Category: Basketball

Steph ‘sad' Game 6 return plans were spoiled with Warriors' loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – All Steph Curry needed was the Warriors to win one of their four final games. They couldn’t. 

The Warriors lost four straight games to be dropped by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of the Western Conference semifinals in a five-game series. Curry the day before Game 5 was ruled out because of his strained left hamstring. He also was cleared for light on-court workouts and shooting drills, something Curry had already begun doing. 

There was a light at the end of the tunnel. Curry could see it, so could the rest of his Warriors teammates. 

But so did the Minnesota Timberwolves. They knew the monster who was lurking in the shadows and never let him out of his cage. 

“Everything was kind of aligned for Game 6,” Curry said Thursday at his exit interview. “I had some testing to do, and who knows how that would have went because I haven’t gone live since Game 1. 

“First time dealing with this injury. I was pretty optimistic, but there were a couple more checkpoints to get through. But it’s the great what-if.” 

Curry was working round the clock to make his return, spending eight to nine hours of rehab every day to get his hamstring in good enough shape to play again. The Warriors would have had three days in between Game 5 and Game 6, perhaps the perfect amount of rest and rehab for Curry to play hero once more.

He was lively on the bench, but also couldn’t fully hide his sadness, shaking his head at a Julius Randle 3-pointer in Game 5. He was at shootarounds, rebounding for teammates and remaining engaged. 

As Curry walked off the Target Center court Wednesday after shootaround ahead of Game 5, he got up one last shot. Steph caught a bounce pass from his personal bodyguard, Yusef Wright, and let it fly from the right wing. In mid-air, Curry knew, as he always does, yelling “Yes!” before the ball kissed the bottom of the net. 

The rest of the night was a no for the Warriors. No Curry, no wins. The Warriors played the Timberwolves nine times between the regular season and the NBA playoffs. They went 4-1 with Curry, and 0-4 without him. 

From the moment the Warriors acquired Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline, they were in playoff mode. There wasn’t any time to take their foot off the gas. Curry had two 50-point games in that span and was playing like his MVP seasons at 37 years old. But he also had to go through the play-in tournament and seven games in the first round of the playoffs while battling injuries to his right thumb, his backside and then his unfortunate hamstring strain to open the second round of the playoffs.

Curry just wanted a chance. He was given one, and then his hamstring said otherwise. He’s proud of the fight the Warriors displayed, but isn’t going to hide his other feelings. 

“Definitely disappointed, and frankly just sad that I wasn’t out there able to play,” Curry said. “We have hopefully a bright future in terms of coming back next year and trying again.” 

The phrase “gut punch” has been thrown around to describe Curry’s injury. He knows what it takes to even make it to the playoffs, and then to have that taken away was mentally exhausting. His mind and body need a break. 

This is the man who played hero for Team USA basketball at the Paris Summer Olympics and carried the weight of a franchise at lowly times before Butler came aboard. He’s a father of four of who wears too many hats to count. The what-ifs will persist. 

They also don’t change a thing, and Curry is ready to hit the reset button ahead of doing it all over again. 

“It’s going to be just about rebuilding – one, getting rest, like you said, getting away from the game a little bit, and then rebuilding everything for another great run,” he said.

“I’m going to take full advantage of the offseason knowing I’ve been playing a lot of basketball for the last year, and have a lot left in the tank to prepare for, so I’m excited about it.”

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In honor of the Luke Kornet Game, revisiting big man's best Celtics moments originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

With their season on the line and Kristaps Porzingis hampered by a lingering illness, the Boston Celtics needed a big man to step up Wednesday night.

Enter Luke Kornet.

The eight-year veteran was a force in Game 5 against the New York Knicks, racking up 10 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks off the bench while becoming the first player in NBA playoff history to post that stat line on 100 percent shooting (5 for 5).

Kornet’s performance on both ends was critical to Boston’s 127-102 win, and may have felt like an outlier for those who glance at the big man’s relatively modest career stats. But as Celtics fans well know, Kornet has been making an outsized impact all season, both with his play on the court and his, shall we say, “unique” personality off the court.

