MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Anthony Edwards approached for a handshake during Julius Randle's postgame TV interview, the duo putting a seal on another dominant series for Minnesota in these NBA playoffs.
Randle scored 29 points on 13-for-18 shooting to send the Timberwolves to the Western Conference finals for the second straight year with a 121-110 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 on Wednesday night.
“I just try to do my best to read the game in the best way I can,” Randle said. “They threw different coverages at us all series long.”
Edwards had 22 points and 12 assists for the sixth-seeded Wolves, who will face the Denver-Oklahoma City winner next. They could get five days off, if the Nuggets beat the Thunder on Thursday to force a Game 7 in the other West semifinal series.
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.
“I don’t want to take anything away from what Minnesota just accomplished,” coach Steve Kerr said. “No sense in even talking about Steph.”
Jonathan Kuminga provided another energy boost off the bench with 26 points, but Podziemski’s performance came too late and the production from Jimmy Butler and Buddy Hield was consistently too little after they led the series-opening win.
Golden State presented far more of a defensive challenge than the Los Angeles Lakers did for Minnesota during their five-game series in the first round, but the collection of every-level scorers the Wolves can throw at an opponent when they’re moving the ball and pushing the pace simply wore down the Warriors over the course of the series.
Rudy Gobert was a force around the rim with 17 points, Mike Conley had 16 points and eight assists, and Donte DiVincenzo snapped out of a slump with 13 points as the Wolves shot a staggering 77% on 2-pointers (36 for 47). They set franchise postseason records for assists (36) and field goal percentage (62.8%).
Series close-out games can sometimes be the toughest to win, but the Wolves played with a ferocity paired with their shooting touch that all but portended victory. Randle kept up his superb postseason, providing a constant source of energy and production.
The Wolves stretched their lead as high as 25 points in the third quarter, large enough to withstand a late Warriors push that pulled them to 99-90 with 7:11 left. But Edwards answered with a 3, and the crowd started mixing “Wolves in 5! Wolves in 5!” chants in with the roars for each made basket that got them closer to advancing.
“There is no satisfaction,” Edwards said. “We just got here.”
It was a quarter to forget for the Knicks on Wednesday night.
With the chance to close out their series with the defending champion Celtics in Boston, the Knicks laid an egg in the second half en route to a 127-102 loss. Boston turned defense into offense and forced their way onto the foul line to outscore the Knicks 32-17 after both teams went into halftime tied at 59 apiece.
"We played terrible. From the top down, it was a terrible quarter," Josh Hart said of his team's performance after the game.
Jalen Brunson,who scored 22 points but fouled out with seven minutes left in the fourth,was to the point when he saidthe Celtics "came out with such an urgency that we need."
Mikal Bridges scored seven points in the first quarter but scored just two more the rest of the game, put it on the team's defense.
"The first half, we just defensively wasn’t there, especially in transition," he explained. "They were making shots and they brought that to the third as well. We just kept fighting and they just kept going. We can’t keep putting ourselves in that situation, especially when it was close at the half."
Although the focus was on that lop-sided third quarter, many may forget the Knicks were up by as much as nine points in the second quarter. However, a massive 16-3 run put the Celtics in front briefly before the Knicks came back to go into halftime tied.
Coach Tom Thibodeau was asked what disappointed him the most about Wednesday's game and he brought it back to what he said in the pregame. The Knicks needed to play a complete game to beat this team, and that's not what they did in Game 5.
"We didn’t play for 48 minutes," he said. "The start of the second quarter, we didn’t play well, had a lead, didn’t play tough with the lead. Came out to start the third, didn’t play well there. Can’t afford to do that."
Although the Celtics shot just 44 percent in the third, they made twice as many threes as the Knicks and forced four New York turnovers. Boston was also able to get to the line 18 times in the third to the Knicks' eight, but no one blames the officiating for what happened. Every Knick who spoke after the game talked about the lack of communication on defense, especially in transition. The Celtics outscored the Knicks 9-4 in fastbreak points and scored 12 points off turnovers in the game.
Derrick White torched them for 13 points while five other Celtics scored at least three points in the frame.
"You've got to sprint back, you've got to communicate and we've got to be matched up," Thibodeau said. "If one guy is slow, you're going to give him an open shot. You can't do that against this team."
"We didn't get back on defense, didn't communicate at all," Bridges added.
The always-honest Hart was asked why the Knicks continue to have lapses in communication, and he could not come up with an answer.
"I wish I could tell you. I wish I could pinpoint it because then if it did, we can address it," he said. "That third quarter, there was a lot of frustration and that seeped into everything we were doing. We have to make sure we can control what we can control and that's our communication, that's our effort, that's our intensity and let everything else fall by the wayside. That's not what we did today. We have to learn from it, execute and be better Friday."
