Category: NBA

The Cleveland Cavaliers have gotten away from what’s worked in games 1 and 2. The Toronto Raptors deserve a ton of credit for that. Their physicality with Cleveland’s star backcourt has made it difficult for the Cavs to establish any kind of momentum. At the same time, the Cavs simply need to be better.

Let’s get into what exactly they need to do in Game 5.

1. Reestablish the James Harden pick-and-roll

The pick-and-roll has been a mainstay for the Cavs’ offense since the James Harden trade and was at the start of the series. In Game 1, Harden accumulated four assists out of the pick-and-roll with a big. By contrast, in Game 4, he only had one assist out of that action.

Going smaller and playing less drop coverage has hurt Cleveland’s ability to run the pick-and-roll. Instead of having Jakob Poeltl on Allen, RJ Barrett is the primary defender in the starting lineup. This easily allows the Raptors to switch the action, mitigating any advantage you’re trying to create with the screen.

The Cavs have countered by relying on more guard-on-guard screens. If you’re going to switch everything, you might as well use the guards to create favorable matchups. There’s solid rationale for this. The issue is, guards don’t have gravity going toward the rim. If you cause a momentary mismatch, it doesn’t break the defense because it’s always easier to recover side-to-side than it is to collapse and then try to get back out to shooters.

In short, the guard-to-guard screens don’t generate looks going to the rim. Just somewhat stagnant outside looks.

It’s incredibly difficult to have a good offense if you can’t get anything going inside. Creating clean looks from the outside is predicated entirely on your ability to get to the basket. The Boston Celtics wouldn’t be the three-point shooting juggernaut they are if they didn’t have multiple ball handlers who could beat mismatches and create advantages going to the hoop.

Right now, the Cavs aren’t doing that. They need to get actions going north and south. And they also need to find ways to get Jamal Sheed off Harden. Being able to reestablish the pick-and-roll with the bigs should help with both.

2. Get Jarrett Allen involved in the offense

The Raptors have conceded a mismatch inside by having Barrett guard Allen to start games. They’re okay with Barrett getting beaten inside if it means they can slow down the pick-and-roll and be versatile elsewhere defensively. But right now, they’re getting all the advantages of this strategy without having to worry about any of the consequences.

Cleveland tried to get the ball to Allen on a post-up with Barrett on one of the first possessions in Game 4, but a bad entry pass from Harden resulted in a turnover. For whatever reason, this caused the Cavs to stop looking for Allen altogether as he had just five field-goal attempts in Game 4.

While we all acknowledge that post-ups aren’t necessarily what you want to construct an offense around, getting Allen involved more when he has Barrett on him would help in a couple of ways.

For starters, Barrett has been Toronto’s second-best offensive player. One of the most effective ways to slow someone down offensively is to make them work on the other end.

Guarding in the post is physically draining. Fighting for position, especially against someone bigger than you, takes a toll. Being intentional about getting Allen the ball is a great way to tire Barrett out.

Head coach Kenny Atkinson has instead opted to keep Allen in the dunker’s spot to use him as a play finisher and a rebounder. In theory, that makes sense. There’s more ways to punish a mismatch than by just posting up, but this more passive role allows Allen to get lost in the shuffle.

Allen’s energy on both ends is tied directly to how involved he is offensively. When he’s getting the ball with regularity, he’s more aggressive in how he fights for position, sets screens, and rolls to the basket. But when he’s only used sparingly, the focus and intensity aren’t there. Instead, he plays like someone who just doesn’t want to get in the way, as opposed to one who’s taking command.

The Cavs need an engaged Allen on both ends of the floor. Their size with their bigs is one of their advantages in this series. But that advantage only matters if they’re doing what they can to maximize it.

3. Win the possession battle

If you wanted to attribute Toronto’s Game 4 victory to one thing, it’d be how they won the possession battle. The Raptors attempted 10 more shots from the field and 13 more free throws. And even though they shot worse than the Cavs, getting more shots up helped overcome that disparity.

Securing defensive rebounds and forcing turnovers led to this.

Offensive rebounds happen for a few reasons, but usually, they can be the result of defensive breakdowns. Every rotation to contest a drive at the rim results in one person who isn’t boxed out. That — combined with the Raptors just playing with more energy — allowed them to control this category.

Turning it over 17 times doesn’t help. The Raptors’ offense in the regular season was predicated on running in the open floor. Giveaways, especially live-ball ones, invite Toronto to do that.

The Raptors have a great defensive team. Their length and switchability allow them to get more deflections than most teams, but Donovan Mitchell and Harden need to be better.