So on the heels of the “Luke Kornet Game,” we’re bringing back some of Kornet’s best moments from the 2024-25 campaign, including hilarious interviews, wacky celebrations and more.

Roll the tape!

Kornet’s epic interview with Abby Chin before Celtics’ championship parade

Kornet has some interesting takes on the NBA Cup

Kornet offers dental advice after Derrick White loses tooth vs. 76ers

Jaylen Brown shares Kornet’s hilarious reaction to Giannis’ handshake fakeout

Breaking down the best Kornet celebrations with Luke and Sam Hauser

Inside look at Kornet’s pregame ritual: The windmill dunk

Kornet takes aim at PGL crew after not winning ‘Tommy Award’

A message from Kornet regarding the race for the season-long Tommy Award

Exclusive: Derrick White responds to Kornet’s Tommy Award “attack ad”

Hauser wants to hear TD Garden barking with Kornet

The Golden State Warriors got a taste of life after Stephen Curry, and it was repulsive.

The Warriors’ season ended Wednesday night in Game 5 of the Western Conference semi-finals. The younger, more explosive Minnesota Timberwolves thrashed them 121-110 to cap a series the Warriors were never really in, even when they briefly led it. That is because this series had a singular line of demarcation: the second quarter of Game 1.

Golden State outscored Minnesota 30-20 in the first 14 minutes and 41 seconds of the series. But at exactly that point, Curry grabbed at what turned out to be a strained left hamstring. He did not play another minute, and while the Warriors hung on to win that night by 11, they had nothing left for the rest of the series. With Curry healthy, Golden State won the first 15 minutes of the series by 10 points. Without him, they lost the last 225 minutes by a combined 56.

Related: Mavs win draft lottery and chance to pick Cooper Flagg No 1 after Dončić saga

Curry still chugs along nicely, even at at 37. The Warriors have slowly reinvented themselves around him, hanging on only to Curry, the 35-year-old Draymond Green, and coach Steve Kerr from the days when they were a true title dynasty in the 2010s. When Curry was on the floor this season, the Warriors still had one of the fiercest offenses in basketball, scoring 120.4 points per 100 possessions. Without him? 108.4, making for roughly the difference between the best offense in the NBA over a full season and the worst.

There was reason to hope, however, that the Warriors would be a little less Steph-dependent during this playoff run. The team swung a midseason trade for Jimmy Butler, who has long been a good scorer and one of the great defenders in basketball. Butler had a transformative impact down the stretch, boosting the Warriors’ numbers when he was on the court more than any other player, Curry included. The Dubs seemed to have a potent mix of talented, seasoned veterans (Curry, Green, Butler) and young supporting castmates (hello, Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody) to be compelling in the playoffs. A fifth championship for Curry? Probably not, but a substantial run looked possible.

It wasn’t to be. The Warriors without Curry were lifeless, scoring at a clip of 104.6 points per 100 possessions in the series’ final four games. (Minnesota were scoring 116.9.) The Warriors’ assists-to-turnover ratio in those games was 1.2, down from 2.1 during the regular season. The Curry-less Warriors weren’t just missing his all-world shooting ability, but his creativity, too.

The Warriors got some nice performances from their depth players, who tried to patch the gaping hole left by Curry. Forward Jonathan Kuminga was particularly impressive, taking up a more expansive offensive role and scoring 24.3 points per game after Curry’s injury.

But there is only one Curry, and without him, the only Warrior who could plausibly pick up the scoring slack was Butler. It would have been a stretch, though, and Butler floundered on offense as he tried to backfill some of Curry’s points. In Games 2 through 5, Butler shot 45.8% from the field and struggled to find any consistency. The Warriors’ team defense was decent enough, but the offense was so lifeless that the Warriors’ series never got out of neutral once Curry exited.

The Curry-Kerr Warriors have been declared dead several times, only to spring back to life – first to win the title in 2022 after missing the playoffs twice in a row, then to work themselves into “intriguing potential contender status” after the Butler trade this season. (They were 25-26 the day they acquired Butler, then finished the season on a 23-8 run and took a seven-game first-round series from the Houston Rockets.) There is no sense in declaring that Curry will never win anything again, only to have to walk it back later.