The Knicks now set their sights on Game 6 at MSG. New York has not clinched a series at home since 1999, but if they play like they did in Game 5, that streak will continue.
Boston shot 55 percent in the second half while the Knicks shot just 29 percent. They turned the ball over five more times than the Celtics in the second half and were outrebounded 23-19 in the third and fourth quarters.
All a recipe for a disappointing loss, but the Knicks are used to this sort of loss. After getting blown out at home in Game 3, the Knicks had arguably their most complete performance in Game 4.
"It's obvious we're disappointed. Wanted to give a better effort than that," Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored 19 points but was hampered by four fouls, said. "Hopefully, the disappointment leads to more motivation, better energy. We'll regroup tomorrow and get ready for the next one."
Through the first four games of this series, Kristaps Porzingis struggled with his health and game. He was shooting 27.8% (and 20% from 3), was not a defensive presence in the paint, and was generally just a step slow while playing through a respiratory issue.
Shorthanded without Jayson Tatum, Joe Mazzulla tried to stick with him and started Porzingis next to Al Horford in Game 5, but by the middle of the second quarter Porzingis was -14. That's when Mazzulla essentially benched him — and Luke Kornett was everything Boston needed. He was a defensive force with seven blocked shots, plus he scored 10 points.
Combine Kornet with the Jaylen Brown from last playoffs — 26 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds — and the Celtics pulled away in the third quarter and cruised to a 127-102 win.
That win extended the Celtics' season and forced a Game 6 on Friday night at Madison Square Garden. New York still leads the series 3-2 and can earn its first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years with a win.
The game changed in the third quarter when the Celtics didn't just settle for 3-pointers and started getting downhill in the paint and started drawing fouls. Boston got to the free-throw line 18 times in the third quarter, and Jalen Brunson picked up four fouls, limiting his impact. Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns were in foul trouble and on the bench watching Boston get out and run off the 16 missed Knicks shots that quarter (4-of-20).
Boston was moving the ball, not settling for isolation shots in a crowd, and getting downhill. This was the Celtics offense their fans had been waiting to see — Derrick White finished with 34 points, Brown 26 and Payton Pritchard 17 off the bench.
CELTICS FIGHT BACK AT HOME TO KEEP THE SEASON ALIVE ☘️
The Celtics shot the rock well all night — they shot 50% overall in the first half and were 12-of-25 on 3s, with White and Brown leading the way with a combined 36 points. The concern was that despite all that, the game was tied at halftime and the Knicks had been the better team down the stretch this series.
The Knicks were flat in the second half as the Celtics beat New York, 127-102, in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Boston, without Jayson Tatum, forced a Game 6, still down 3-2 in the series, heading back to New York. They are 10-2 this season with Tatum. The Knicks' five-game road winning streak was snapped as they will look to close out a series at home for the first time since 1999 on Friday.
Here are the takeaways...
-With Tatum out with a ruptured Achilles, the Celtics put Kristaps Porzingis in the starting lineup, looking for offense from their big man. However, he had just one point on 0-for-3 shooting in the first quarter -- and saw a combined 12 minutes on the court for the rest of the game. Derrick White pulled his weight, though, hitting four three-pointers en route to scoring 14 points in the opening frame. Boston was 7-for-15 from three in the first quarter, which helped them stave off a 7-0 Knicks run with a 10-2 run of their own fueled by defense and offensive rebounding.
For the Knicks, they capitalized on defense by forcing five Celtics turnovers and lived in the mid-range. Mitchell Robinson also provided six points in the first quarter while hitting 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Yes, he was perfect from the line in the first quarter. Mikal Bridges led the team with seven points on 3-of-6 shooting while the rest of the team provided a balanced attack.
There was a stoppage of play with 3:30 left in the first when Josh Hart went up for a layup but Luke Kornet elbowed him above the eye, incidentally, that drew blood. Trainers had to stop the blood and bandage Hart up while he had to change his top and shorts.
-Karl-Anthony Towns scored five quick points to start the second quarter, but would pick up his third foul with 10 minutes to go in the first half. Coach Tom Thibodeau had to relegate his big man to the bench. But Robinson played a huge role in the second quarter -- and the first half. In 15 minutes, the center scored six points and came down with 11 rebounds (six offensive).
The Knicks got major contributions from the bench in the second quarter, going up by as much as nine points thanks to Miles McBride and Cameron Payne while Jalen Brunson was on the bench to start the frame. However, the Celtics would go on a 13-2 run to take a lead of their own before both teams began shooting lights out from all over the court.
New York shot 45 percent in the quarter while the Celtics shot 56 percent, including 5-for-10 from three. Jaylen Brown was the star of the second, scoring 12 of his 17 first-half points. Both teams went into halftime tied at 59-59.
-It was physical and a bit chippy in the first half, but it got really chippy at the start of the third quarter as Hart and Brown got into a shoving match after a Brown foul in the first couple of minutes.