If you go back and look at the guard’s turnovers from Games 3 and 4, you’ll see that a good portion of them were simply from a lack of focus. That can’t happen in games that are this important.

If the Cavs can win the possession game, they’ll easily win Game 5.

4. Donovan Mitchell needs to finish at the basket

The Cavs absolutely do need Mitchell to score. And if he’s going to do that as efficiently as the Cavs need him to, it’ll be because he’s getting to the rim.

Mitchell took 24 shots in Game 4, but only four in the restricted area. He missed all four of them. Overall, he went just 2-10 on shots in the paint.

When he’s not able to beat teams at the rim, he becomes overly reliant on the outside shot. Mitchell is a good pull-up three-point shooter, but that is a much higher-variant shot than what you’d like if it’s going to be someone’s main form of offense.

Mitchell has talked about saving his body for the playoffs. He’s added more elements to his in-between game, particularly with the floater, so that he can be ready for the postseason.

Well, now is the time to show what he’s been saving his body for. The Cavs are two bad performances away from their season being over — and possibly this era of Cleveland basketball as we know it. There’s no reason to leave anything in the tank now.

It’s just after one o’clock a.m. I have been in the Frost Bank Center for seven hours. After an eight hour work day. Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining. This has been the best year of my life as far as all things Spurs go. I’ve been to more games, sat in on press conferences, and hobnobbed with journalists I admire while the team has elevated to a contender and revealed some of the sports brightest stars.

And now they have advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals.

As I have to get up in four hours for my daytime job, I will share some of what I captured once the Spurs cleared the hurdle of their first series.

Once the Spurs won, they went into the drum call-and-response that Wemby started with the Jackals. As Keldon was honored before the game for his Sixth Man of the Year award, he was the man of the hour when it was time to lead the postgame ritual.

6MOY Keldon on the drum! pic.twitter.com/h9gAAnKYDI

— Jeph Duarte (@JephDuarte) April 29, 2026

Afterward, I headed down to the postgame presser with Mitch Johnson…

Mitch Johnson postgame presser@spurspic.twitter.com/FN0dmip08g

— Jeph Duarte (@JephDuarte) April 29, 2026

…followed by Stephon Castle…

Stephon Castle postgame@spurspic.twitter.com/caXpIKoP2a

— Jeph Duarte (@JephDuarte) April 29, 2026

…then Julian Champagnie, who kicked off the evening in a turbo gear…

@JulianChampagn2 is the most genuine. @spurs

Postgame presser pic.twitter.com/UqfvJVLZaO

— Jeph Duarte (@JephDuarte) April 29, 2026

…and finally Wemby…

@spurs@wemby
Postgame pic.twitter.com/Q8guqnDhNd

— Jeph Duarte (@JephDuarte) April 29, 2026

The Spurs will have a couple of days off as they await an opponent. The Denver/Minnesota series is currently heading back to Minneapolis for game 6. Denver is in a must-win situation. With Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo both out, their task is less arduous, but no less critical.

Are you rooting for or against anyone in this series as the victor stands in the way of the Spurs destination of the Western Conference Finals?

That’s all for now, must get some sleep. Just a honk of the horn as I pass through downtown and then straight to bed.

Go Spurs Go!

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Victor Wembanyama claimed a double-double to help the San Antonio Spurs secure their first series win in the NBA play-offs for nine years.

The Spurs led by as many as 28 points as they cruised to a 114-95 victory in Texas and a 4-1 series win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Wembanyama registered 17 points and 14 rebounds while De'Aaron Fox scored a game-high 21 as six San Antonio players reached double figures.

"It was as sharp as we've been," said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, whose team are the Western Conference's second seed and join top-seed Oklahoma City Thunder in the Conference semi-finals.

Wembanyama, who has already been named this season's defensive player of the year, added six blocks for San Antonio.

"[They are] a great basketball team," added Portland coach Tiago Splitter. "They have a superstar that changed the game. They deserve it."

The Spurs will face either the Denver Nuggets or Minnesota Timberwolves next, with the Timberwolves leading the series 3-2.

In the Eastern Conference, Joel Embiid scored 33 points as the Philadelphia 76ers won 113-97 at the Boston Celtics to keep their series alive.

Embiid was playing his second game since undergoing an emergency appendectomy on 9 April and helped the Sixers cut their series deficit to 3-2.

If they can win game six in Philadelphia on Thursday, the series will go to a decider at second seed Boston on Saturday.

"I found my rhythm in the second half," Embiid said. "We adjusted some stuff at half-time and got a win. That's all that matters.

