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04/26 12:39 CDT Monday's NBA playoffs: Nuggets face elimination, Thunder could
sweep, and Pistons in trouble?
Monday's NBA playoffs: Nuggets face elimination, Thunder could sweep, and
Pistons in trouble?
By ARNIE STAPLETON
AP Sports Writer
DENVER (AP) --- The Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets have developed an
intense rivalry, meeting in the NBA playoffs three times in the last four years.
The Nuggets bounced the Wolves 4-1 in 2023 on their way to the franchise's
first NBA championship but Minnesota won the rematch a year later, capped by a
20-point second-half comeback in Game 7 in Denver.
This year the Nuggets rolled into the playoffs on a 12-game winning streak and
handled the Timberwolves in the opener of their Western Conference playoff
series only to blow a 19-point lead in Game 2 before getting throttled twice in
Minneapolis.
Even with their starting backcourt of Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles) and Anthony
Edwards (knee) getting hurt Saturday night, the Wolves raced past the Nuggets
112-96 behind Ayo Dosunmu's career-best 43 points, the most by a reserve in a
playoff game in half a century.
Game 5 is in Denver and another flop could send the Nuggets into a stunning
early exit and an offseason of change after an injury-marred first full season
under coach David Adelman, who has had no answers for the Nuggets' sudden
struggles.
The Minnesota-Denver game is the nightcap of a three-game slate Monday, one
that also could see the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder get their
third consecutive first-round sweep. The Thunder lead Phoenix 3-0, with Game 4
on the Suns' home floor.
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP, was a maestro in Game
3, scoring 42 points on 15-for-18 shooting.
"He doesn't need a ton of direction from me," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault
said of Gilgeous-Alexander. "But I thought he was obviously outstanding. The
efficiency was ridiculous. For him to score like that, on 15 of 18, is a really
impressive game."
And leading off the night is Game 4 in Orlando, where the eighth-seeded Magic
will aim to take a 3-1 lead over the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in their
Eastern Conference quarterfinal matchup.
"Being up 2-1 at home is a good thing, but again, you got to come out and do it
again," Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said after Saturday's Game 3 win. "And that's
why I'll keep saying it's the one game. ... We've got to learn from this game
and what we could do better."
The only fight the Nuggets have put up since their series-opening win came when
Nikola Jokic took offense to Jaden McDaniels scoring an uncontested layup with
2.1 seconds left after the Nuggets had conceded their double-digit defeat
Saturday night.
Jokic ran from one end of the court to the other to shove McDaniels, who
labeled all of the Nuggets bad defenders after Game 2. Players from both teams
converged around them to broaden the scuffle. Timberwolves forward Julius
Randle, who was livid with Jokic, was ejected along with Denver's center.
"He scored when we'd stopped playing," Jokic explained. "You guys saw what
happened."
The NBA reviews all plays, especially altercations, and almost always announces
disciplinary action before the next game of the teams involved. It is standard
practice for the league office, which could warn, fine or suspend those
involved in Saturday's end-of-game dustup.
The Nuggets have long odds to bounce back and advance. In NBA history, only 13
of 298 teams facing a 3-1 deficit came back to win the series. The last team to
do it? The Nuggets in 2020, against both the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles
Clippers.
Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets When/Where to watch: Game 5: 10:30 p.m. EDT (NBC Peacock) Series: Wolves lead, 3-1 Betting line: Nuggets by 10 1/2 What to Know: DiVincenzo's season is over with an Achilles tendon injury and Edwards is facing a long recovery from a bone bruise and hyperextended knee. ... The Nuggets were the highest-scoring team in the NBA this season and were held under 100 points just twice, back in January. But they managed just 96 points in both of their losses in Minneapolis. Detroit Pistons at Orlando Magic When/Where to watch: Game 4, 8 p.m. EDT (NBC Peacock, NBC Sports) Series: Magic leads, 2-1 Betting line: Pistons by 2 1/2 What to Know: Behind 25 points each from Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane, the Magic beat the Pistons Saturday. It's the 13th time since 1984, when the NBA went to the 16-team format, that a No. 8 seed has taken a 2-1 lead in a first-round series over a No. 1 seed. Of the previous 12, five finished off the upset: Miami in 2023, Philadelphia in 2012, Memphis in 2011, Golden State in 2007 and New York in 1999. Oklahoma City Thunder at Phoenix Suns When/Where to watch: Game 4, 9:30 p.m. EDT (NBC Peacock) Series: Thunder lead, 3-0 Betting line: Thunder by 10 1/2 What to Know: Devin Booker should be ready to play in Game 4 when the Suns try to avoid a four-game sweep after leaving Game 3 briefly because of a left ankle injury he sustained after tripping over Lu Dort's foot. The five-time All-Star returned a few minutes later and said he was fine. Booker said he thought Dort stuck out his foot a little on the play, but didn't know if it was on purpose. ___ AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba |
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