The Warriors are playing with fire, though. On the one hand, they have restocked their depth players around Curry nicely. Suffering a steep drop in quality without a player of Curry’s caliber is hardly an indictment of a team-building strategy, either. But on the other hand, even if Curry continues to beat Father Time well into his 40s, the Warriors’ lack of other gamechanging offensive talent was laid bare as he watched from the sidelines. Adding a pricey outside acquisition on top of Butler, who. turns 36 in September, is almost certainly impractical given the Warriors’ heavy salary cap sheet, and even retaining the restricted free agent Kuminga (a bright spot in this series) could push the Warriors quite close to the “first apron” luxury tax threshold that begins to hamper a team’s roster-building options.

No doubt Curry will do all he can to keep lugging the Warriors to within striking distance of contention. The realities of age and the salary cap may well just not apply to a player of his caliber for a while. But the Warriors, for now, are betting not just on Curry’s magic but on a friendlier treatment from the injury gods until the greatest player in their history decides to hang up his sneakers.

It isn’t a great bet, but what else is there to do?

Brown saves Celtics' season with elite performance, improved playmaking originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Jaylen Brown stepped up when the Boston Celtics needed him most in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series versus the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.

With the Celtics facing elimination and Jayson Tatum out indefinitely due to a ruptured Achilles, Brown posted a near triple-double with 26 points, a playoff career-high 12 assists and eight rebounds, along with only two turnovers in Boston’s 127-102 victory at TD Garden.

Brown was efficient as a shooter, hitting nine of 17 shot attempts (3-for-5 from 3-point range). He didn’t settle for bad shots and just took what the defense gave him. The Knicks played well in the first half and even built an eight-point lead at one point in the second quarter, but the Celtics went into halftime tied thanks in large part to Brown’s 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists through two quarters.

Brown was super aggressive offensively but did it in a controlled manner. He drew nine fouls in the game — at least three more than any other player on both teams — including the sixth foul on Knicks star Jalen Brunson that knocked him out of the game with 7:19 left in the fourth quarter.

But the biggest impact Brown had on Boston’s win wasn’t his scoring. It was his playmaking. Brown struck a near-perfect balance between being a primary scorer and getting his teammates involved.

His first assist to Luke Kornet (watch here) in the first quarter was a good example. Brown took advantage of the smaller Brunson to get to the basket, and instead of trying to shoot over the help defense of Karl-Anthony Towns, he made a tremendous pass to the Celtics center.

In the fourth quarter, Brown took advantage of a slower Mitchell Robinson and drove to the basket. Again, instead of trying to shoot over the help defense from Towns, Brown switched hands and made a great pass to Jrue Holiday for an easy basket (watch here).

Later in the fourth quarter, Brown hit a rolling Kornet for an alley-oop that brought the Celtics crowd to its feet.

Brown has shown flashes of improved playmaking in the past, but it’s not known as a staple of his skill set. But with Tatum out of the lineup for the rest of the playoffs, Brown had to become more of a facilitator, and he passed the test.

“Just being poised,” Brown said of his passing after the game. “Seeing the help, seeing the defense and making right reads over and over again. Just getting to the paint, what I like to do, and then they were collapsing. Our guys were moving, we played with pace, and I was able to find guys on open shots.”

Brown’s defense was strong in Game 5, too. The Knicks shot just 6-for-16 when Brown was the primary defender. He also did a good job on Brunson, guarding the Knicks guard on 42 percent of his possessions and limiting his effectiveness. Brown also has guarded OG Anunoby for 9:04 in the last two games, and the Knicks forward has scored zero points on 0-for-4 shooting during that time.

Brown won the hustle battle in Game 5 as well. He accounted for six of the Celtics’ 12 deflections, and he saved a possession by diving into Boston’s bench for a loose ball early in the third quarter with his team up 63-62.

“I think his leadership came on the defensive end,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said postgame. “Just his physicality and his presence to dive into the bench kind of changed the game for us. There were other game-changing plays, but I thought that was one of them.

