Category: NBA

The Indiana Pacers reached the NBA's Eastern Conference finals for the second year running by beating top seeds the Cleveland Cavaliers in game five.

Tyrese Haliburton scored 31 points and added eight assists as Indiana triumphed 114-105 to win the best-of-seven semi-final series 4-1.

"The winning team writes the script," Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said.

"This was one of the best teams in the league. I'm sorry their season had to end like this. They had the perfect season, and we came along and were hot at the right time."

The fourth-seeded Pacers will face either the Boston Celtics or the New York Knicks, who lead the NBA's defending champions 3-1, in the final.

The Celtics claimed a clean sweep against the Pacers in last year's Eastern finals.

Cleveland, who topped the Eastern Conference, thrashed Miami 4-0 to book their place in the semi-finals.

However, they could not cope with the tempo of the Pacers and Donovan Mitchell, who led the Cavaliers with 35 points, said they had "let the city down".

"We just didn't get the job done. Nothing else needs to be said," added Mitchell.

"We let the city down. We let each other down. I believe in this team. That's what just sucks. We're a good team, but ultimately for three [home] games, we don't seem it."

Thunder on brink of Western Conference final

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets to move 3-2 ahead in their Western Conference semi-final series.

Nuggets centre Nikola Jokic grabbed 44 points and 15 rebounds, but he could not stop Oklahoma City from running out 112-105 winners in game five.

"This is a really disappointing loss," Denver interim coach David Adelman said.

"The guys in there should be disappointed. It's a heavy loss and we have to bounce back quickly to win game six and give ourselves a chance to come back. Have a game like this, but finish it."

Jalen Williams' three-pointer opened up a 106-103 lead with 1:18 remaining before Gilgeous-Alexander's three with 48 seconds to go extended the Thunder's advantage to six.

"What the great players do is they rise in the face of those challenges and adversities," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said of Gilgeous-Alexander.

"Despite the fact that the pressure was mounting and it got hotter in there, he got cooler and just kind of settled into it, made the right plays, let the game tell him what to do."

The Thunder can clinch the series on Friday (01:30 BST) in Denver.

A masterpiece 39-point performance from Jalen Brunson and well-rounded help from the Knicks’ other starters propelled the team to its strongest performance of the Eastern Conference semifinals. After the Knicks took a 3-1 series lead with a 121-113 win against the Boston Celtics, New York has a golden opportunity to close the series out in Boston.

The top storyline for the series is Jayson Tatum, who is out with a ruptured right achilles tendon that he suffered late in Monday night’s game. The injury required surgery on Tuesday. The absence of Tatum is a massive blow to Boston. As we saw in Game 4, Tatum can be dominant. He had 42 points, nailing several off-the-dribble three-pointers. Tatum also initiates a lot of Boston’s offensive attack. On defense, he guards multiple positions.

Still, the Celtics had a top-three record in the NBA for a reason. The team has quality players across the roster, and a win won’t be easy for the Knicks. For much of the series, the Celtics have been able to stymie New York’s offense with a heavy switching defensive strategy. But Game 4 was a step in the right direction for the Knicks' offense.

Brunson was phenomenal, hitting a plethora of difficult shots off the dribble. He was the steadying force throughout the game that the Knicks could always go to. New York’s other starters deserve credit, too. Karl-Anthony Towns was efficient with 23 points on 11-of-15 shooting. Mikal Bridges was automatic from mid-range with 23 points and OG Anunoby awoke from a scoring slumber with 20 points on 4-for-8 shooting from the three-point line.

The Knicks will need that offensive diversity to win. Brunson can lead the way, but finding other sources for offensive creation is crucial. Bridges found success from mid-range in the fourth quarter, attacking Celtics big men Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet in drop coverage. He made five mid-range pull-up attempts in the final frame.

The offensive glass also ended up being a swing factor. The Knicks had 13 offensive rebounds and took 13 more shots than Boston. Mitchell Robinson had five offensive rebounds in 25 minutes. Keeping Robinson on the floor has led to extra shot opportunities.

Defensive moves

Tatum’s injury adds even more responsibility to Jaylen Brown. The Celtics’ other all-star is averaging 20.5 points but is shooting just 37.7 percent from the field and 22.6 percent from beyond the arc in the series.