Boston made it a point to drive to the basket and got the Knicks in the penalty with eight minutes and change left. They took 18 free throws in the quarter alone. However, the Celtics were 17-for-26 from the line through three.
But it wasn't just their offense; Boston's defense made the Knicks' offense seem out of sorts. Taking awkward shots and forcing turnovers. Both led to a 16-3 run that gave the Celtics a 14-point lead. Brunson would pick up his fifth foul with three minutes left in the quarter while KAT sat on the bench with four fouls.
Boston outscored the Knicks 32-17 in the frame.
-The fourth started much like the third, with the Celtics making threes and contesting every Knicks shot with relentless defense, pushing their lead to 22 points. Brunson started the frame with the five fouls and consistently drew fouls while driving to the hoop. However, the Knicks' defense was not up to snuff. Allowing open threes and the Celtics to outrebound them.
Brunson's night would be cut short after picking up his sixth foul with a little more than seven minutes remaining in the game. Without their captain, the Knicks slowly but surely wilted away before Thibodeau waved the white flag with less than three minutes remaining and the Celtics up 26 points.
-Brunson scored 22 points in 32 minutes before fouling out, while Hart provided 24 points -- making five threes -- coming down with seven rebounds and dishing two assists. OG Anunoby scored just six points on 1-of-12 shooting, had eight rebounds and two assists. Towns scored 19 points and had eight rebounds while Bridges, after a quick start, scored just nine points on 4-of-14 shooting.
-White had a game-high 34 points and made seven threes, while Brown had the best performance. His 26 points on 9-of-17 shooting, 12 assists, eight rebounds and a steal helped calm the Celtics without their best player. Al Horford (12 points), Jrue Holiday (14) contributed starting while Payton Pritchard (17) and Kornet (10) came up big off the bench. Kornet in particular was huge, grabbing nine rebounds and blocking seven shots.
Boston shot 52 percent from the field and 46 percent (21-46) from three.
Game MVP: Jaylen Brown
With Tatum down, last year's Finals MVP had to step up and he did on both ends of the floor. He was a game-high plus-28 on the court.
Five games didn’t determine the Western Conference semifinals between the Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves. One grab at a left hamstring around the nine-minute mark of the second quarter in the Warriors’ Game 1 win did.
The Minnesota Timberwolves took care of business. Steve Kerr wouldn’t dare do it, and none of his Warriors players made excuses as to why they lost the series, even though they knew the answer. Steph Curry’s left hamstring strain ended the Warriors’ 2024-25 NBA season. The 121-110 Game 5 loss Wednesday night made it official.
Their last four games were all losses. All were without Curry.
The season as a whole, before the injury bug took a bite too big for the Warriors to stomach, was a win. Just an incomplete one.
“Quite a turnaround in our season from where we were a few months ago to giving ourselves a chance at having a swing of the plate for some real chances to go deep,” Kerr told reporters after the loss. “We were right there, and obviously it didn’t go our way.”
The Warriors’ 2024-25 season feels like it lasted 24 or 25 years. There were so many different storylines. The highs were high, the lows were low and there wasn’t much middle ground, except for their .500 record when they traded for Jimmy Butler.
This was a team that started the season 12-3 and then didn’t just fall off a little, but took a nosedive. Curry called them “mid” after their final game in 2024 when they were blown out by the Cleveland Cavaliers at Chase Center. Their 16-16 record was mid to the definition, and the feeling around the team was much worse.
Those feelings changed with the trade for Butler the night before the NBA deadline. Butler’s drama with the Miami Heat was over and the Warriors had their new co-star for Curry, sending Andrew Wiggins to South Beach as part of a multi-team trade. The Warriors were 25-24 at the time of the move, and back down to .500 a few hours later after losing to the 12-win Utah Jazz.
Butler was introduced the next day in LA, and made his debut on Feb. 8 in Chicago. At that point, the Warriors were down to 25-26, good for 10th in the Western Conference. They went 23-8 the rest of the regular season and finished as a No. 7 seed, with real chances of being even higher.
Between the regular season, NBA play-in tournament and playoffs, the Warriors from Butler’s debut to Wednesday’s second-round exit had a 29-15 record.
Butler and Curry perfectly complemented each other, quickly forming a happy marriage. Butler and Draymond Green gave Golden State the best defense in the NBA. After a few months as a Warrior, Butler likes the outlook of a franchise he is signed to through the 2026-27 season.
“Great,” Butler said. “A bunch of great guys that work incredibly hard, young talent that’s going to be incredibly successful in this league. It’s all about staying healthy, as it always is, and getting more and more comfortable playing with one another.”
Green declared the Warriors were going to win the championship during NBA All-Star Weekend. But he also told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole and Kerith Burke on an episode of “Dubs Talk” near the end of the regular season that he likes the Warriors’ chances even more next season. The Butler trade wasn’t a three-month move. It was a multi-year move, especially regarding next season.
