Starting 5, May 1

Next Stop? The next round.

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5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
May 1, 2025

Wolf Pack: Balanced offense & hounding defense key Minnesota’s first-round win

Minnesota Moves On: Wolves eliminate Lakers in Game 5 in Los Angeles to advance

Rockets Roll: Fast start helps Rockets race past Warriors, force Game 6

Nuggets-Clippers: It’s win-or-stay-home for LA as Denver tries to advance

Knicks-Pistons: Detroit tries to stave off elimination again, force Game 7 in NY

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

Tonight’s TNT doubleheader features two home teams with their seasons on the line. Can Detroit (7:30 ET) survive a second straight elimination game and force Game 7 back in NYC? Can LA (10 ET) avoid its first three-game skid in two months and force Game 7 back to Denver?

Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels was named Kia NBA Most Improved Player on Wednesday. The awards rollout continues today with the NBA Sportsmanship Award (12 ET, NBA App).

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1. TEAM EFFORT LEADS WOLVES PAST LAKERS, INTO WEST SEMIS

It took the entire pack of Timberwolves to eliminate the 3-seed Lakers in five games.

Each game, a new player stepped up on offense, while the team collectively hounded the Lakers on defense – holding L.A. under 100 points three times in the series. | Minnesota’s Best Plays From The Series

• In Game 1, it was a combined 48 points and 9-of-12 shooting from 3 by Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid that helped the Wolves strike first on the road to take a 1-0 lead
• In Game 2, Julius Randle scored 27 points in Minnesota’s only loss of the series. It was the first of four straight 20+ point games by Randle – a run he had not put together since November
• In Game 3, McDaniels’ Playoff career-high 30 points and Anthony Edwards’ all-around game (29 pts, 8 reb, 8 ast) helped Minnesota overcome a 38-point night from LeBron James for a 2-1 lead
• In Game 4, the young phenom, Edwards, erupted for 43 points – including 16 in the 4th quarter – to outduel Luka Dončić (38 pts) as the Wolves rallied to take a 3-1 lead
• In the series-clinching Game 5, it was Rudy Gobert’s 27-point 24-rebound effort that led the pack as the Wolves dominated the paint (56-40) and 2nd-chance points (20-10) to win the series on the road

Four different Timberwolves led the team in scoring over the five-game series. However, one constant to Minnesota’s success was Edwards’ playmaking. He led the team in assists in each of their four wins, with an average of 7.8 dimes in those games.

“You could throw it to anybody and anybody can get downhill and make plays,” said Donte DiVincenzo after Game 4. “Ant’s up top doing his thing, and he’s making the right play over and over and over again.”

Defensively, the Wolves made the Lakers work for every single point they scored – an effort that wore down L.A. over the course of each game and the series. Check out the Lakers’ offense by quarter in the series.

• 1st Quarter: 28.4 ppg, 45.7% FG, +3.0 differential
• 2nd Quarter: 25.8 ppg, 48.9% FG, -4.0 differential
• 3rd Quarter: 29.2 ppg, 52.0% FG, +2.4 differential
• 4th Quarter: 17.0 ppg, 29.3% FG, -8.4 differential

A year ago, the Wolves matched their deepest Playoff run in franchise history by reaching the Western Conference Finals.

They’ve already made history this year, as the Wolves won a Playoff series in back-to-back seasons for the first time in the team’s 36-year history as well as becoming just the sixth 6-seed since 2010 to defeat a 3-seed in the first round.

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2. GOBERT SHINES AS WOLVES ELIMINATE LAKERS IN 5

Rudy Gobert entered Game 5 with 14 points and 25 boards combined through the first four games of the first-round series.

On Wednesday, he put up career-highs with 27 points and 24 rebounds, along with two blocks, to lead the Wolves to the Western Conference Semifinals.

Timberwolves 103, Lakers 96: Behind Gobert’s historic performance, Julius Randle’s big 4th quarter, Anthony Edwards’ playmaking and a 22-4 advantage off the bench, the Wolves closed out the Lakers in five games with a win in Los Angeles. | Recap

• One Of One: Gobert became the first player to post 25+ pts, 20+ reb, 2+ blk and 80%+ shooting in a Playoff game since blocks began being tracked in 1973-74
• Rudy 🤝 KG: Gobert joined Kevin Garnett (3x) as the only Timberwolves to ever put up 25 and 20 in a Playoff game
• “Rudy is a winner at the highest level” – Wolves coach Chris Finch had high praise for his big man after the series clincher
• Rudy & Randle: The frontline duo combined for 50 points on Wednesday – their second-highest combined total in their first season as teammates
• “It’s a good opportunity for us to write our own narrative” – Gobert on his connection with Randle
• “Wolves in 5” – Hear from Ant, Mike Conley and Randle as the Timberwolves headed to the locker room after advancing to the next round

How important was Gobert’s game? It helped the Wolves overcome a 7-of-47 (14.9%) shooting performance from 3 – including 0-for-11 from Edwards, the NBA’s leader in 3-pointers made this season.