Throughout the second round, Tatum constantly sought out Brunson and Towns on switches and has attacked or found the open man. It worked as Tatum knocked down 12 three-pointers and had 64 points in the last two contests. Now, Brown will have even more opportunities to attack, but he doesn’t create the same havoc shooting and making plays as Tatum.

Something to monitor will be how Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla tinkers with the starting lineup. Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard could start in a smaller, three-guard alignment with Derrick White and Jrue Holiday. Or do the Celtics go to Porzingis or Kornet in a jumbo starting big combination with Al Horford?

Either way, that should put less pressure on Brunson and Towns defensively. Still, the Knicks will have to focus on containing the outside shot and defensive rebounding. White, specifically, was a nuisance with six threes on Monday night. The Celtics lead all teams in the second round in three-point attempts per 100 possessions. If Boston catches fire from three, it can make up for Tatum’s absence.

Julius Randle had just scored 31 points, his career-high in the playoffs.

He was a game removed from his first postseason triple-double.

After his team's Game 4 win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night, Randle was asked about how he's been able to finally shake his reputation as a player who fades during the playoffs. Much of the credit, Randle said, belongs to someone he last played with nine years ago: Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.

“I’ve battled through a lot in my career, to be honest. I mean, my first game in my career I broke my leg. I’ve been through a lot," Randle said. "I had a great mentor in Kobe that didn’t necessarily let me pout or get down on myself. His thing was always, ‘All right, what’s next? How can you get better? How can you improve?’ So I always just kind of took that mentality with me."

Read more:Plaschke: A painful truth: Lakers must trade Austin Reaves

Randle — who also credited his mother, Carolyn Kyles, for raising him "to be a hard worker and not feel sorry for myself" — has spoken before about Bryant's influence on him. The Lakers selected him at No. 7 overall in the 2014 draft, and he spent four seasons in Los Angeles, with the first two the final seasons of Bryant's Hall of Fame career.

In an essay published by The Players' Tribune in 2021, Randle recounted a life-changing encounter with Bryant early in the 2015-16 season. The Lakers had just arrived in Randle's hometown of Dallas late at night, with a day off before a game against the Mavericks.

Just before arriving at the hotel, Randle said, Bryant asked him what his plans were for the rest of the night. Randle responded that he was going to "have a night" with some family and friends.

"And Kobe, he just cuts me off," Randle wrote. "He’s like, 'Nah. We’re going to the gym.'"

And that's exactly what they did.

"I mean, that right there, it’s just the power of Kobe," he wrote. "If anyone else in the world had said that to me, in that moment, I might have hit ’em with an eye roll and went on with my business. But when Mamba is telling you that it’s a change of plans, and you’re coming with him to the gym tonight? You don’t ask questions. You just do as you’re told. ...

"It was him trying to use the situation to teach me a lesson. The lesson being: To get to the next level in this league, you can’t be putting in that next level of work only some of the time. Has to be all of the time. No such thing as sacrifice without sacrifice."

Bryant died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020. About a month later, Randle had arranged for a Detroit gym to be open for his now-routine, Mamba-inspired late-night workout. When he got there, Randle wrote, the man who opened the doors for him said: “It’s good to see you. Guys don’t really show up here to work out anymore. Matter of fact, the last guy to come in this late to shoot — man, that must have been years ago. It was Kobe.”

Randle said just hearing Bryant's name in that moment "gave me chills."

"It was just one of those moments," Randle wrote. "One of those moments that stays with you. One of those moments that forces you to take a second, and feel humble about how connected everything is."

Randle was a three-time All-Star for the Knicks but didn't play particularly well in two postseason appearances during the team's three playoff series. He didn't play last spring after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery in April.

Read more:'Kobe is L.A.' Luka Doncic donates $5,000 to restore vandalized Kobe and Gianna Bryant mural

Just before the start of training camp last fall, Randle was traded to Minnesota in a deal that sent fan favorite Karl-Anthony Towns to New York. After getting off to a shaky start with his new team, Randle missed the month of February because of a groin injury.

Since his return, however, Randle and the Timberwolves have found their groove, going 17-4 down the stretch. While it's no surprise that young superstar Anthony Edwards has led the team in the playoffs (27 points, eight rebounds, five points per game), Randle's emergence as a postseason force is welcome news for Timberwolves fans. He averaged 22.6 points during Minnesota's five-game series win over the Lakers and is averaging 24.3 points in four games against Golden State.