“He was great on all levels. He took it upon himself to guard Brunson and set the tone, and he did that on both ends.”

The Celtics still have plenty of work to do. They need to win two more games in a row to complete the comeback and advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the fourth straight year.

Game 6 at Madison Square Garden on Friday night might be the toughest game the Celtics have played in a long time. The MSG crowd will be super intense with the Knicks having a chance to secure their first conference finals berth in 25 years.

The Celtics will need a fast start to take the crowd out of the game, and Brown will play a huge part in that. He gave a phenomenal performance at both ends of the floor to extend the Celtics’ season in Game 5. Can he do it again?

How Jaylen and Horford rallied Celtics' locker room after Tatum's injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

BOSTON — Jayson Tatum’s injury was absolutely devastating for the Celtics, and in the moment, it showed.

After Tatum ruptured his Achilles tendon in Monday’s Game 4 loss to the New York Knicks, the mood around the Celtics was understandably somber. Boston had just lost its franchise cornerstone and gone down 3-1 to the Knicks in their second-round series, seemingly ending the team’s quest to repeat while altering the trajectory of a squad that aimed to win multiple championships.

But the Celtics still had a game to play Wednesday night. So on Tuesday, with a do-or-die Game 5 looming the following night at TD Garden, veterans Jaylen Brown and Al Horford decided to address the team to help shift the mindset.

“JB and Al talked to us, and they did a great job of really just understanding the situation,” Celtics big man Luke Kornet told reporters after Boston’s Game 5 rout of the Knicks. “Understanding that we have a game to play, and to go out and represent ourselves well and play hard — I feel like those two led the way in that.”

Kornet noted that Brown and Horford both acknowledged the harsh reality of Tatum’s injury — which could keep him out most if not all of the 2025-26 season — but urged their teammates not to give up the fight.

“I feel like they’re very aware of the situation, so there’s definitely a part of expressing that, and all of us kind of recognizing that and being in that,” Kornet added. “But at the same time, we do have an opportunity to move forward. We’ve just got to take it one game at a time, and the goal for today was just to make it back to New York.”

The Celtics succeeded in that goal, with Brown in particular leading the charge. The Celtics star delivered one of his best all-around performances of the season, tallying 26 points on 9-of-17 shooting (3-of-5 from 3-point range) along with eight rebounds and a playoff career-high 12 assists. Brown also played excellent defense on Knicks star Jalen Brunson, who fouled out early in the fourth quarter.

“Just come out and play,” Brown said of the message he and Horford delivered to the team. “Obviously, the air kind of left the room after hearing the news with JT. So, we didn’t want to go out like that.

“We didn’t want to make no excuses. We didn’t want to come out and give up or just turn the season in like what everybody else probably would expect. So we just said to the guys, said to each other, let’s come out, keep an open mind. Just come out and play basketball.

“Be ready to go and guard your ass off and take it from there.”

Brown has long embraced a leadership role on this team, even with Tatum in the fold. But the last two days presented an opportunity for the nine-year veteran to step up even further in that department, and he rose to the challenge with both his words and his actions.

“We want to stay the course throughout the game, but when those two guys are at the front of it and lead you into it, it’s easy to just follow course and do the best you can,” Kornet added.

The Celtics still trail the Knicks 3-2 and will need to win Game 6 at Madison Square Garden on Friday to keep their season alive. But for one game at least, Brown and his teammates showed they still have some fight in them.

Report: Kuminga, Warriors will explore sign-and-trade scenarios originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

There is a possibility that Jonathan Kuminga has played his final game with the Warriors.

Selected seventh overall by Golden State in the 2021 NBA Draft, the first of the Warriors’ two lottery picks that year, along with guard Moses Moody (No. 14 overall), Kuminga’s tenure with Golden State has been anything but smooth.

And as his fourth NBA season comes to a close with the Warriors’ 121-110 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals on Wednesday at Target Center, it appears increasingly likely the 22-year-old could play elsewhere next season.