“Our ceiling, it is what it is,” Green said. “Now we’re a second-round team, second-round exit. It’s over, that’s what it is.”
A combination of a healthy Curry, Butler and Green isn’t a second-round exit to the Warriors. That’s a trio they trust can beat anybody in a playoff series. The Warriors have to get better around them. They feel like they can, and they’ll at least eye everything to do so.
Butler announced himself as Robin early into his Warriors tenure, making it clear he’s No. 2 to Golden State’s Batman (Curry). He showed that to be true in all the best ways alongside him, and in some tough ways without him in the playoffs. Green was voted third for NBA Defensive Player of the Year and showed why in big postseason moments, but also got himself in foul trouble, was bested by some younger big men at times and toed the line of technical and flagrant fouls.
Both are 35 years old, both are basketball geniuses and both looked gassed against the Timberwolves down the stretch.
As for the youth, there were bright spots and there were question marks.
It would be surprising to see Jonathan Kuminga back in a Warriors jersey as a restricted free agent, but is his potential still too much for the front office to let go of? Moses Moody finally fit into a role that suits him best next to Butler in the frontcourt, and then he disappeared for long stretches of the playoffs. Brandin Podziemski is a long-term starting guard and a favorite of Kerr’s for all the little things he does, though he will have to continue improving as a scorer.
Finding Quinten Post with the 52nd pick and having him turn into an impact stretch five as a rookie was a huge win. But he also pushed Trayce Jackson-Davis out of the rotation for a large chunk of his second pro season, just to see their roles be reversed in the conference semifinals.
There are so many reasons to call the Warriors’ season a success. Disappointment, yes. A win, also yes.
Being one of the final eight teams in the NBA is something the Warriors should pat themselves on the back for. It just all feels so wrong when No. 30 is subjected to sweatpants, shaking his head on the bench.
“I know we had a shot,” Kerr said. “I know we could have gone the distance. Maybe we wouldn’t have, but it doesn’t matter. Everything in the playoffs is about who stays healthy and who gets hot. Are you playing well at the right time? Do you have multiple guys step up in key games, make shots? And do you have good health?
“You see it every year, in every series.”
Steph had his taste of meaningful basketball. In the end, he had to stare at a four-course meal from the outside, tapping on the glass and waiting for the next chapter to begin.
After Golden State’s season-ending 121-110 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night at Target Center, coach Steve Kerr was asked if that same question will be on his mind in the coming days, too.
“Actually, I don’t even have to think. I know we had a shot,” Kerr told reporters. “I know we could have gone the distance. Maybe we wouldn’t have, but it doesn’t matter. Again, everything in the playoffs is about who stays healthy and who gets hot.
“Are you playing well at the right time? Do you have multiple guys step up in key games, make shots? And do you have good health? You see it every year, in every series. So there’s a little bit of luck involved, and we’ve been on both sides of that. It’s just part of it.”
Warriors star forward Jimmy Butler, who was forced to carry a much heavier load after Curry’s injury, came to a similar conclusion when asked if a healthy Golden State could contend for a title.
“I think we all know that. We all believe that,” Butler asserted. “The injuries are part of it. Nobody wants to be injured. It’s all about playing your basketball, the best basketball at the right time, and being healthy at the right time.
“Unfortunately, that wasn’t us, and we came up short.”
Now, the Warriors head into an important offseason with a chance to better position themselves to overcome any more potential injuries to their aging core next year and beyond.
Coaches will always coach, particularly during trying moments.
Following the Warriors’ season-ending 121-110 Game 5 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday at Target Center, coach Steve Kerr shared some motivational words with guard Brandin Podziemski.
Podziemski, who underwent a historic shooting slump through the first four games of the Western Conference semifinals, led Golden State’s scoring with 28 points on 11 of 19 shooting while adding six rebounds, four assists and two steals in Game 5.
Even though Podziemski’s revival was too little too late, Kerr acknowledged the 22-year-old culminated his postseason run by becoming a more seasoned player.
“This was a great experience for him,” Kerr told reporters after the loss. “There were times in this series where he was hesitant to shoot, even tonight he was 4-for-6.
“I thought he could’ve gotten 10 or 11 threes off, and we needed those. And I told him that after the game, I said, ‘When we get back here next season, you are not going to turn down a single shot.’”
In hopes of keeping the season alive and giving star guard Steph Curry an opportunity to return to action, Kerr leaned heavily on Podziemski.
Outside of wing Jimmy Butler’s team-high 42 minutes, Podziemski followed with 39 minutes, responding positively to a series that challenged him physically and mentally.
“And that’s part of the playoffs. I lived it as a player. It’s a mind game,” Kerr continued. “I call it something more profane, but the playoffs are a mind game.