Randle says that the Timberwolves' young superstar reminds him a lot of Bryant.

“The mentality is very similar," Randle told Andscape in October. "No hesitation. Ant gets right to it. He’s special. Physically, he’s gifted. Skill-wise, he’s gifted. Dude is different. There aren’t many players like him.

“Now I’m seeing his leadership, that he is charismatic, and his energy. He makes everybody believe. He’s special.”

And that's one of the reasons why with him and Edwards at the helm, the Timberwolves are only a win away from a repeat trip to the Western Conference finals.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Where the Mavs' 2025 NBA Draft Lottery win ranks among the most unlikely ever originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The ping pong balls bounced the Dallas Mavericks’ way in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes.

The Mavericks bolted to the top of the 2025 NBA Draft board thanks to one of the most unlikely draft lottery wins in event history.

Dallas, which was eliminated in the play-in tournament following a much-maligned midseason trade of Luka Doncic, entered the lottery with the 11th-best odds of landing the coveted No. 1 overall pick at 1.8%. The Mavs owned just 18 of the 1,001 possible four-digit combinations for the lottery drawing.

But one of them proved to be the winning combination for the top pick: 10-14-11-7.

The Mavericks became just the fourth team with less than 2% odds to win the No. 1 pick since the weighted lottery system debuted in 1990.

The biggest lottery miracle came back in 1993. After winning the Shaquille O’Neal sweepstakes with the second-best odds in the 1992 lottery, the Orlando Magic came into the 1993 event with the worst odds at 1.52%. But Orlando jumped from No. 11 to No. 1, becoming the first franchise to win consecutive lotteries. The Magic selected Chris Webber first overall in 1993 and then promptly traded him to the Golden State Warriors for No. 3 pick Penny Hardaway and several future first-rounders.

There are two teams that have won the lottery with 1.7% odds. The Chicago Bulls in 2008 went from ninth to first before selecting hometown prospect Derrick Rose. And one year after claiming the 2013 No. 1 pick with the third-best odds, the Cleveland Cavaliers went back-to-back in 2014 by winning it with the ninth-best odds. Cleveland then used No. 1 pick on Andrew Wiggins and dealt him less than two months later to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a trade for Kevin Love.

Here’s a full look at the most unlikely draft lottery wins of all time, according to RealGM, along with the players who were selected:

1. Orlando Magic, 1993: 1.52% — Chris Webber

T-2. Chicago Bulls, 2008: 1.7% — Derrick Rose

T-2. Cleveland Cavaliers, 2014: 1.7% — Andrew Wiggins

4. Dallas Mavericks, 2025: 1.8% — TBD

5. Cleveland Cavaliers (via Clippers), 2011: 2.8% — Kyrie Irving

6.Atlanta Hawks, 2024: 3% — Zaccharie Risacher

7. New Jersey Nets, 2000: 4.4% — Kenyon Martin

8. Portland Trail Blazers, 2007: 5.3% — Greg Oden

9. New Orleans Pelicans, 2019: 6% — Zion Williamson

10. Milwaukee Bucks, 2005: 6.3% — Andrew Bogut

11. Toronto Raptors, 2006: 8.8% — Andrea Bargnani

12. Houston Rockets, 2002: 8.9% — Yao Ming

13.Golden State Warriors 1995: 9.4% — Joe Smith

Editor’s note: The original version of this story was published in 2022.

Warriors must avoid another catastrophic quarter to survive Game 5 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Erasing the white board and starting from scratch, the Warriors’ Game 2 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals was a wash. 

Steve Kerr tried, quite literally, everybody. When the final buzzer rang, the Warriors lost by 24 points. The feeling of the game didn’t resemble the score. Kerr’s objective of experimental minutes was finding something that could work with Steph Curry out to a strained left hamstring. 

Emerging from the rubble in that loss were Jonathan Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis. Kuminga has been a go-to scorer without Curry, and Jackson-Davis has regained his old title of starting center. The last two losses are where frustration and disappointment has to kick in. 

