Starting 5, April 30

In case you turned off Pacers-Bucks when Indy was down 7 in the final 35 seconds …

Yup, this GIF is real.

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5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
April 30, 2025

Pacers’ Historic Rally: Haliburton wins it late as Indy advances, makes history in comeback

Back To Motor City: Pistons hang on in 4th vs. Knicks to extend series to 6

Going Off: Jamal Murray goes for 43 to put DEN up 3-2, Celtics erupt & advance

Dubs Out To Move On: Can 7th seeded Golden State close out 2nd seeded Houston?

Ant-Man & The Moment: Can Edwards & Wolves advance past LeBron, Luka & Lakers?

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BUT FIRST … ⏰
Yesterday’s scores & what to watch today…

After a wild 4-game night, TNT hosts another doubleheader tonight, as the Warriors and Rockets meet in Game 5 at 7:30 ET (GSW leads, 3-1) and Wolves & Lakers at 10 ET, with Minnesota up 3-1.

Back-to-back ROYs: San Antonio’s Stephon Castle followed teammate Victor Wembanyama (2023-24) in being named Kia Rookie of the Year.

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1. DOWN 7 IN CLOSING SECONDS, HALIBURTON & PACERS RALLY TO ADVANCE PAST BUCKS

There wasn’t much hope left in Indianapolis.

But Tyrese Haliburton and the ‘Yes-Cers’ found a way.

Pacers 119, Bucks 118 (OT): Down 118-111 with 34.5 seconds to play in overtime, the Pacers exploded for an 8-0 run to secure a spot in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and become the second playoff team in the play-by-play era to come back from 7+ down in the final minute. | Recap | The Comeback | Game Winner from Gainbridge

• Hero Haliburton: The Pacers’ All-Star point guard scored Indiana’s last five points in overtime – including the game-winner with one second left – as well as their last eight points in regulation
• “Late in the game, you know what time it is,” Haliburton said. “I’ve got to make plays.”
• “Tyrese has an iron will,” said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. “He’s unafraid. He reminds me a lot of Reggie [Miller], and this game will go down as one of the all-time great Pacer wins.”
• Thunderous: The Pacers joined the Thunder by making the comeback. Oklahoma City raced back to beat the Clippers, 105-104, in 2014 as the only teams since 1997-98 to come back by at least 7 points in the final minute of an OT playoff game

The two teams traded buckets down the stretch in the fourth, including a physical and-1 finish from Giannis Antetokounmpo (30 PTS, 20 REB, 13 AST) with 53 seconds to go. Haliburton then sliced to the rim for a slam to tie it with 10.8 to go, before Giannis missed a turnaround to send it to overtime.

• Gary Trent Jr. (33 PTS, eight threes, five steals) made four threes in overtime to push Milwaukee to the seven-point lead
• But Haliburton kept getting in the lane. Other than one three, every bucket he scored in the fourth and overtime came at the rim
• After Andrew Nembhard hit a 33-foot three, Haliburton went left past AJ Green with 17 seconds to go, netting an and-1 finish, to cut it to one
• Then, with the clock ticking down, Haliburton shook his way past Giannis, drove to the far side of the rim and laid it in, giving Pacers fans a classic victory to savor

Milwaukee ran out to a 30-13 lead after the first quarter, leading by as much as 20 in the game.

• Prolific: Trent Jr. joined Jamal Murray (2020) and Damian Lillard (2021) as the only players to post 8+ threes twice in a playoff series
• Giannis Goes Off: Giannis became the fourth player to post 30/20/10 in a playoff game

The Pacers travel to Cleveland to face the No. 1 seed Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Sunday.

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2. GET YOUR MOTOR RUNNING: PISTONS SEND SERIES BACK TO DETROIT

A series that hasn’t given an inch is about to travel 500 more miles.

Pistons 106, Knicks 103: Cade Cunningham (24 pts, 8 reb, 8 ast) dropped 13 points in the 4th quarter as the Pistons – who’d lost the prior two games by a combined three points – staved off elimination and sent the series back to Detroit down 3-2. | Recap | Pistons Highlights

• No Lead Is Safe: Game 5 featured 18 lead changes and 16 ties. The last time a Playoff game had at least 18 & 16? Exactly a year ago, when OKC beat New Orleans, 97-89
• Razor’s Edge: The last four games have been decided by 12 points, marking just the fifth time that’s happened since 2000
• Holding Strong: The Knicks had outscored the Pistons 122-101 in the 4th through four games, but after coming into the final frame up 3, Detroit hung tough
• Youth Movement: In addition to the 23-year-old Cunningham, Detroit also got 22 pts (on 8-for-10 shooting) from 22-year-old Ausar Thompson & a team-high 14 boards from 21-year-old Jalen Duren
• Vibes Are High: Get on-court with the Pistons right after they picked up the W

The Final Stretch: In front of a rocking MSG crowd, the Knicks went up 82-79 on a Mikal Bridges 3 with just over 10 mins left. After Dennis Schröder answered with a lay-in 15 seconds later, the teams stayed within 2 points for the next 5:30.