“It’s really easy to lose your confidence, teams throw different schemes at you. You had a bad game, and everyone is talking about your shooting percentage. You feel like you’re on an island. I’ve been there. It’s great for Brandin to go through that and then finish the series with a great game because he has to understand this is what it feels like.”
As Kerr emphasized, the pressures of the NBA playoffs are incomparable to those of the regular season.
Podziemski’s slump, for one, is proof of that.
“Nobody cares in January if you’re 4-for-20, but in the playoffs, everyone is writing about it, everyone is talking about it,” Kerr concluded.
“You feel exposed, and that’s a big part of the playoff experience is understanding you got to keep firing, you have to stay aggressive [and] keep your confidence any way you can.”
Kerr will be expecting more of that from Podziemski next season.
MINNEAPOLIS – From the moment Stephen Curry limped off the floor after playing 13 promising minutes in Game 1, the Warriors were crawling uphill in mud against the Minnesota Timberwolves. They had to know winning even one more game, perhaps creating a jolt of post-Steph confidence, would require an extraordinary performance.
No such thing occurred. The Warriors were not extraordinary enough. Not in Game 2 or Game 3 or Game 4, all losses with similar characteristics.
It was no different Wednesday night in Game 5, facing elimination in the Western Conference semifinals, which ended with the Warriors being thumped into the offseason by a 117-110 loss that was much more decisive than the score indicates.
The better team won Game 5 and the series, sweeping the last four games.
“I thought Game 3 was the key to the series,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We’re at 1-1, and we got a six-point lead in the mid-fourth [quarter], and they made huge plays down the stretch. That was the one we needed to get.
“And then I thought the last two games, they broke free offensively. And they shot 63 percent tonight. We couldn’t stop them.”
There is no shame or dishonor about Golden State’s effort before a rollicking sellout crowd at Target Center. The Warriors accomplished their No. 1 defensive priority, doing a marvelous job of preventing the redoubtable Anthony Edwards from shooting them off the floor. Doubling and trapping, they forced Edwards to move the ball.
Edwards quickly caught on and improvised, turning the game over to his teammates, who did a terrific job of shredding Golden State’s formerly respectable defense. The Warriors in the first half limited Edwards to six points but went into the locker room trailing 62-47.
“We threw a lot of stuff at him,” Kerr said of Edwards who finished with 22 points and a game-high 12 assists. “Box-and-one on one possession, a lot of zone-trapping in the back court. But they’re a hell of a team. They’ve got shooting everywhere. And that’s the name of the game in the modern NBA.”
The Timberwolves shot 62.8 percent from the field, including 41.9 percent from deep. Six different players scored in double figures, led by Julius Randle’s 29 points. Golden State’s top-five offense was no match.
“They moved the ball incredibly well, got into the paint,” Jimmy Butler III said. “I don’t feel like we took too much away from them. We talked about what we wanted to do. We did it in some spurts, but not the entire game – which we needed to do. They played well. You’ve got to give them that.”
The Warriors were appreciably outplayed by a team that is bigger, faster, deeper, more athletic and more skilled. Quite simply, superior. The Timberwolves, for much of this series, and surely in clinching Game 5, looked as if they were from a higher league.
“They got a chance. They’ve got a real shot,” Draymond Green said of the Wolves. “Anytime you got No. 2 [Randle] that can just go get it, you give yourself a chance at the go make it happen and get a ring. The way Julius has been playing … he’s been lights out.”
Game 5 was such disaster that the arena DJ turned to soundtrack that practically mocked the Warriors and the Bay Area, blasting such artists Too Short, Mac Dre and E-40 on what felt like a rotational loop.
Golden State’s veteran starters – Butler, Green and Buddy Hield – never mounted much of a threat in Game 5, combining for 35 points on 10-of-31 shooting from the field, including 1 of 13 from beyond the arc. Butler was minus-17 over 41 minutes, Green was minus-9 over 36 minutes and Hield finished minus-13 over 30 minutes.
What little offense Golden State stirred during the heart of the game came mostly from Brandin Podziemski (a playoff-career high 28 points in by far his best game of the series) and Jonathan Kuminga (26 points, his third consecutive productive outing).
This always was going to be a tough series, but there is no doubt Curry’s presence could have made it more competitive. Whether that would have been enough to tip the balance toward the Warriors is questionable. Once Curry was sidelined, the Warriors needed to win at least one of their home games to give themselves legitimate hope. Dropping both games and returning to Minnesota facing elimination put them in position to get smacked.
Two-plus months of quality basketball took the Warriors this far. About as far as they could go, considering their compromised roster. Even through the disappointment, they can hold their heads high.
While Derrick White (34 points) and Jaylen Brown (26 points) led the Jayson Tatum-less C’s in the scoring column, Luke Kornet was the difference-maker in Wednesday’s 127-102 rout. The big man recorded 10 points, nine rebounds, and a career-high seven blocks in 26 minutes off the bench.