Games aren’t decided by one quarter. Throughout the playoffs, major leads have been lost in a flash. That’s the modern NBA. And yet, if it weren’t for two terrible quarters, one in each of the past two games, this series could be looking a lot different than the Warriors staring at a three-games-to-one deficit, still waiting for Curry, who officially has been ruled out for Game 5 on Wednesday. 

In the Warriors’ 102-97 Game 3 loss, it was the fourth quarter that spelled doom for them. They held a four-point lead, 73-69, entering the final 12 minutes and wound up losing by five. 

“It felt like a couple of offensive rebounds for them turned into threes,” Kerr said after that Game 3 loss. “I think [Anthony] Edwards had one out of the corner. [Naz] Reid, there’s a big sequence where Jimmy [Butler] had a shot at the rim. Looked like he was going to convert it, looked like he might have gotten fouled and then they went the other way and got an offensive board and Reid hit the three from the corner.

“I thought that was the sequence that really shifted the game and the momentum.” 

With 10 minutes left and the Warriors ahead 75-69, Butler stepped up to set a screen for Draymond Green and rolled behind Julius Randle. Butler caught Green’s high pass, came down for his signature two-footed jump stop and rose for an attempt at the rim. Randle’s left hand was on Butler’s hip the whole time, but no foul was called and the Timberwolves gained possession. 

Edwards then hit a step-back three to make it a three-point game. Kuminga countered with a layup, but on the Timberwolves’ next offensive possession, Edwards’ missed three bounced off Jaden McDaniels’ hand, Butler’s hand and into the hands of Mike Conley, who found Reid in the right corner for three points. 

From that point on, the Timberwolves outscored the Warriors 27-20 the rest of the game. Butler scored 28 points through three quarters, and then went 1 of 7 for five points in the fourth.

In the Warriors’ 117-110 Game 4 loss, it was the third quarter that was disastrous. 

The Warriors at halftime led by two points. While the Timberwolves had doubled the Warriors’ output from 3-point range, 10 to five, the Warriors had more rebounds (25-15), points in the paint (26-16), fastbreak points (9-8) and second-chance points (10-2). Their two-point lead then was wiped away to a 20-point Timberwolves lead going into the fourth quarter. 

They went from having just six turnovers in the first half to seven in the third quarter alone. It’s their defense, Kerr believes, that preceded bigger problems. 

“Defensive connection,” Kerr said Tuesday in a Zoom with media members, one day after the Warriors’ Game 4 loss. “We had done a really good job the previous couple games of just staying connected. I thought our offensive woes in the middle of the third quarter led to some of the transition stuff. They hit some tough shots, but it didn’t feel like we ever had control of them in the third.

“We have to stay better connected and make sure we’re forcing tougher shots than what we gave up in that fourth quarter.”

The Warriors went 7 of 19 from the field in the third quarter of Game 4, and missed all six of their 3-point attempts. The Timberwolves had more rebounds (10-5), points in the paint (18-12), fastbreak points (11-2) and second-chance points (7-2), while shooting 15 of 23 overall and 6 of 12 on threes.

There’s a theme between both quarters: Edwards scored 13 points in the fourth quarter of Game 3, and 16 in the third quarter of Game 4.

Through the last two games, the Warriors have tied or won six of eight quarters. The only two that they lost were the fourth quarter of Game 3 and the third quarter of Game 4, when the Timberwolves outscored them by a combined 31 points. In the other six quarters, the Warriors have outscored the Timberwolves by 19 points the last two games. 

To keep the season alive and the hopes of getting Curry back with three days in between Game 6, the Warriors simply have to avoid a catastrophic quarter in Game 5.

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When is the 2025 NBA Draft? Dates, location, full draft order and more originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Cooper Flagg sweepstakes resulted in a stunner.

The Dallas Mavericks jumped 10 spots in the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery to capture this year’s No. 1 overall pick. Dallas had just 1.8% odds of landing the top pick, marking one of the most unlikely wins in draft lottery history.

Now, just months after they parted ways with Luka Doncic in a widely criticized move, the Mavs can add a new franchise cornerstone in Flagg, the Duke freshman forward who earned consensus national player of the year honors.

The draft lottery also saw the San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers jump into the top three. The Spurs moved up six spots to No. 2, giving them an opportunity to bring in another young stud in Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, or to potentially use the pick to pursue an established star like Giannis Antetokounmpo. San Antonio owns the last pick of the lottery at No. 14, as well.