• After Detroit jumped ahead 95-90 on a Cade trey with 4:17 left, the Knicks tied it up within a minute – capped by a long three from Karl-Anthony Towns (17 pts)
• The Difference: Detroit then went on a 6-0 run, off a floater from Cade and two dunks from Duren
• Threading The Needle: Check out this Cade dime to put Detroit up 103-97
• After Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart subbed out due to injury with 2:57 left, then headed back to the scorer’s table, game play didn’t stop – keeping them from re-entering until 27 seconds remained
• Fight Til The End: Threes from Bridges (17 pts) and OG Anunoby brought NY within 1 with seven seconds left, at 104-103, but two FT’s from Cunningham iced it

Motor Cade: The series heads back to the Motor City thanks to Cunningham, who has now scored 20+ points in all 5 games of the series – ranking behind only Jalen Brunson in scoring (25.4 vs. 29.8 PPG).

Game 6: Detroit gets another chance to extend the series – and the Knicks, another chance to clinch – when Game 6 tips at 7:30 ET on Thursday (TNT).

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3. MURRAY ERUPTS AS NUGGETS GO UP 3-2, CELTICS CATCH FIRE TO ADVANCE TO SEMIS

Jamal Murray got it going like only he can on Tuesday night.

Nuggets 131, Clippers 115: For the third time in his playoff career, Murray (43 PTS, 7 AST) had 43+ PTS and 8+ three pointers, as the Nuggets took a 3-2 series lead. The other two games came during his iconic first round duel with Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz in 2020. | Recap | Murray Goes Off

• A Rare Group: Eight players have achieved those marks in a playoff game, including Devin Booker, Mitchell, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Allen Iverson and Vince Carter. Damian Lillard is the only other player to do it more than once
• Noteworthy Nugget: Murray scored 40+ points for the sixth time – passing Nikola Jokić (5) for the most in franchise history. Alex English (4) is third
• Racking Them Up: Jokić (13 PTS, 10 REB, 12 AST) had his 21st career playoff triple-double in the victory. He and Murray become the 4th duo in Playoff history with 40+ points and a triple-double in the same game multiple times
• The Others? Wilt Chamberlain-Tom Gola, Michael Jordan-Scottie Pippen and Kevin Durant-Draymond Green
• “I’m just playing free,” said Murray.

The Nuggets led wire-to-wire in the contest, although the Clippers cut it to 10 in the fourth quarter.

• Chipping In: Aaron Gordon added 23 points, while Russell Westbrook had 21 points, including 16 in the first half

Ivica Zubac led the Clippers with 27 PTS on 11-15 shooting, while Kawhi Leonard added 20 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists.

Up Next: Game 6 back in Inglewood (Thurs, 10 ET TNT). Teams that win Game 5 in a 2-2 series have gone onto win the series 81.3% of the time.

Jayson Tatum keeps making history.

Celtics 120, Magic 89: The Boston Celtics engineered the biggest win in NBA Playoff history after trailing at the half, dominating the third quarter against the Orlando Magic and taking the series, 4-1, to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals | Recap

• A Grind: The Magic led 49-47 at the half. The Celtics did not make a three in the first half of a playoff game for the first time since 2015
• The Jays Respond: Tatum (35 PTS, 8 REB, 10 AST) had 13 points in the third quarter, while Brown added nine. The Magic had 13 as a team

As he lifted the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the seventh time in his eight-year career, Tatum joined Larry Bird as the only Celtic to score 35+ points in three straight playoff games.

• Celtic Pride: Tatum also became the fifth Celtic with 35+ PTS and 10+ AST in a playoff game, joining Bird, John Havlicek, Rajon Rondo and John Bagley

Franz Wagner led Orlando with 25 points, while Paolo Banchero added 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

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4. No. 7 WARRIORS ON CUSP OF CLOSING OUT No. 2 HOUSTON. CAN ROCKETS RALLY?

Four NBA titles. Six Finals appearances. Defining players of the modern era.

