Conference Finals Set in Wild NBA Postseason
WESTERN CONFERENCE-Semifinals
(1) Oklahoma City vs (4) Denver, OKC Wins 3 -2
It took seven games but the the top seeded Thunder were able to outlast the former champion Denver Nuggets Sunday afternoon in OKC.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points, Jalen Williams added 24 and the Thunder rolled into the Western Conference finals, beating the Denver Nuggets 125-93 in Game 7.
Nikola Jokic had 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Nuggets. Aaron Gordon, a key player for Denver throughout the playoffs who hit the winner in Game 1 against the Thunder, started despite a strained left hamstring. He had eight points and 11 rebounds in 24 minutes.
The top-seeded Thunder will host the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves starting Tuesday. It’s Oklahoma City’s first trip to the conference finals since 2016.
Next: Game 1 @ OKC May 20 – 730pm, ESPN
(6) Minnesota vs (7) Golden State, Minnesota Wins 4-1
It took only five games but the Minnesota Timberwolves are headed to the Western Conference finals for the second straight year following a 121-110 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 last Wednesday night. Julius Randle scored 29 points on 13-for-18 shooting and Anthony Edwards had 22 points and 12 assists for the sixth-seeded Wolves, who will face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.
Brandin Podziemski had a playoff career-high 28 points for the Warriors, who again played without star Stephen Curry because of the hamstring strain that forced him out of the second quarter in Game 1 and took the heart out of their entire offensive operation.
Next: Game 1 @ OKC May 20 – 730pm, ESPN
EASTERN CONFERENCE-Semifinals
(1) Cleveland vs (4) Indiana, Indiana Wins 4-1
Tyrese Haliburton scored 31 points and Pascal Siakam added 21 as the Pacers reached the conference finals in consecutive years for the first time since 2013-14 by defeating the top seed in the Eastern Conference 114-105.
Donovan Mitchell, who missed the second half of Sunday’s game due to a sprained left ankle, led Cleveland with 35 points. Evan Mobleyadded 24 points and 11 rebounds. The top-seeded Cavs swept their first-round series against Miami, but were unable to match up against the up-tempo Pacers.
It was the first time since a 2005 first-round series against Boston that the Pacers won three road games in a playoff series.
The Cavs dropped three home games in a postseason series for the first time. The Cavs shot 38.9% for the game and were a woeful 9 of 35 on 3-pointers. Mitchell and Darius Garland were a combined 12 of 41, including 4 of 19 from beyond the arc.
Next: Game 1 @ New York May 21 – 7pm, TNT/Max
(2) Boston vs (3) New York, New York Wins 4-2
The New York Knicks reached the conference finals for the first time in 25 years and ended the one-year NBA title reign of the Boston Celtics with relative ease, coasting to a 119-81 victory in Game 6 on Friday night. Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby each scored 23 points for the Knicks, who will face the Indiana Pacers, the same team they met in their last conference finals appearance in 2000. Game 1 is Wednesday night in New York.
Mikal Bridges scored 22 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 for the Knicks, whose 38-point margin of victory was their largest in a postseason game. Jaylen Brown scored 20 points for the Celtics, who lost leading scorer Jayson Tatum to a ruptured Achilles tendon in Game 4 but believed they still had enough to get it back to Boston for Game 7 and keep their title defense alive.
The Knicks hadn’t won a playoff series on their home floor since the 1999 East finals.
Next: Game 1 @ New York May 21 – 7pmm TNT/Max