"We're going to need everybody to come back to Boston."

The winners will face either the New York Knicks or Atlanta Hawks, with third seed New York leading 3-2 after a 126-97 home win.

Jalen Brunson scored 17 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter to keep the Knicks clear while London-born team-mate OG Anunoby claimed 17 points and 10 rebounds.

If Atlanta win at home on Thursday, they will return to New York for a series decider on Saturday.

• Jokic's triple-double draws Denver into contention

NEW YORK — The New York Knicks are one win away from the conference semifinals, but there might be an injury concern to watch.

Forward Josh Hart, 28, seemingly bothered by a possible back injury, left New York’s 126-97Game 5 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, April 28 in the fourth quarter and did not return to the bench.

After the game, Knicks coach Mike Brown did not have any information on Hart’s status, and a team public relations spokesperson indicated that the medical staff had not provided any information about a possible injury.

Hart appeared to suffer a back injury in the first half of Tuesday’s contest, though he remained in the game. Hart was officially subbed out with 6:27 left in the game, and he went through the tunnel and didn’t emerge for the rest of the game. The substitution might have been more precautionary, however, as the Knicks were up by 24 points when Hart left the game.

Known for his grit, physical play and toughness, Hart has often played through minor issues, and he has become a key figure in New York’s title hopes. Throughout this series, he has served as a versatile defensive wing, alternating his assignments from game-to-game.

NBA PLAYOFF BRACKET: Schedule and results from first-round postseason games

Even if Hart is forced to miss some time, though, the Knicks still have excellent defensive wings in OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges. In fact, Brown has deployed Hart in a way that allows the Knicks to switch all pick-and-rolls, giving New York excellent matchup versatility on defense.

In 30:14 on the court Tuesday night, Hart scored 9 points on 3-of-8 shooting, adding 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

Game 6 is scheduled for Thursday, April 30 in Atlanta, with the Knicks holding a 3-2 series lead. The Knicks are expected to issue their first injury report Wednesday, April 29, during the evening.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Knicks' Josh Hart leaves Game 5 win vs Hawks with possible back injury

As it was the theme for most of the Spurs’ and Trail Blazers’ first-round series, the final matchup was a game of two halves. San Antonio cruised to a huge lead before the break in what seemed destined to be a blowout, only to almost allow a surprising comeback. In the end, the play of De’Aaron Fox on offense late was enough to hold off Portland and close the series for the Silver and Black with a 114-95 win in Game 5.

It was hard to predict a somewhat close game, considering how prepared the Spurs looked early. One of the big question marks heading into Game 5 was whether Tiago Splitter would continue to start Donovan Clingan or go with the more effective Robert Williams III. Splitter stuck with Clingan, and Mitch Johnson’s guys made him pay for it by hitting jumpers over the paint-bound big man. It helped that the defense was clicking and allowed the home team to push the pace and attack before the Portland defense was settled, but even in the half-court, the Spurs targeted him on guard-to-guard screens to get him off Castle or with hand-offs that resulted in open looks. It wasn’t just Clingan’s fault that San Antonio came out of the gates roaring and built up a significant lead, as the Trail Blazers’ offense bricked threes and seemed to have no way of putting up points consistently. After one, the lead was 12.

The issues continued for Portland on the offensive end in the second, even as Splitter tried to get more offensive talent on the floor after doubling down on defense with Sidy Cissoko minutes earlier. The only guy wearing red that could get buckets consistently was Deni Avdija until turnovers from the Spurs gave the visitors some hope. Soon after the sloppy stretch occurred, however, there was foreshadowing of what would happen late in the game, as De’Aaron Fox took control of the offense away from Castle and settled the troops, creating good shots. There were some mistakes to close the second quarter, as San Antonio often overdribbled in hopes of getting to the rim instead of taking jumpers when open and fouled Avdija despite being incredibly disciplined earlier, but in general, it was close to a perfect half for the home team, which led by 20 heading into the break.

The initial two quarters were fun to watch from a San Antonio perspective, so Splitter made sure to prevent that from happening the rest of the way. The Blazers came out of the locker room with increased physicality, almost daring the officials to call fouls on most plays. They did, especially after the Silver and Black tried to match it. What at one point was a high-paced, fluid affair became mired with constant interruptions and ineffective half-court offense from both teams. The reasons for Portland’s struggles were not surprising: they just couldn’t hit threes despite taking plenty of them. For the Spurs, it was a combination of playing slow and having an erratic Stephon Castle trying to find Wembanyama, which resulted in turnovers and stagnation. It wasn’t a pleasant watch, but in the end, the hosts still managed to win the low-scoring frame by one.