“He was great. Just both ends of the floor,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “His presence was good… He made some big-time plays for us.”
The Celtics took control of Game 5 in the third quarter, outscoring the Knicks 32-17 after being tied at the half. It’s no coincidence that Boston’s dominance began when Kornet replaced Kristaps Porzingis.
Porzingis, who started in Tatum’s place despite an ongoing battle with a mysterious illness, struggled mightily in his 12 minutes. He logged only one point and was a -12, making him the only Celtic to finish in the negatives.
According to Mazzulla, Porzingis didn’t play in the second half because he had difficulty breathing. The setback is concerning for the already shorthanded Celtics, but it opened the door for Kornet to give Boston a much-needed spark with its season at stake.
“He was unbelievable,” White said of Kornet. “He came in and just seemed to always be in the right position. “Seven blocks is crazy. He was unbelievable tonight and stepped up when we needed him.
“Yeah, I was barking with him,” White added. “It’s just fun seeing him do that.”
It was more than just a career night for Kornet. The 29-year-old made NBA history, becoming the first player with at least 10 points, nine rebounds, seven blocks, and a perfect shooting performance (5-5 FG) in a playoff game. Anthony Davis (2023), Robert Williams (2022), and Draymond Green (2016) are the only other players to notch at least 10 points, nine boards, and seven blocks in a postseason game in the last 10 years.
“Luke was huge tonight, defensively and offensively,” Brown said. “He was stellar, and that’s the type of performance we need in the playoffs.”
After the win, Kornet credited Brown and veteran big man Al Horford with helping the team reset after Tatum’s Achilles tear.
“Understanding the situation and understanding that we have a game to play, and to go out and represent ourselves well and play hard,” he said. “I feel like those two led the way in that.”
Winning the final two games of this Eastern Conference semifinals series without Tatum is a tall task, never mind making it through another two rounds. But if Kornet continues to provide a significant boost, and both White and Brown step up in starring roles, the reigning champions can’t be counted out.
With Porzingis’ status uncertain, Kornet will likely be asked to give the C’s more big minutes in Friday’s do-or-die Game 6 at Madison Square Garden. Coverage for the matchup begins at 7 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston with Celtics Pregame Live.
BOSTON — Kristaps Porzingis’ struggles to stay on the court continued Wednesday night, and it sounds like his health issues were more pronounced this time around.
The Celtics big man logged just 12 minutes in Game 5 of Boston’s second-round playoff series with the New York Knicks at TD Garden and didn’t play at all in the second half. He finished with just one point on 0 for 3 shooting with one rebound and one block.
Head coach Joe Mazzulla shared a concerning update on Porzingis when asked about the big man’s limited minutes.
Porzingis started the game and played 7:38 minutes in the first quarter. He was used sparingly in the second quarter, however, and came to a mutual agreement with Mazzulla at halftime.
“That was just a decision between me and him,” Mazzulla said of Porzingis’ absence in the second half. “He was having difficulties breathing. But he wanted to be out there, and if we absolutely needed him, we would have been able to go to him and rely on him.”
“I’ve had ups and downs up until this point, and just now had a big crash,” Porzingis said after Game 2. “My energy, my everything hasn’t been good.”
Porzingis played just 13 minutes in Game 1, 14 minutes in Game 2 and 19 minutes in Game 3 before delivering his “best” performance of the series in Game 4: a seven-point, four-rebound effort in 24 minutes. It’s clear the 29-year-old is very far from full strength, however.
Fortunately for the Celtics, Kornet stepped up in a huge way in Game 5, racking up 10 points, nine rebounds and a career-high seven blocks in 25 minutes of action. Kornet’s efforts were a big reason why Boston out-rebounded the Knicks 44-40 on Wednesday night after getting killed on the glass in Game 4.
With a must-win Game 6 set for Friday night in New York, don’t be surprised if we see more of Kornet going forward, with Porzingis only being deployed on an “as needed” basis.
Tip-off for Game 6 is set for 8 p.m. ET on Friday, with NBC Sports Boston’s coverage beginning at 7 p.m. ET with Celtics Pregame Live.
The Warriors have never been swept in a playoff series with Steve Kerr as their head coach. For the first time ever, though, they lost four consecutive playoff games under him after dropping Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals, 121-110, against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night at the Target Center.
Steph Curry, because of a strained left hamstring, missed all four losses. The Warriors were 4-1 against the Timberwolves with Curry this season, and 0-5 without him.
To keep the season alive and the remaining hopes of Curry getting another crack at this, the Warriors needed a miracle. They instead laid an egg. When the Warriors cut the lead to nine points in the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves immediately pushed it to 14 and always had an answer.