After a decade of selfless, winning culture under Steve Kerr, Golden State struggled midway through the 2024-25 season. They were in 12th place in the Western Conference at 19-20 on Jan. 13 – the postseason not quite in sight.

But a trade for Jimmy Butler III on Feb. 6 changed everything. He’s embodied the Warrior way, lifting up his teammates and coming up clutch over and over again – most recently, with 14 4th-quarter points Monday to put 7th-seeded Golden State up 3-1 over 2nd-seeded Houston.

Should the Dubs defeat the Rockets tonight (7:30 ET, TNT), the Warriors would become just the seventh 7-seed to knock out a 2-seed since 1983-84 – and the third since 2000.

• Historically Speaking: Teams up 3-1 in the Playoffs have won the series 95.5% of the time, at 275-13
• Finishing The Job: With Stephen Curry (28.9 ppg) and Draymond Green (13.1 ppg) in the lineup, the Warriors are a combined 46-24 in closeout games. Butler, meanwhile, has averaged 21.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 4.7 apg in 22 such situations throughout his career.
• The Butler Does It: The Warriors are 26-8 overall since Butler joined, and from his first game donning the blue and gold (Feb. 8) to the end of the regular season, they led the NBA in DefRtg.

The contributions of Buddy Hield and Brandin Podziemski have been critical in the team’s three wins thus far – each decided by 11 points or less.

• “You’ve got to tell yourself you belong in the moment,” Podziemski said after scoring 26 PTS in Game 4. “I think good and great players want the moment and thrive in the moment and don’t back down from it.”
• Winning Impacts: Golden State was a combined 36-12 in the regular season when Hield (21-6) and Podziemski (15-6) tallied 15+ points.

For the Rockets to mount a comeback, a team that ranked in the top 5 in the West from mid-November onward will have to recreate some Game 2 success.

• That could start with Jalen Green, who was their leading scorer with 21.0 ppg during the regular season, but has dropped less than 10 in all three playoff losses.
• Time to Takeoff: The 4th-year guard scored 38 points on 13-for-25 shooting in Game 2, but across three others, has totalled 24 at a 29.4% clip.
• Won’t Back Down: Houston’s DefRtg was fifth in the regular season at 110.3, and was even better against the Warriors (104.3) in five games. They’ll look to get back to that formula to extend their season

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5. IN THE SPOTLIGHT: ANT & WOLVES OUT TO CLINCH VS. LEBRON, LUKA & LAKERS

Anthony Edwards has rarely shied from winning time on the grandest of stages.

Even now, opposing LeBron James and Luka Dončić, the 23-year-old star hasn’t gotten lost in the magnitude of the moment.

“I don’t even really look at it like a moment, I just try to take advantage of every opportunity,” Edwards said. “I’ve been dreaming of this all my life.”

Tonight, the lights shine brightly on him once again as the Timberwolves seek to eliminate the Lakers in Game 5 (10 ET, TNT) of their first-round series. The 5th-year guard dropped 43 points on Sunday for his finest showing yet in these Playoffs.

• Next Level: Edwards outdid his regular-season scoring average during each of the past three postseasons, and is doing so once more at 29.7 ppg. He’s accountable for 28.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg and 5.5 apg across 31 Playoff games in his career
• Hot Hand Continues: He’s translated a career year from beyond the arc, having achieved 39.5% from deep on a league-second-best 4.1 makes per game. Edwards is now 16-for-37 from 3-point land in this series
• Playing Smart: With 23 assists against 6 turnovers against these Lakers, he owns a 3.8 assist-to-turnover ratio. That’s a marked improvement on 1.4 during the regular season

He continues to be who his teammates look to when a bucket is needed most. And contributions from fellow Timberwolves have put him in positions to deliver.

• In Game 4, it was Jaden McDaniels’ 11 rebounds and Donte DiVincenzo’s 5 steals that ultimately paid off in the form of a three-point triumph
• In Game 3, Julius Randle pitched in 22 points as McDaniels assembled a 30-piece, helping to grant Minnesota a commanding lead in the series

The Lakers have the scorers necessary to compete. James had 38 points in Game 3, and Dončić mirrored that showing on Sunday. But a lapse in defense has put them on the ropes.

• Cracks In The Wall: L.A.’s DefRtg in the Playoffs ranks 15th out of 16 teams. The group once stood No. 1 in the entire NBA during February for that metric
• The Model? Game 2. In the Lakers one victory thus far, they held the Timberwolves to a season-low 85 points as only Edwards and Randle scored in double digits