The Sixers, meanwhile, retained their top-six-protected pick as they moved from fifth to third.

From the full order to the dates and more, here’s everything to know about the 2025 NBA Draft:

When is the NBA draft?

The NBA draft will take place over two days for the second straight year. The first round is Wednesday, June 25, followed by Round 2 Thursday, June 26.

Where is the NBA draft being held?

The Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets, in Brooklyn, New York, is hosting the entire draft.

What time is the NBA draft?

Both rounds are scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET.

Where to watch, stream the NBA draft

Round 1 will air across ABC and ESPN. ESPN will broadcast Round 2.

All of the draft action can also be streamed on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.

How many rounds are in the NBA draft?

There are two rounds in the draft.

How many picks are in the NBA draft?

The first round features 30 picks and the second round has 29. There are typically 30 picks per round, but the New York Knicks were docked their 2025 second-rounder after the league found they had violated tampering rules before signing Jalen Brunson in 2022 free agency.

What is the NBA draft order?

1. Dallas Mavericks
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. Philadelphia 76ers
4. Charlotte Hornets
5. Utah Jazz
6. Washington Wizards
7. New Orleans Pelicans
8. Brooklyn Nets
9. Toronto Raptors
10. Houston Rockets (from Phoenix through Brooklyn)
11. Portland Trail Blazers
12. Chicago Bulls
13. Atlanta Hawks (from Sacramento)
14. San Antonio Spurs (from Atlanta)
15. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Miami through LA Clippers)
16. Orlando Magic
17. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Detroit through New York, OKC and Houston)
18. Washington Wizards (from Memphis)
19. Brooklyn Nets (from Milwaukee through New York, Detroit, Portland and New Orleans)
20. Miami Heat (from Golden State)
21. Utah Jazz (from Minnesota)
22. Atlanta Hawks (from LA Lakers through New Orleans)
23. Indiana Pacers
24. Oklahoma City Thunder (from LA Clippers)
25. Orland Magic (from Denver)
26. Brooklyn Nets (from New York)
27. Brooklyn Nets (from Houston)
28. Boston Celtics
29. Phoenix Suns (from Cleveland through Utah)
30. Los Angeles Clippers (from OKC)
31. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Utah)
32. Boston Celtics (from Washington through Detroit and Brooklyn)
33. Charlotte Hornets
34. Charlotte Hornets (from New Orleans through San Antonio, Phoenix and Memphis)
35. Philadelphia 76ers
36. Brooklyn Nets
37. Detroit Pistons (from Toronto through Dallas and San Antonio)
38. San Antonio Spurs
39. Toronto Raptors (from Portland through Sacramento)
40. Washington Wizards (from Phoenix)
41. Golden State Warriors (from Miami through Brooklyn and Indiana)
42. Sacramento Kings (from Chicago through San Antonio)
43. Utah Jazz (from Dallas)
44. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Atlanta)
45. Chicago Bulls (from Sacramento)
46. Orlando Magic
47. Milwaukee Bucks (from Detroit through Washington)
48. Memphis Grizzlies (from Golden State through Washington and Brooklyn)
49. Cleveland Cavaliers (from Milwaukee)
50. New York Knicks (from Memphis through OKC and Boston)
51. Los Angeles Clippers (from Minnesota through Atlanta and Houston)
52. Phoenix Suns (from Denver through Charlotte and Minnesota)
53. Utah Jazz (from LA Clippers through LA Lakers)
54. Indiana Pacers
55. Los Angeles Lakers
56. Memphis Grizzlies (from Houston)
57. Orlando Magic (from Boston)
58. Cleveland Cavaliers
59. Houston Rockets (from OKC through Atlanta)

Who are the top NBA draft prospects?

This year’s draft features a consensus top two prospects, with Cooper Flagg as the anticipated No. 1 pick followed by Dylan Harper at No. 2.

The intrigue really begins at No. 3, where Rutgers forward Ace Bailey and Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe boast strong cases to hear their names called.

Other widely projected top 10 picks include Texas guard Tre Johnson, Duke guard Kon Knueppel, Duke center Khaman Maluach and Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears.