Brandin Podziemski finished on a high note with his one strong game of the conference semifinals. The second-year pro was far and away the Warriors’ best player, scoring a team-high 28 points on 11-of-19 shooting, and had six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
But the Warriors sans Curry was supposed to be about Butler, the co-star they acquired at the trade deadline. For the second straight game, Butler did not live up to his Playoff Jimmy moniker one bit.
Butler only took 11 shots and made four on his way to 17 points, nine of which came at the free-throw line. Butler led the Warriors in rebounds (six), assists (six) and steals (three), but was a game-worst minus-17.
The two best players in the series were Timberwolves stars Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle. The duo outplayed Butler and Draymond Green. To cap it off, Randle scored a game-high 29 points, and Edwards had a 22-point, 12-assist double-double.
Minnesota’s offense found a lot of comfort in Golden State’s defense the past few games, and sliced the Warriors like melted butter to end their season. Whether it was inside the paint or behind the 3-point line, the Timberwolves like their looks. The Timberwolves shot 62.8 percent from the field and 41.9 percent from three, far better than the Warriors’ final shooting numbers of 43.3 percent overall and 28.2 on 3-pointers.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ season-ending loss.
Butler’s Bad Ending
The Butler who did his best Batman impression in Game 3 was nowhere to be found in Game 4. Everybody was looking for Butler to be far more aggressive in Game 5 after battling an illness and being held to 14 points on a lowly nine shot attempts Monday night. Then he took just one shot in the first quarter and was a minus-11.
Butler began forcing his way to the free-throw line and scored six points in the second quarter, bringing him to eight points on five shot attempts and five free throw attempts. And he also was down to a game-low minus-19.
Butler never got going. He went into the fourth quarter as a minus-19 with 12 points on nine shots. He took 26 shots when he scored 33 points in Game 3, and then scored a total of 31 points on 20 shot attempts in the final two games of the season.
He wasn’t close to Batman, nor Robin, once again. Butler looked tired and helpless. Maybe his illness was that big of a factor. Maybe his pelvic contusion still is bothering him more than we know. Maybe this is who Butler is at 35 when he doesn’t have a Curry to play next to.
Kuminga’s Up-And-Down Finish
Leaping over Randle, Jonathan Kuminga swallowed a rebound off a Jaden McDaniels missed shot, ran the floor and threw down a hammer dunk on the other side in the first quarter. That sequence right there is what the Warriors always envisioned, combining athleticism and true impact on the court.
Kuminga, for the fourth straight game, was aggressive the moment he came off the bench. In his first stint, Kuminga played eight first-quarter minutes and scored nine points on seven shots. He was beating his man to the basket, nailed a three and had words for both Naz Reid and the Timberwolves crowd.
As the Timberwolves had three players at halftime in double figures, led by 15 points by Randle, Kumiga was the lone Warrior in the club with 11 points. That rebound in the first quarter that led to a dunk also was his only board at the time.
Though he was up to 19 points, he still only had that one rebound to his name entering the fourth quarter, which is two fewer than how many he finished with on a night where he didn’t have one assist. Kuminga tallied 26 points off the bench of 11-of-23 shooting, and in the four games without Curry, again showed he can put up points, but again, his weaknesses were exposed.
The Steph Effect
Simply said, the numbers don’t lie. The Warriors could have been contenders if Curry remained healthy. They’re not even pretenders without him, they’re an afterthought.
It was astounding to be reminded how much Curry shifts the entire court. Curry, at 37 years old and in Year 16, completely changes an offense, as well as the mindset of the other team. As general manager Mike Dunleavy assesses his roster this offseason, the lack of scoring and shooting will have to be noted.
The Warriors, in their four losses against the Timberwolves, shot 31.9 percent on threes, going 38 of 119. The Timberwolves made 41.9 percent of their threes in that span, making 58 and taking 136.
Podziemski’s performance was too little, too late. His shooting in the first four games was historically bad. It’s great to end strong, but the Warriors needed more earlier.
Buddy Hield had a combined nine turnovers (four) and fouls (five) while scoring eight points in 30 minutes. The historically strong 3-point shooter missed all four attempts and was 2 of 9 from the field. Moses Moody showed fight in the fourth quarter, but he and Quinten Post were mostly out of the rotation in the most important games.
It’s the Steph Effect, and it’s a reality check. The Warriors made the big move. They still also live and die by one player.
All Steph Curry could do was watch from the bench as the Warriors’ 2024-25 NBA season ended with a thud.
The Warriors couldn’t extend their season, losing 121-110 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals on Wednesday night at Target Center.
Brandin Podziemski led the way with 28, while Jonathan Kuminga scored 26 points off the bench and Jimmy Butler added 17. Draymond Green finished with 10 points, six rebounds and six assists in the loss.
All five Timberwolves starters scored in double figures, led by Julius Randle’s 29 and Anthony Edwards’ 22.