• The Wolves became the first team to win a game this season when shooting under 15% from 3. The previous eight instances – all during the regular season – resulted in losses
• The Playmaker: While Ant couldn’t find his 3-point shot, he was able to find his teammates – dishing out eight assists with zero turnovers, while also contributing 11 boards and three steals

After the Wolves led by as many as 14 late in the 1st quarter, the Lakers chipped away at the deficit before finally taking their first lead, 77-75, after winning the 3rd quarter 31-22.

• Luka Dončić scored 13 of his game-high 28 points in the 3rd to lead the L.A. rally, but the Wolves responded by holding the Lakers to 16 points on 6-of-20 shooting in the 4th quarter
• LeBron James (22 pts, 7 reb, 6 ast) and Rui Hachimura (23 pts 5 3pm) combined to add 45 points – including 10 in the 4th – but it was not enough to keep pace with Minnesota.| What’s Next For L.A. After First-Round Exit

What’s Next For Minnesota: The Wolves await the winner of the Warriors-Rockets series – more on that below in Section 3.

• The Wolves split their season series with Houston, but lost 3-1 to Golden State
• Minnesota will host Game 1 of the West Semis if the 7-seed Warriors advance, or head to Houston if it’s the 2-seed Rockets

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3. ROCKETS ROLL PAST WARRIORS TO EXTEND SERIES

With their season on the line, the Rockets made an early statement.

Houston built an 18-point lead in the game’s first eight minutes and put up the first 40-point quarter of the series by either team.

They never looked back – leading by as many as 31 and holding a double-digit lead the rest of the way to force Game 6 back in the Bay.

Rockets 131, Warriors 116: Fred VanVleet (26 pts, 4 3pm), Amen Thompson (Playoff career-highs of 25 pts, 5 stl, 3 blk) and Dillon Brooks (24 pts) combined for 75 points as Houston staved off elimination at home. | Recap | 5 Takeaways

• Two-Way Star: Thompson became only the 5th player – and the youngest at 22 years old – to post 25+ pts, 5+ stl and 3+ blk in a Playoff game since steals and blocks were first tracked in 1973-74
• 3 STL + 3 BLK = WIN: Houston improved to 4-0 this season when Amen posts at least 3 steals and 3 blocks. The last player age 22 or younger to have a 3 stl and 3 blk Playoff game was Giannis in 2017
• Instant Impact: All five of Thompson’s steals came in the 1st half as he passed Dirk Nowitzki to become the youngest player to post 10+ points and 5+ steals in a Playoff half since 1998
• Huge Half: Houston’s 76 points in the first 24 minutes were a team-best in any Playoff half of the play-by-play era (since 1997-98)
• “I think our focus was great,” said coach Ime Udoka on the Rockets’ approach, “I feel like we’re consistently recognizing what they’re doing as the series goes on”

Warriors Make Late Push: Led by Kevin Knox’s 12 points, Golden State’s second unit opened the 4th quarter with a 21-7 run to cut their deficit to 114-101. But Houston answered with a 7-2 push to ice the game.

• Special Reserve: Moses Moody led the Warriors with 25 points off the bench as Steph Curry (13 pts, 4-12 FG) was the only Golden State starter to reach double figures
• Steph is no stranger to this moment – he’s now 23-13 in clinching games over his storied career – and is ready to try to close out the series once again back at home with a new group around him
• “I love that challenge,” Steph said. “We have an opportunity to write our own story and how we bounce back. We’ve had a pretty resilient group over the past two months and it has to show on Friday.”

What’s Next: Golden State leads 3-2 with the series headed back to the Bay for Game 6 on Friday (9 ET, ESPN). Can the Warriors close the series at home, or will the Rockets bring it back to H-Town for Game 7?

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4. NUGGETS LOOK TO ADVANCE, CLIPPERS EYE GAME 7

Jamal Murray has a knack for scribbling his signature on the postseason. But with the Nuggets and Clippers knotted at 2-2 in their first-round series, his big moment had yet to arrive.