Kuminga, who reportedly is expected to have his $7.9 million qualifying offer extended by the Warriors this offseason, making him a restricted free agent in July, will explore sign-and-trade scenarios with Golden State, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson reported Thursday, citing league sources.

“Both sides are expected to explore sign-and-trade scenarios, those sources said, which would open up the market and theoretically give Kuminga the contract and fresh start he’d desire while bringing the Warriors back rotation players of immediate value,” Slater and Thompson wrote. “The Warriors’ decision-makers believe they need more positional size across the board — center and otherwise.”

However, Slater and Thompson also reported, citing league sources, that a reunion between Kuminga and the Warriors still is on the table.

The Athletic spoke with Warriors CEO Joe Lacob immediately after Golden State’s season-ending loss on Wednesday, and the long-time Kuminga proponent reaffirmed his support for the young forward.

“I was listening to the guys behind me tonight give running commentary — T-Wolves fans,” Lacob told The Athletic. “(Kuminga)’s the guy they talked about all night long. He’s the only guy that could really guard (Anthony Edwards) out there. Did a pretty damn good job. He had a tough situation with the DNPs from the last series, and to bounce back from that, I give him a lot of credit. I’m a big fan of his.”

Will Lacob’s advocacy play a role in Golden State potentially signing Kuminga to a lucrative long-term contract this summer, or will the Warriors leverage his value to land players who are better fits for coach Steve Kerr’s rotations?

We will find out in the coming months.

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Report: Warriors unlikely to pursue Giannis trade after playoff exit originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Even in the wake of their 2025 NBA playoffs exit, it does not appear the Warriors are preparing to make an Earth-shattering move this offseason.

Particularly for the biggest name that could be available on the trade market this summer: Milwaukee Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Hours after Golden State’s 121-110 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals on Wednesday at Target Center, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson reported, citing league sources, that the Warriors currently are not expected to be major players in the potential market for Antetokounmpo, if he were to become available.

“There are no early indications that the Warriors will be at the front of the line of the yet-to-materialize Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, league sources said,” Slater and Thompson wrote. “As they enter the summer, team sources said, the internal plan and conversation is about how to best reform the role players around the [Steph] Curry and [Jimmy] Butler duo, not chase another star.”

Of course, this is the NBA, and as we have learned time and time again, it’s that you never truly can rule out anything.

As Slater and Thompson alluded to, the Giannis sweepstakes have yet to materialize, as the two-time NBA MVP reportedly is “open-minded” to playing elsewhere next season, but has not requested a trade, nor have the Bucks indicated any desire to move him.

If Antetokounmpo were to become available this summer, there is no doubt the Warriors, at the very least, would have some level of interest in acquiring the nine-time All-Star, who reportedly has been Golden State CEO Joe Lacob’s “dream target” over the years.

However, even if “Greek Freak” does hit the trade market, it does not appear the Warriors are a likely landing spot.

For now …

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The Boston Celtics kept themselves in the NBA play-offs with a win against the New York Knicks as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Golden State Warriors to reach the Western Conference final.

The Celtics, the reigning NBA champions, were 3-1 down in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-final and missing star player Jayson Tatum, who went off injured in game four and has had surgery on a ruptured Achilles.

However, they earned a convincing 127-102 win at TD Garden thanks to Derrick White's 34 points, and 26 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds from Jaylen Brown.

Game five will take place in New York on Friday at 20:00 local time (Saturday 01:00 BST).

"We made winning plays on both ends of the floor," said Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. "They made enough plays to win - gave us another chance to play."

The Timberwolves beat the Warriors 121-110 to secure a 4-1 Western Conference semi-final play-off series win.

• NBA play-offs - route to the final

Julius Randle scored 29 points and Anthony Edwards contributed 22 points and 12 assists for the Timberwolves at Target Center in Minneapolis.

The Timberwolves will play the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference final, with the former leading their series 3-2.

"It's great," said Randle. "We've had a season full of adversity. Coach (Chris Finch) said at the end of the regular season that we didn't do anything as far as trades or firing coaches. We just stuck together and we got through it together.