While the Timberwolves advance to their second consecutive Western Conference finals, the Warriors head into an important offseason.
Butler, the Warriors’ massive NBA trade deadline acquisition, fit in well with Curry, Green and Co. But now, general manager Mike Dunleavy must figure out which pieces fit with the aging superstars.
Dunleavy also has to decide if Kuminga, a soon-to-be restricted free agent, still fits with the Warriors, or if it’s best for the sides to move in different directions.
The Warriors had championship aspirations after acquiring Butler from the Miami Heat, and they closed the regular season on a 23-8 run after the six-time NBA All-Star joined the lineup on Feb. 8.
Golden State made a late push for a top-six seed but lost the regular-season finale to the Los Angeles Clippers, meaning it had to get out of the Western Conference play-in tournament to make the playoffs.
The Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies to secure the No. 7 seed and a showdown with the No. 2-seeded Houston Rockets.
Golden State built a 3-1 series lead but lost Games 5 and 6, setting up a winner-take-all Game 7 in Houston. Buddy Hield was the unlikely hero, scoring 33 points to lift the Warriors to a thrilling win.
The Warriors carried that momentum over into Game 1 against the Timberwolves, stealing the series opener at Target Center even as Curry exited in the first half.
But without Curry, the Warriors didn’t have enough offensive firepower to keep up with the hungry Timberwolves.
A helpless Curry sat on the bench in disbelief that a golden opportunity to get to the Western Conference finals slipped away, all because of the first hamstring injury of his 16-year NBA career.
Curry, Green and coach Steve Kerr might have one last chance next season to win a fifth NBA title during this dynastic run.
The process to get back to the NBA mountaintop begins now.
Draymond Green had fouled out of Game 3 and the Minnesota Timberwolves were up eight in the final minute. That's when the ESPN broadcast caught Green talking about the referees and the point spread, appearing to say, "5.5, I know what y'all doing."
Wednesday the NBA fined Green $50,000 for "making an inappropriate comment that questions the integrity of game officials."
“5.5. I know what y’all doing.”
Draymond Green has been fined $50,000 for questioning the integrity of the officials by referring to the 5.5 point spread in Game 3, the league has announced. pic.twitter.com/ZUo4cgpJUk
Green had fouled out with 4:38 left in the game and the Timberwolves up two, 84-82. Jonathan Kuminga drained a 3-pointer with 5.3 seconds left to make the final score 102-97, putting the game within the 5.5-point spread.
The NBA is quick to fine anyone who suggests the referees are making calls based on the point spread, which most players do by rubbing their fingers together in a "money" gesture to the officials. Name players such as Luka Doncic, Trae Young and Rudy Gobert have been fined for this in the past.
This week on the Takeoff podcast with John Clark, Daryl Morey joins from the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago to discuss the Sixers’ strategy after winning the 3rd pick. Plus, Morey talks about what he learned from last season and changing their approach when Joel Embiid makes a full recovery
Episode Notes
00:00 – Daryl Morey 00:24 – Sixers keep the pick 00:56 – 2025 Draft Class 01:46 – Biggest need for the Sixers 02:40 – Sixers staying at 3? 03:03 – Can Embiid keep up as the Sixers get younger? 04:00 – If Joel Embiid comes back… 04:58 – Ace Bailey 05:51 – Embiid’s recovery 07:35 – Learning from last season 09:26 – Roster going into next season 12:23 – Message for the fans 13:47 – Lottery night roller coaster
The moment the Dallas Mavericks leapt up 10 spots and their 1.8% chance to land the No. 1 overall pick became reality, the speculation began:
Would the Mavericks trade the No. 1 pick and the rights to draft Cooper Flagg? What about sending it to the Milwaukee Bucks as the core of a deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo? What about a team (maybe Utah) that could throw a flood of future picks at them?
Sources told ESPN that Patrick Dumont, who just finished his first year as the Mavs' governor, considers the opportunity to be in position to draft a generational talent such as Flagg a "gift." While Dumont has given (GM Nico) Harrison great leeway to run basketball operations, the governor has final decision on all personnel matters.
Mavericks CEO Rick Welts echoed that idea the day after the lottery.
"I don't know who we're going to take, but should we take him, I think his résumé is pretty strong," Welts said. "Every time he's put in a situation that everyone wondered if he could succeed, he's succeeded and then some."
It would be foolish to trade away Flagg, whose projected floor is a multiple-time All-Star and whose ceiling is a top-five player in the league. Even for more of a win-now team, such as the Mavericks with Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, they are not going to trade away that much talent and a bridge to the future.
Now, the San Antonio Spurs with the No. 2 pick are a different story; that pick is expected to be available in something like an Antetokounmpo trade with the Bucks. The win-now 76ers likely will consider trading the No. 3 pick for the right deal.
However, the Mavericks are not listening to trade offers.