By this point, it seemed like the Blazers, which had tried a lot of different lineups and wasted energy mucking things up in the third, were out of ways to make it a game late. Alas, the Spurs seemed too convinced that the job was done and started to play lazily just as Portland was gearing up to make one last push. Instead of moving their feet, they fouled a lot. Instead of starting their offense early and moving the ball, they walked it up, at one point committing an eight-second violation, while looking lost. Fortunately, De’Aaron Fox was there to bring them out of their stupor with 13 fourth-quarter points. On the other end, Wembanyama made his presence felt with a couple of ferocious blocks that shut the door on the comeback attempt, and that was it. After an immaculate first half in which everything looked easy, San Antonio closed out an ugly second half to advance to the next round.

Game notes

• The Trail Blazers are tough. They are not the most talented team, and their lack of consistent shooting is a major flaw, but they played San Antonio well for most of the series. It will be hard for them to add more shooting without losing their defensive identity, but they could be back in the playoffs next season. The series ended up in a gentleman’s sweep and probably would have been an outright sweep had Wembanyama been healthy, but it will prepare the young Spurs for the challenges ahead.
• Victor Wembanyama only took seven shots, but his impact on the game was massive. He just forces opponents to change their normal matchups, and even when it works to a degree, as it did in Game 5, other problems emerge. Everyone knows how great Wembanyama is on defense, but the fact that his mere presence changes the game on offense when he doesn’t force things is hugely important.
• The guard trio had two standouts: De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper. Fox has been essential to making units work by playing off-ball, but in the last two games reminded everyone that he can be a big-time scorer when he needs to. Harper is such a tenacious defender and terrific finisher that there’s no question whether he belongs on the floor in a playoff game as a rookie. Those two were great, which made up for a largely poor Stephon Castle night.
• Julian Champagnie had his first double-digit scoring game of the series in the clincher. He got free in transition and worked handoffs well, finally preventing the Blazers from limiting his scoring opportunities. On the other hand, Keldon Johnson still couldn’t offer much scoring, finishing in single digits for the fifth time in as many games.

Play of the game

Instead of focusing on clutch plays that shouldn’t have been necessary, here’s Devin Vassell blocking Donovan Clingan at the rim.

🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/pUzdzad4hc

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) April 29, 2026

Vassell had 10 points in 11 shots and missed all four of his three-pointers. In past seasons, he would have hurt the team if that were his offensive output. This year, however, Vassell has been finding ways to contribute even when he doesn’t have it going on offense.

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The Spurs will face the winner of the series between the Nuggets and Timberwolves. Currently, Minnesota is up 3-2 and will host Game 6, but is missing Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo, likely for the rest of the postseason.

After Game 1, OG Anunoby said he had to get better in “everything.” 

He wasn’t specific. 

The standout wing has let his play do the talking. 

He was yet again terrific Tuesday, helping the Knicks take a 3-2 series lead with a 126-97 battering of the Hawks at a raucous Garden. 

He defended, he scored and he rebounded, finishing with 19 points, 10 rebounds and two steals along with a plus-19 rating in 35 strong minutes. 

An argument can be made that through five games of this best-of-seven opening-round playoff series, the 6-foot-7 Anunoby has been the best Knick.

He is averaging an even 20 points, nine rebounds, 1.4 steals and shooting an absurd 54.2 percent from 3-point range. Even in the two losses, he brought it. 

It’s hard to play better. 

“I think he’s one of a kind. Getting to see his work ethic, the person he is, what he has just been able to do in his time as a Knick, he’s been great,” Jalen Brunson said. “I’m so happy to have him. I’m happy I don’t have to see him on that side of the ball — he just creates havoc. I think his game’s growing, and that’s what happens when you work hard.” 

Over the past two games, the Knicks have held the Hawks to fewer than 100 points each time. Before that, the last time that happened to Atlanta was March 20.

Anunoby has been a big part of that, as one of the backbones to the Knicks defense. 

“He’s one of the best two-way players in the NBA,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “This series has been great for him to show the world on a big stage something that we always thought he was. When you have someone like that who is that good offensively and even better defensively, weirdly enough, it’s special. 

“I believe he’s going to be First Team All-Defense, and he deserves it.”

BOSTON (AP) — Joel Embiid scored 33 points, Tyrese Maxey had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers avoided elimination, beating the Boston Celtics 113-97 in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night.

Paul George had 16 points and nine rebounds for the seventh-seeded Sixers, who lost Games 3 and 4 at home to fall behind 3-1 in the series before returning to Boston to keep their season alive.