"I'm super proud of our team, everybody that stepped up in some type of way this year. We've got to keep going."

The Warriors did not won a game since losing star player Stephen Curry to a hamstring injury in game one.

"Injuries are part of the play-offs," said coach Steve Kerr. "I learned a long time ago that the play-offs are really about health and then just guys stepping up and making some big shots, big plays in key games. That's what decides every series.

"We've been on both ends of that. There's no sense in dwelling on it, and I don't want to take anything away from what Minnesota just accomplished."

BOSTON – How can the Knicks get more out of Karl-Anthony Towns?

There are several answers to that question. Towns needs to limit his fouls. He was in foul trouble yet again in Game 5 on Wednesday.

Towns and the Knicks can attack Jrue Holiday more effectively when he guards Towns. Towns can also do more when the Celtics send a second defender at him.

But Towns can’t create more three-point shots for himself. The Knicks need to adjust their approach if they want to get more perimeter shots for Towns. He’s made just two three-pointers in this series. He was 1-for-3 from the perimeter in Game 5.

Afterward, Josh Hart was asked what the Knicks can do to create more perimeter looks for Towns.

“I think we can run actions that get him open more. We’re running a lot of ball-screen actions. And they’re in a drop, we can figure out ways to get him going, whether it’s transition or flares or quick screens. Ball screens into wides. We have to figure out ways to help him,” he said late Wednesday night. “Obviously, he’s a hell of a shooter. But if he was a guard, we’d be in a different situation, because he’d have the ball in his hands and be able to create [for himself]. We’ve got to help him get in positions for that. And I think from the top down, we’re not doing that.”

The Celtics used Holiday to defend Towns for long stretches of Game 5. That matchup, in theory, should allow Towns the opportunity to score inside. But Boston was also sending a second defender at Towns. The Knicks couldn’t take advantage often enough on Wednesday. They shot 35 percent from the field.

Afterward, Jalen Brunson was asked about Towns’ three-point shooting in the series.

"I think as a group we need to trust each other. I need to trust everyone out there and knowing who to attack and when to set the table. I think the biggest part of that is knowing how they are defending [Towns]," the guard said. "If they are going to put a smaller guy on him, then [we can feed him in] the post. They haven’t put a bigger guy on him. We need to attack accordingly, and him being aggressive gives us a big advantage.”

Towns said after Game 5 that his perimeter opportunities -- or lack thereof -- are by design.

“I haven’t really been out there really. Haven’t had the chance to shoot. We’ve just been trying to do our game plan and I’m just trying to execute at the highest level,” Towns said. “So I’m trying to do most of my damage inside and do whatever my team asks of me.”

The Knicks have found ways to get Towns more involved in the offense in the past. In the Detroit series, Towns got going in Game 3 and Game 4 after a quiet Game 2. In those games, the Knicks created early opportunities for Towns in the post or on the perimeter.

Maybe they make a similar adjustment in Game 6? The Knicks will probably need more from Towns on Friday night if they want to close out Boston.

DEFENSE RESTS

The Knicks' transition defense was a big issue on Wednesday. New York gave up several open threes due to poor communication or poor effort in transition. Boston finished 22-for-49 from beyond the arc.

“Pretty much everybody is back [on defense in transition] but we're not communicating,” Mikal Bridges said. “We’re not taking our man. We just got to do a better job of communicating and we gave them confidence.”

Tom Thibodeau noted that the Knicks were slow in getting back on defense at times.

“We’ve got to be tougher with our closeouts and taking air space away, we’ve got to be better with our communication,” Thibodeau said. “…I think it’s two-fold: the commitment to sprint back and then communicate to make sure that we understand what’s going on. You can't have any personal dilemmas of if you’re missing a shot or if it’s not going well for you offensively, that you're jogging back. You’ve got to sprint back, you’ve got to communicate. And we’ve got to be matched up. If one guy is slow, you’re gonna give them an open shot. You can’t do that against this team.”

