Nikola Jokic and Julius Randle were ejected from the Timberwolves' win against the Nuggets on Saturday.
MINNEAPOLIS — When the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired Ayo Dosunmu from Chicago in February, they expected to get a strong defender and savvy offensive player. If he wants to be an elite scorer, they’ll take that, too.
Dosunmu scored a career-high 43 points, stepping up after leg injuries to Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo with the highest-scoring playoff performance by a reserve in 50 years, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets 112-96 on Saturday night to take a 3-1 series lead.
“Ayo was just out of this world, man,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “Just play after play after play.”
Nikola Jokic was ejected during the Nuggets’ 112-96 Game loss to the Timberwolves on April 25, 2026 in Minneapolis. Getty Images
The game ended with the ejections of Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Minnesota’s Julius Randle after Jokic became angry when Jaden McDaniels made a meaningless layup with 2.1 seconds remaining and confronted the Wolves’ swingman near his bench.
Jamal Murray led Denver with 30 points. Jokic added 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists. The Nuggets were just 6 for 27 from 3-point range.
The Wolves have won the last three games and can end the series in Game 5 on Monday night in Denver.
“I expect us to have a great effort in Game 5,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said. “I really trust our two best players will find a rhythm, and they have to find that at home.”
Jokic and Murray were 6 of 24 from the field in the second half.
“We had the opportunity to score easier, get open looks, and we didn’t,” Jokic said. “And in the fourth quarter the momentum is on their side. They were making shots, they were playing with some energy and we didn’t have that.”
Julius Randle is pictured during the Timberwolves’ win over the Nuggets on April 25. Imagn Images
Dosunmu made 13 of 17 shots, going 5 of 5 from 3-point range, and all 12 of his free throws in a season-high 42 minutes.
“He goes places quick. He’s an unbelievable finisher. He makes big shots,” Finch said. “He’s not afraid. Just was going to ride him until he collapsed, really.”
It was the best performance by a sub since Fred Brown scored 45 off the bench for Seattle in a 116-111 loss to Phoenix on April 15, 1976.
Nikola Jokic reacts after being ejected during the Nuggets’ April 25 loss to the Timberwolves. Imagn Images
“I know it sounds cliche, but I can’t and won’t take this moment for granted,” Dosunmu said, “because I understand how long and how hard it is to get here.”
The Nuggets led by seven in the third quarter before the Timberwolves used a disruptive defense to get back into the game. Bones Hyland and Dosunmu scored breakaway layups on consecutive possessions after Minnesota forced the Nuggets to turn it over near halfcourt — two of nine second-half turnovers for the Nuggets.
Randle added a steal and fast-break dunk to put the Wolves up by four after three quarters.
Dosunmu had another steal and layup as part of a 9-0 run early in the fourth quarter that gave Minnesota a 95-82 lead. The basket that pushed the lead into double digits was a 3-pointer by 38-year-old Mike Conley, who played 20 minutes while filling in for DiVincenzo and Edwards.
HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 24: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the game against the Houston Rockets during Round 1 Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 24, 2026 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Lakers aim to close out their first round series against the Houston Rockets on Sunday
The purple and gold are looking to sweep an opponent in the playoffs for the first time since May 2010.
Just like that, the Lakers are one win away from advancing to the Western Conference semifinals. They’ve shocked the world with their performance over the last three games, but their rising to the occasion is nothing new.
The Lakers’ challenge in Game 3 was to counter the Rockets’ strongest response yet and they successfully did so. In Game 4, it’s going to be about closing the series and putting this young Rockets team to bed. That itself is going to be a different challenge, but perhaps the biggest advantage that Los Angeles now has is that they’ve snatched away Houston’s fighting spirit — at least that’s what it seems.
Over the last three games, the Lakers have continuously proven that they’re just the better team, even without two of their best players. It’s still extremely weird typing that but that’s what happens when the team has LeBron James, Marcus Smart and experienced role players. The chemistry — especially during clutch time — that the team worked so hard to build during the regular season is one of the reasons why they’re on top right now.
On Sunday, the Lakers are going to need their chemistry and composure to be in full effect more than ever. It’s uncertain how these Rockets will approach this one given that they don’t seem confident that they can get back in the series. But what’s certain is that no team wants to be swept, so there’s a good chance that Houston will go all out in this one, especially since they’re composed of young players all around.
With Kevin Durant’s status up in the air again, expect Alperen Şengün to lead the Rockets’ offense. He did a good job doing so in Game 3, but it obviously wasn’t enough. What’s going unnoticed in this series is how the Lakers have kept up with the Rockets in what the latter does best, which is controlling the paint and outexecuting them on defense. Los Angeles will have to double down on this to close out the series.
Maybe the Rockets play like a team that knows they’re down 0-3 and doesn’t want to travel to Los Angeles anymore. What we do know is that this Lakers team will be determined to sweep this series. Let’s see if the purple and gold book their ticket to the semifinals on Sunday.
Notes and Updates
The Lakers’ injury report remains identical as Game 3 with Austin Reaves (left oblique muscle strain) listed as questionable. Luka Dončić (left hamstring strain) noted as out.
The same goes for the Rockets, as Fred VanVleet (ACL surgery) and Steven Adams (left ankle surgery) are indicated as out while Kevin Durant (left ankle sprain) is questionable.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 25: Mike Conley #10 and Ayo Dosunmu #13 of the Minnesota Timberwolves embrace in the fourth quarter of Game Four of the First Round of the 2026 NBA Western Conference Playoffs against the Denver Nuggets at Target Center on April 25, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Nuggets 112-96. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In one of the most insane games in the history of Target Center, the Minnesota Timberwolves took down the Denver Nuggets 112-96 in Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead.