Game 6 is back in Philadelphia on Thursday night, when the Sixers will try to force the series to a decisive seventh game in Boston on Saturday.

In his second game back from an emergency appendectomy, Embiid helped rally Philly from a 13-point, third-quarter deficit. After scoring 13 points in the second quarter, he added 10 in the third and eight more in the fourth, when the Sixers went on a 12-0 run to turn a three-point lead into a 15-point runaway.

Jayson Tatum had 24 points and 16 rebounds for Boston and Jaylen Brown scored 22.

KNICKS 126, HAWK 97

NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 39 points, nearly extending his own franchise record for 40-point playoff games, and New York routed Atlanta for a 3-2 lead in the first-round playoff series.

With their second straight lopsided victory, the Knicks positioned themselves to win the series Thursday night in Atlanta. They would have another chance at home in Game 7 if they need it — and it’s getting harder to picture why they should.

The Hawks took a 2-1 lead in the series with one-point victories in Games 2 and 3, but a pretty sizable gap between the teams has appeared since. The Knicks led by 24 on their way to a 114-98 win in Game 4 in Atlanta and by 32 on Tuesday, when the lead was never below double digits in the second half.

OG Anunoby added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, while Karl-Anthony Towns had 16 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. The Knicks need one more victory to reach the second round for the fourth straight season, which would continue their longest streak since advancing nine straight times from 1991-92 through 1999-2000.

Jalen Johnson had 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Hawks. Dyson Daniels scored 17, but CJ McCollum, the catalyst of both Atlanta victories, had just six.

SPURS 114, TRAIL BLAZERS 95

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama had 17 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks and San Antonio never trailed in eliminating Portland in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series.

De’Aaron Fox had 21 points, Julian Champagnie added 19 points and Dylan Harper had 17 as the Spurs led by as many as 28 points in winning their third straight game to advance to the second round.

San Antonio advances to the Western Conference semifinals for the first time since 2017, when it beat the Houston Rockets before losing Kawhi Leonard to an ankle injury and then getting swept by Golden State in the conference finals.

The Spurs will face the winner of the series between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves lead that series 3-2, with Game 6 scheduled for Thursday.

There were plenty of factors that went into the Knicks completely outplaying the Hawks from beginning to end in their massive Game 5 win on Tuesday night at MSG. 

One of the biggest was New York’s domination on the boards. 

Atlanta was one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the league all season, but the Knicks did a phenomenal job keeping them off the glass. 

Leading that charge were Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby. 

The dynamic duo combined to reel in 24 of the Knicks’ 48 rebounds on the night, which ended up as three more than the Hawks racked up as a team. 

Of those 24, 14 came on the defensive end. 

Atlanta was limited to just six second-chance and four fastbreak points. 

“KAT and OG were monsters,” Mike Brown said. “The two of them, they were phenomenal -- it was huge for us to be able to keep them off the glass and out of transition.”

This continues what’s been a phenomenal series for both of them. 

Towns took just seven shots on the night, but he was huge early, chipping in 16 more points and finishing just four assists shy of his second consecutive triple-double. 

“I’m always just thinking about impacting winning,” the big man said.

Anunoby finished with just one more point than Towns (17), but his 10 rebounds helped him put together his second consecutive double-double. 

The dynamic defender is now averaging 20 points and nine rebounds for the series. 

“He’s one of the best two-way players in the NBA,” Towns said. “This series has been great for him to show the world that he’s something we’ve always thought he was -- when you have someone like that who is that good offensively and even better defensively, it’s special.”

With these two leading the charge and Jalen Brunson finally finding his footing, New York will look to close out their first-round matchup on the road on Thursday night. 

The Knicks dominated the Hawks in Game 5 of their first-round series to put New York one win away from advancing.

And whileJalen Brunson's 39 points and OG Anunoby's ability to take over games on both sides of the ball will make the headlines, the Knicks bench needs its flowers after Tuesday's performance.

The combination of Miles McBride, Mitchell Robinson, Jordan Clarkson and Jose Alvarado scored 29 points and were a +56 in their 64 minutes on the floor in the Knicks' 126-97 win at MSG. 

In contrast, the Hawks bench (Jonathan Kuminga, Gabe Vincent, Tony Bradley and Corey Kispert) scored 19 points and were a -55 in their 68 minutes on the floor. 

"I feel like everybody's locked in," McBride said of the team's defense. "Defense isn't one guy's job, it's the whole team, so when the whole team's locked in, when guys coming off the bench, we’re locked in and we're not missing a beat, it just feels good."