CENTER OF ATTENTION

Joe Mazzulla went with Luke Kornet and Al Horford as his centers in the second half on Wednesday. He said Kristaps Porzingis was having trouble with his lingering illness. Kornet, the ex-Knick, was fantastic. He had five blocks in the third quarter and seven overall. It will be interesting to see how Mazzulla approaches the center position on Friday night. Porzingis is clearly not himself. In Boston earlier in the series, he received an IV during the game in an effort to get back on the floor.

When the Knicks took a commanding 3-1 series lead, they knew it wouldn't be easy to get that clinching win, especially against the defending champion Boston Celtics.

But when perennial All-Star Jayson Tatum was lost for the rest of the postseason with an Achilles tear, many outside the Knicks locker room felt the series was in the bag, but Game 5 showed exactly why it's going to be hard to get win No. 4 even with Tatum not in the lineup.

Six Celtics scored in double figures, and the NBA Finals MVP from last year, Jaylen Brown, had his best game of the series to lead Boston in their dominant 127-102 win on Wednesday night.

"They're defending champions, so obviously losing Tatum is a big blow for their team but we know they're more than capable of beating anyone on any night," Karl-Anthony Towns said. "We just didn’t do enough to win tonight."

The Celtics won thanks to two factors. First, there is their balanced offense.

Derrick White led all scorers with 34 points while hitting seven threes. Brown posted a near triple-double of 26 points, eight rebounds and 12 assists while starters Jrue Holiday and Al Horford scored in double figures. They also got big points from Payton Pritchard (17) and Luke Kornet (10) off the bench.

They shot 52 percent (45 percent from three) while winning the fastbreak and points-off-turnover battles. Those numbers trickled up at the end of the second quarter, but jumped in a "terrible" third quarter that saw defensive lapses left and right from the Knicks.

"They're the defending champs. Jayson Tatum went down, you thought they were just going to lay down? Nah," Josh Hart said. "You knew they were going to come out swinging. They came out with extreme confidence like they do every game. They came out with aggression. We didn’t do enough in the first half to end the half right and the third quarter was a failure."

And then there was the defense.

Boston forced the Knicks into 10 turnovers and 36 percent shooting for the game. But while a lot of the attention goes to the prolific three-point shooting up and down the Celtics' bench, New York recognizes how Boston's defense feeds into their offense, and they played into their hands on Wednesday night.

"They have a lot of shooting on the floor, that’s going to remain the same," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "The thing about their team is they are a great defensive team as well. We can’t be slow getting back and you can’t give open shots to them. We have to be closer with our closeouts and be better with our communication."

Jalen Brunson was asked after Game 3's rout if the fact that they were up 2-0 going into that game last Saturday affected the team's mentality and energy. The All-Star guard was candid and said he believed it subconsciously did. He was asked a similar question after Game 5's loss and if the team's energy was affected by the fact Tatum wasn't playing.

Brunson said no and put the onus on his team to find a way to beat the Celtics no matter what.

"Yes, they're missing a big piece but they're a team, a well-oiled machine, that has been in situations where they've played without him and they've played well," Brunson said. "We need to understand that. Trust the gameplan and play accordingly. It's that simple."

After Wednesday's win, the Celtics are 10-2 without Tatum this season. Two of those wins have come in the postseason, so this group can win without their superstar and the basketball world is on notice.

"It's easy to kind of write things off. Obviously unfortunate what happened to JT, but we've still got basketball to be played," Brown said after the game. "I believe in this group. Don't count us out just yet."

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."

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.

Highlights

Mikal Bridges with the first points of Game 5 💪

(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/hd9spL2ox3

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 14, 2025

Mitchell Robinson makes a pair of free throws as the Celtics go to Hack-A-Mitch pic.twitter.com/zP4xEYuzS6

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 14, 2025

DEUUUUUCCCCCCCEEEEEE

(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/cki9pM6UKR

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 14, 2025

Brunson ➡️ Bridges before the buzzer!

(via @NBAonTNT) pic.twitter.com/esSnFjTOwr

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 14, 2025

Jalen Brunson from deep in the corner 🎯

(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/R4eZW2O9n8

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 15, 2025

What's next

The Knicks will look to close out the series at home on Friday night. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m.