Enter Game 5.

The 8th-year guard ascended to the starring role – pouring in 43 points to lead all scorers Tuesday – and propelling Denver to a clinching opportunity for tonight’s Game 6 (10 ET, TNT) against LA.

“Some of the shots he made were just absolutely ridiculous,” said Nuggets coach David Adelman. “It’s coming with him – you know it is in these big moments.”

• Blue Arrow: Murray drained eight 3-pointers in the Game 5 victory after tallying nine across the previous four. He had 13 points in Game 4 and no more than 23 in the series
• Golden Ticket: The Nuggets are now 25-5 overall when Murray scores 35+ in his career, and an even better 11-1 when he hits 40
• Rewarding The Rain: And when the veteran sharpshooter sinks seven or more 3s like he did Tuesday, Denver is 10-1 all-time

Nikola Jokić’s 13 points marked a personal low for the series, but were still enough for a triple-double. He was one board shy in Game 1 and two dimes shy in Game 4 of having a triple-double in each game this series.

• Built For This: Still, Denver boasted a 13-7 regular-season record when the three-time Kia NBA MVP tallied less than 25 points. Its 2nd-place 52.0 REB% and 4th-place 68.3 AST% entering the Playoffs show a knack for creating and sustaining possessions
• Risers: Murray and Jokić raise their game historically this time of year, ranking 2nd and 3rd all-time in PPG jump from the regular season to postseason
• Who’s First? He’s active too. Jalen Brunson

The Clippers have proven they can beat the Nuggets in a nail-biter like Game 2 or a blowout like Game 3. Now they return to the Intuit Dome just needing a win, period, to save their season.

• Ride The Tide: Games 4 and 5 represented LA’s first consecutive losses in nearly two months. The group still has yet to drop two straight at home since Feb. 4 to 6
• “Pretty much the whole series, they got out to a great start on us,” Leonard said. “Just trying to stay in the game early instead of trying to make any heroic comebacks.”
• Comeback Clips: LA earned 13 regular-season wins while overcoming double-digit deficits. Two of them were by 20+ points – topped only by Golden State (3) and Indiana (3)

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5. PISTONS TRY TO AVOID ELIMINATION AGAIN, FORCE GAME 7

The Pistons’ first Playoff run in six years hasn’t been easy on the hearts of the Detroit faithful.

Games 3-5 were all within three points. Since 2000, just four other Playoff series have seen four straight games settled by a combined 12 points or less.

But fans were able to breathe a sigh of relief – at least, temporarily – when Cade Cunningham and Co. survived Tuesday, trimming the Knicks’ lead to 3-2 and forcing tonight’s Game 6 (7:30 ET, TNT) in the Motor City.

“Everybody’s got a backs-against-the-wall type of mentality,” said Tobias Harris on the morning of Game 5. “We don’t want this thing to stop. We’ve got to keep on fighting.”

• The Engine: Cunningham willed the Pistons across the finish line, submitting 13 points in the 4th quarter alone and swishing all six of his shots from the charity stripe
• Starting Fast: The 4th-year guard accounted for 24 points, 8 assists and 8 rebounds in his first-ever elimination game. He’s now joined Luka Dončić and Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to average 25/8/8 in their first five postseason outings

The lights haven’t been too bright for Cunningham. He’s been caught in tightly-contested situations time and again throughout this first-round series, and has often delivered.

• Among The Best: The 1st-time All-Star totaled 409 points in the 4th quarter during the regular season, ranking 3rd among players who are still active in the Playoffs
• “The effect he has on his teammates, the way they have his back. They follow their leader, and that kid… he’s been doing an incredible job all year,” said NY’s Jalen Brunson of Cade after Game 4

New York enjoyed four straight 30-pieces from Brunson to open the series. He’s now the 2nd-leading scorer among active players this postseason with 29.8 ppg.

• Maestro Of The Moment: The 7th-year guard elevates his play like no other when the Playoffs come around. As shown above, he ranks No. 1 all-time (+6.3) in average scoring increase from regular season to postseason
• But he was held to 16 on Tuesday, and Ausar Thompson in particular limited him to 1-for-7 shooting from the field. Karl-Anthony Towns was responsible for 17
• Road Warrior: Towns has stepped up his production away from Madison Square Garden, averaging 29 ppg in two road games compared to 16.7 across three at home
• “The challenge is to reset. Every game’s different,” said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. “(We’ll) take a look at the film, see what we could do better and be ready to go next game.”