"We get stops and we get rolling. Once we get our defense rolling, the offense is going to take care of itself," Alvarado said. "We know we can score the ball at a very high level. We need to get stops. And that’s what we try to do."

McBride was 0-for-4 shooting on Tuesday and was held without a point, but the guard contributed on the boards, which he had three, and helped on the defensive end. Robinson did his thing, coming down with six rebounds, scoring seven points and coming up with a block in his 16 minutes and Clarkson posted nine points on 3-of-7 shots, while giving the team energy.

And you can't talk about energy without mentioning Alvarado, who scored 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting (2-for-3 from three) in his 12 minutes. 

My teammates found me, I was open and I made the shots today," Alvarado said of his offensive spurt.

But the bench's emergence in this series is a long time coming. Clarkson, acquired in the offseason, took time to find his place in coach Mike Brown's system. He was out of the rotation for a bit before emerging as a reliable bench player. Same with Alvarado, who was acquired at the deadline. The New York native burst onto the scene when the Knicks traded for him, but saw his minutes dwindle as the regular season was coming to an end. 

"[Being out of the rotation is]definitely challenging, but I’ve been in the league for 12 years. I know how it goes," Clarkson said. "Just continue to stay ready. There’s a locker room of young guys and other people, watching me and seeing how I react to those things. Set an example for that. Continue to stay locked in with my team and organization. Just waiting for my opportunity to go out there and play. Everybody setting that example and having everybody ready is big for the team."

"It’s part of the business. Stay ready and whatever the team needs," Alvarado said. "We’re a really good team. They communicated with how it was going to go. And I stayed ready. That’s what I did mentally."

Staying ready has paid off for Clarkson and Alvarado. They, along with the rest of the Knicks bench, have allowed the team to hold on to large leads in the last two games. When the starters are on getting a breather, the bench has sustained the intensity the Knicks need to keep the scrappy Hawks at bay. 

They know they have to do the same on Thursday when the Knicks try to close out the series in Atlanta.

"We know how good the bench is and how good the team is," Alvarado said. "We go out there and be ourselves and try to boost the energy. Whatever the team needs, the bench tries to provide that." 

"We’re all tough-minded. We love challenges. We continue to hold each other up," Clarkson said. "This team has been resilient all year. It’s not going to be smooth. Continue to lean on each and continue to fight one through 15." 

The Spurs never looked like they were playing full speed tonight, unlike the second half of Game 4 where they obliterated the Trail Blazers for 24 minutes, but it was good enough to defeat an outclassed Portland team. It was a dominant early effort from the Silver and Black with Julian Champanie hitting shots and the Spurs led by as much as 28 in the second half, but the Rip City team made thing interesting late as they took advantage of the Silver and Black’s lack of edge to cut the lead to single digits with 8 minutes left to play. De’Aaron Fox took control of the game late offensively with 13 timely points in the fourth, and Victor Wembanyama anchored the defense as the Spurs held off the Portland surge to win 114-95 to advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

