Warriors’ offense continued to struggle in the absence of the long-range shooting threat offered by the injured Stephen Curry, once again a frustrated spectator on the sidelines.
The Timberwolves rattled in 16-of-34 three-pointers compared with the Warriors, who ended with just eight threes.
Edwards said a halftime dressing down by Minnesota coach Chris Finch had sparked the second half onslaught.
“We came out like we had won the series already, and when we went in at half-time coach said we were playing like losers,” Edwards said. “He told me I wasn’t defending at a high level and needed to do better offensively, so in the second half I tried to do that.”
The pressure was already on Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso before their 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League raised further questions about his future. Arsenal remain perfect in this season’s competition and three points clear at the top of the standings after a 3-0 win against Club Brugge, while defending champions Paris Saint-Germain were held 0-0 at Athletic Bilbao. The clash between Madrid and City was the standout game of the round amid reports this week that Alonso had lost control of the locker room. Speculation over his position is likely to intensify after the latest
‘HIGH STANDARD’: The Thunder are on track for a Finals-Cup double after they scored 22 three-pointers in equaling the best 25-game start to a season in NBA history The Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday bagged a 16th straight victory, thrashing the Phoenix Suns 138-89 to romp into an NBA Cup semi-final clash with the San Antonio Spurs, who stunned the Los Angeles Lakers 132-119. NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points to lead the reigning NBA champions Thunder, who improved to 24-1 to equal the best 25-game start to a season in league history. They dominated from start to finish to book their place in the final four of the in-season tournament in Las Vegas, where they are tomorrow to take on the Spurs. The New York Knicks and
The Kashima Antlers won a record-extending ninth Japanese title on the final day of the J. League season yesterday, holding their nerve to beat the Yokohama F. Marinos 2-1. Watched by Brazilian legend and former player Zico, the Antlers went into the game at their packed home stadium with a one-point lead over Kashiwa Reysol in the table. A goal in either half from Brazilian striker Leo Ceara put the Antlers in control, but Yokohama struck in the first of five minutes of second-half injury time to set up a nail-biting finale, with Reysol winning their game 1-0. The Antlers saw out the
Tony Jefferson intercepted a Jalen Hurts pass in overtime to give the Los Angeles Chargers a 22-19 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday in an NFL thriller between playoff contenders. Justin Herbert, playing a week after surgery on his broken left (non-throwing) hand, withstood a career-high seven sacks to throw for 139 yards and a touchdown for the Chargers. Cameron Dicker kicked five field goals, including the 54-yard game winner in overtime. The Chargers defenders forced Hurts to throw four interceptions and surrender a fumble for a career-worst five turnovers as the Eagles fell to 8-5 with a third
RSS