Sam Hauser (ankle) listed as probable for Celtics-Knicks Game 5 originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics will have to continue their title defense without Jayson Tatum, who had surgery Tuesday to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon suffered Monday night in their Game 4 loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

The Celtics are now without their best player and have been pushed to the brink of elimination trailing their Eastern Conference semifinals series 3-1.

One positive for the Celtics is that Sam Hauser has been upgraded to probable for Wednesday’s Game 5 at TD Garden. Hauser sprained his right ankle in the series opener and has missed the last three games.

If Hauser is able to return, that gives head coach Joe Mazzulla another option off the bench as the Celtics search for ways to replace Tatum’s team-leading 28.1 points per game in the playoffs.

Hauser is one of the league’s best outside shooters. He shot 41.6 percent from 3-point range in the regular season. The Celtics, as a team, have shot just 33.5 percent from beyond the arc in four games versus the Knicks.

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What can we expect from Celtics without Tatum in Game 5 vs. Knicks? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury could have a huge impact on the future of the Boston Celtics, but they aren’t eliminated from the 2025 NBA playoffs just yet.

The Celtics trail 3-1 in their Eastern Conference semifinals series against the New York Knicks after losing 121-113 in Monday night’s Game 4 at Madison Square Garden. Tatum suffered his injury late in the fourth quarter of that defeat.

The loss of Tatum can’t be overstated. He is the team’s best player and one of the league’s top-five players overall. The superstar forward leads the Celtics with 28.1 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game in the playoffs.

Overcoming a 3-1 deficit with Tatum would have been a difficult challenge. Doing it without him is an enormous obstacle.

But the Celtics do have a lot of talent and playoff experience. So, what can we expect from Boston without Tatum in Game 5 at TD Garden on Wednesday night?

The Celtics are 16-3 (1-0 in playoffs) over the last two seasons without Tatum, but 11 of those 19 games were against teams that didn’t make the playoffs, including a couple late regular season matchups last month versus the Wizards, Hornets and Trail Blazers.

In those 18 regular season games that Tatum has missed since the start of the 2023-24 campaign, Jaylen Brown leads the Celtics with 26.8 points per game. Brown played in 13 of those 18 games Tatum missed.

Brown is obviously the player who needs to step up the most with Tatum out.

The reigning Finals MVP is more than capable of scoring 30-plus points in a playoff game. In fact, he did it in Game 2 of the first round with 36 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a win over the Orlando Magic that Tatum missed due to a wrist injury. Brown has 14 30-point playoff games in his career.

White is another player who has to provide more scoring in Tatum’s absence. He shot pretty well in Game 4, going 6-for-11 from 3-point range and finishing with 23 points.

Holiday has to be more aggressive offensively, too. He has scored only 12 points in the last two games combined, and he’s shooting 4-for-14 on 3-pointers in the series.

Pritchard deserves to see a larger role with Tatum out of the lineup. The Sixth Man of the Year Award winner played just 20 minutes in Game 4 after scoring 23 points in 35 minutes during Boston’s Game 3 win. The C’s need his outside shooting and tenacity at both ends of the floor. He also pushes the pace as well as any player on the roster.

Porzingis making an impact would be a massive lift for Boston. He has struggled to be effective in the playoffs as he deals with the effects of an illness he battled in the regular season. The 7-foot-3 center has scored 20 points in the four games against the Knicks combined. He has only played more than 20 minutes in one of those matchups. Can Porzingis give the Celtics 12-15 points and good interior defense in Game 5?

🔊 Celtics Talk POSTGAME POD: C’s season pushed to the BRINK after losing Game 4, Jayson Tatum to injury | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube

The best way for the Celtics to survive without Tatum might be to keep letting it fly from beyond the arc.

The C’s are fully capable of getting hot from 3-point range, but outside of going 20-for-40 in Game 3, they have largely struggled on these shots against the Knicks. Boston is shooting just 33.5 percent on 3-pointers in the series.

The Celtics have built a lead of at least 14 points in every game this series. They have a lot of talent on their roster, even without Tatum. Two of the last three games are at TD Garden, including a potential Game 7.

Yes, beating the Knicks three straight times without Tatum is going to be extraordinarily tough. And the Knicks, to their credit, have played fantastic in the fourth quarters of this series. But to totally count out the Celtics would be foolish.