Observations

• ESPN always schedules NBA game broadcasts 2.5 hours apart. When you factor in that the tipoff is generally about 12 minutes after the start of the broadcast, that means that the first game has to be done in 2 hours and 18 minutes to not cut into the broadcast of the second game. Or 2.5 hours for viewers to not miss any of the game 2 action. It’s really less than that, because the network always does a commercial break after the first game, and usually an on-court interview. The Spurs had 45 games that lasted 2:18 or longer and 8 that lasted 2:30 or longer. So there’s a 50% chance that the pregame intro will be shortened or truncated, and roughly 10% chance that fans will miss the start of the second game. Would it kill ESPN to start the second broadcast at 2:45 past the first one? Or at least delay the start of the second game if the first game runs long? That would suck for the fans in the arena, so you’d have to put a limit on it. I dunno, but I really hate missing the start of the game because the networks are bad at planning. Tonight’s lead-in game (Sixers/Celtics) was over at 8:34, and didn’t cut into the start of the Spurs game, but that was at least partly because it wasn’t close at the end and neither team was interested in extending the game.
• Joel Embiid gave an unbelievable performance in the first to propel the Sixers to a victory over the Celtics, just a 19 days after having an emergency appendectomy when he was rush to the hospital before a road game in Houston. He’s played through injuries for almost his entire career, and he’s a true warrior.
• Unlike last game, the Spurs got off to a quick start, with Wemby shutting down the basket on the defensive end and Julian Champagnie taking open shots as the Spurs started out 12-2 in the first three minutes, causing Tiago to call a quick timeout. The onslaught from Champagnie continued as the Spurs led 30-17 before Splitter’s next time out 2/3rds through the quarter. The Spurs led 36-24 after one quarter, with Victor Wembanyama only playing about six minutes and scoring 2 points.
• I criticized Splitter for not calling timeouts last game during the Spurs surge in the second half, but in this game he could have had one hundred timeouts and it wouldn’t have made a difference. The Spurs just were just the better and more focused team to start the game.
• The Spurs got into the bonus with over 7 minutes left in the second quarter and were leading by 26. Tiago was burning timeouts like a Frenchman chain smoking gauloises. Could the game be over halfway through the second quarter? Not exactly, as the the Blazers went on a 9-0 surge to force a timeout from Mitch to refocus the team. The Spurs matched the Blazers minisurge and more as they dominated the rest of the quarter and led by as much by 28 before another 8-0 Portland surgelet and led 65-45 at the half. Victor only took 3 shots in the first half, but made them all count for 7 points.
• Castle picked up two quick fouls to start the third quarter, but quickly atoned by hitting a pair of triples to put the Spurs back in control. You have to give the Blazers some credit, despite the dominant play from the home team, they kept playing and taking advantage of Spurs mistakes, and kept the game from being a blowout for most of the third quarter, keeping the margin about 20. The Spurs led 86-65 after three quarters, outscoring Portland by one point in the quarter.
• There has been some ridiculous officiating in this series, but the Blazers being allowed to call a timeout and challenge a call after the ball had already been inbounded and advanced is a completely new one on me. It went from Spurs ball to a jump ball after the challenge, but it should have never been allowed.
• The Spurs got a little careless to start the fourth, and a little chippy as Advija took exception to a hard foul from Fox. Clingan finally started to hit a couple of three point shots and Sidy Cissoko injected the team with energy as the Blazers took advantage of the Spurs lack of focus to pull within 9 points with 8 minutes left. It was maybe a little too early to start throwing dirt on the grave of their playoff hopes.
• Castle had a bit of a down game tonight, fouling out on a bad foul with 4 minutes left and giving the Blazers extra shots to keep in the game. He’s been great all season, so maybe one bad game is OK.
• I’ve always been a Sidy Cissoko fan, but it was tough to see him break out against his former team.
• De’Aaron Fox scored 13 points in the fourth quarter as he singlehandedly countered the Portland comeback and kept the Spurs from allowing Rip City back into the game.

Up next

The Spurs will have to wait on the results of the Timberwolves/Nuggets series to find out their opponent, but the first game will be early next week in the Frost Bank Center.

Victor Wembanyama scored 17 points in the San Antonio Spurs’ 114-95 victory in Game 5 on April 28, clinching a first-round NBA playoff series win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Spurs earned their first playoff series win since 2017, and will face the winner of the Denver Nuggets-Minnesota Timberwolves series in the Western Conference semifinals.

Wembanyama had a double-double in his second game back after missing Game 3 with a concussion. After his 27 points and 11 rebounds helped the Spurs prevail in Game 4, Wembanyama added 14 rebounds in Game 5. De'Aaron Fox led the Spurs in scoring with 21 points, with Julian Champagnie 19 and Dylan Harper adding 17 points, respectively.

Game 5 was never really in doubt for San Antonio, which stormed out to a 36-24 lead after one quarter of play and held a 65-50 lead at halftime.

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Spurs vs. Trail Blazers Game 5 highlights

Victor Wembanyama stats in Game 5 vs. Trail Blazers

• Points: 17
• FG: 5-for-7
• 3FG: 1-for-2
• Free Throws: 6-for-6
• Rebounds: 14
• Assists: 3
• Steals: 0
• Blocks: 6
• Turnovers: 1
• Fouls: 3
• Minutes: 34

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Wemby helps Spurs close out NBA playoff series vs. Blazers

The Hawks don’t have an answer for Karl-Anthony Towns, and the Knicks are making sure to exploit that mismatch. 

Early in the series, they weren’t going to Towns nearly enough. Over the past two games, that has changed, and now the Knicks are within one win of advancing past the first round of the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. 

Towns was again terrific, a dominant force as the Knicks crushed Atlanta 126-97 in a one-sided Game 5. They ran offense through the big man, and the Hawks couldn’t stop him. Three days after notching the first playoff triple-double of his career, Towns produced 16 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, keying the easy victory. 

In the last two games, he has 16 assists. 

“I feel like passing’s been my thing since I came into the league. Sometimes the scoring gets more noticed than the passing,” Towns said. “But I’m glad I have the opportunity to show what I can do, passing-wise. I’ve just got to continue to stay disciplined, continue to make the right play, regardless if it’s the scoring play or the hockey assist.” 

Atlanta tried to use quickness on Towns, going with long and athletic guard Dyson Daniels on him, but Towns overpowered him and passed over the top.

Towns was particularly effective in the first half, notching 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists, as the Knicks built a 14-point lead. 

There has been a clear change in the Knicks’ offense the last two games. They have featured Towns more and let Jalen Brunson play off the ball. Coincidentally or not, the captain had his best game of the series in Game 5, scoring 39 points on 15-for-23 shooting. 

“I’m always just thinking about impacting winning. As long as I can do that every single day I step on the court, I just think about that,” Towns said. “How can I help my teammates be the best version of themselves with my game, and do whatever it takes to help our team be in a position to win. As long as I do that every single night, I’m happy with the man I see in the mirror.” 

“He’s been one of the best point guards and players in the NBA, so I don’t know if I was the reason for that,” Towns said. “When I watch the tape, and hopefully I can come back [Wednesday] when we watch the film and say I helped him be who he’s always been.” 

The Houston Rockets are now competing against history.

In order to advance past the Los Angeles Lakers, the Rockets will need to win their next three games to become the first NBA team to ever come back from a 3-0 deficit and advance.

That task gets taller as Austin Reaves seems destined to make his return tonight in Los Angeles. With the Lakers taking the first three games, LA was able to keep both Reaves and Luka Doncic in rest mode. Now LA can get Reaves some action before a potential second round matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder. For the first time in the series, the Lakers are the betting favorites to win an individual game.

For Houston, tonight is about getting off to a good start and keeping the pressure on LA. If the Rockets can find a way to win tonight, they will head back to Houston for Game 6 and all of the pressure with be on the Lakers to not blow this thing.

Truly, it feels like the game will come down to which team’s role players continue to look like superstars. In Games 1-3, it was Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart. In Game 4, Reed Sheppard and Tari Eason had their moments. Performing at a high level on the road is difficult for young teams, and that’s one area that the Rockets have been unable to address.

Again, this team is the best at feeding you hope just to yank it away at the last second.

Tip-off

9pm CT

How To Watch

ESPN

Injury Report

Rockets

Steven Adams: OUT

Fred VanVleet: OUT

Kevin Durant: OUT

Lakers

Luka Doncic: OUT

Austin Reaves: questionable

The Line (as of this post)

LAL -4.5

Check here for updates

Looking ahead because we can

If necessary, Game 6 on Friday in Houston

For all the talk throughout this first-round series of the Knicks’ issues defending Hawks guard CJ McCollum, you haven’t heard much about Atlanta’s top player, Jalen Johnson. 

That’s because he has been kept under wraps. 

The 6-foot-8 Johnson was the Hawks leader in scoring (22.5), rebounding (10.3) and assists (7.9) during the regular season. It was a breakout campaign for the 24-year-old wing. 

That success hasn’t carried over into the postseason. Held in check by the Knicks thus far, he averaged just 19.5 points, seven rebounds and 4.8 assists in the first four games of the series.

He had been inefficient, shooting 41.9 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from 3-point range. 

It didn’t get much better in the Knicks’ 126-97 Game 5 blowout of the Hawks that gave them a 3-2 series edge. Johnson continued to struggle with his jump shot and finished with 18 points on 7-for-15 shooting. 

“The physicality is much more intense,” Johnson told reporters earlier when asked about the biggest difference between the regular season and the playoffs. “They let a lot more stuff go. There’s not as many whistles blown, so just continue to play through that. Continue to fight physicality with physicality. Learning to continue to do that [for] all 48 [minutes].” 

The Knicks did a terrific job on Johnson in their Game 4 rout, limiting him to 4-for-12 shooting and 14 points.

It was a big part of their stellar defensive effort, holding Atlanta to a series-low 98 points, its fewest in a game since March 20. 

“I think they just punked us,” Johnson, a first-time All-Star this season, said after the blowout loss. “We just didn’t match their intensity from the jump. Guys like [Josh] Hart, we need to match their energy.” 

This is new for him, starting in the playoffs for the first time. 

“The challenges that he’s encountered throughout the course of the season, [and] one of the reasons he’s gotten to where he is, is how he’s handled those challenges. The playoffs are really an extension of that,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said beforehand. “You don’t want to get hung up on whether the ball goes in or not. He’s taken some really good shots, and he’s made some, he’s missed some. The biggest thing is to continue to be aggressive and attack.”