Unfortunately, the outcome of the game felt like a side story most of the night. A little more than a minute into the game, Donte DiVincenzo took a false step back and appeared to suffer a catastrophic lower-leg injury. Shams Charania of ESPN later confirmed the worst, a torn Achilles for DiVincenzo.
DiVincenzo was taken out of Target Center in a wheelchair with a boot on his right leg and a hoodie draped over his head.
Timberwolves Head Coach Chris Finch was choked up discussing DiVincenzo’s injury: “He’s the heart and soul of everything we do. We love him and will be there for him.”
The devastating blows didn’t stop there. Just before the end of the first half, Anthony Edwards came down awkwardly on his left leg and appeared to hyperextend it. Charania reported that Edwards will undergo tests on his left knee, the opposite side from the runner’s knee Edwards has been dealing with in this series and down the stretch of the regular season.
And Anthony Edwards is set to undergo tests on his injured left knee. He had been playing through runner's knee in his other knee. The Timberwolves starting guards sustain injuries in the first half tonight in Game 4 against Denver. https://t.co/ipDf2LPRLS
With the potential for the game to spiral, the Wolves didn’t allow the game to get out of hand and only trailed by four points at halftime.
With the halftime break to reset their rotations and emotions, the Timberwolves began to fight back. Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels locked back down on Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray while Mike Conley, Kyle Anderson, and Terrence Shannon Jr. joined the rotation.
Late in the third quarter and into the fourth, the Wolves went on a 21-6 run, turning a two-point deficit into a 13-point lead as they appeared to break the Nuggets’ and Jokić’s will, who struggled yet again with an 8-22 shooting night.
The Timberwolves’ best player on the night was far and away Ayo Dosunmu, who played the best game of his young career. Dosunmu finished with a career-high 43 points on 13-17 shooting, the third most efficient 40-point playoff game in the history of the NBA.
The dagger came from Dosunmu with a minute and a half left in the game when he pulled up for a 3-pointer above Tim Hardaway Jr. and screamed, “I’m Him!” to the Timberwolves faithful.
“I didn’t know he was that damn good,” Randle said of Dosunmu. “I ain’t gonna lie to you. I was in the East, but I don’t remember playing against him. That was DeMar/LaVine teams. I don’t know if the opportunity was there. But, damn, I’m glad we got him.”
The two teams would play out the string from there, but not before a little bit more drama, par for the course in this rivalry. With three seconds remaining in the game, instead of dribbling, McDaniels, in classic Jaden McDaniels fashion, laid the ball in the hoop instead of dribbling the clock out.
That decision, foreshadowed by a McDaniels dunk as the end of Game 7 two years ago between these two teams, caused Jokić to come running down the court for a fight that led to the ejection of both Jokić and Julius Randle.
McDaniels, of course, broke an unwritten rule of basketball by not dribbling the game out, but for Jokić to take such exception to the play is a rough look, given the scoreboard, who was out for the Wolves, and his play in this series, especially on the defensive end.
Where this series and the rest of these playoffs go from here for the Timberwolves is still up in the air. What is certain is that tonight’s game was one of the most memorable nights in the history of Timberwolves basketball.
Finch summed up the season to this point following the game. “[The players] kept telling me it would be different when we get [to the playoffs]. Game 1 wasn’t any different, so we jumped their ass. They lied to us. And they responded.”
This whole season, there have been valid criticisms of the Timberwolves from the players on the roster, their fit together, and the coaching staff’s ability to find the best out of the team. What can no longer be questioned about this team is their heart.
Up Next
The Timberwolves will take on the Nuggets for Game 5 in Denver on Monday at 9:30 PM CT with a chance to close out the series. Fans can watch the game on NBC and Peacock. The status for both Edwards and Aaron Gordon, who also left this game early, is up in the air.
Apr 24, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart (36) drives with the ball as Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (15) defends during the fourth quarter during game three of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Originally, I figured that the most 2026 Houston Rockets thing that could happen is what happened in Game 3: take a sizable lead into the final moments and blow the game, culminating in an overtime loss. The poor play in clutch situations has defined this team, and their 20+ blown fourth quarter leads this year is the evidence.
The Rockets have been the arbiters of hope this season, constantly getting leads and then promptly blowing them in the most heartbreaking fashions imaginable. And it just kept happening. You figure that at some point they would learn from their mistakes, or that the sheer amount of experience would be a boon. “Hey, we’ve all been in this situation before and we’ve all been the reason we lost one of these games. So let’s just do our best and trust each other.” Something, anything that takes terrible experiences and uses them as fuel for the next time a similar event occurs.
And in sports, that’s usually what happens. Teams struggle to get over the hump but get better and more hardened and eventually either blow up or successfully summit the mountain. That’s the blueprint we’ve seen time and time again.
But no team has toyed with its fans’ emotions more than the Houston Rockets. Now 1-8 in overtime, the Rockets have blown just about every sort of game that is possible. 20-point fourth quarter lead? Yep. 99.9% chance of winning based on your favorite site’s analytics? They’ve blown that too. Up double digits in overtime? They lost. Up 6 with 30 seconds left at home in the biggest game of the season? They almost lost in regulation!
Every time we’ve been ready to give up on the Rockets, they show us their talent and put together a few games where you think, “Oh maybe they figured it out!” But then they promptly remind everyone that they have not, in fact, figured it out.
So I can’t decide which way to lose this series would be the most 2026 Rockets. I’m hoping for the sweet release of death when it comes to this season, so we know that won’t happen easily. Either the Rockets will once again blow a big lead just for old time’s sake, OR they will fight back in this series and win the next three games. They will look really good and give Rockets fans hope that they’ll become the first NBA team to ever overcome a 3-0 deficit. They’ll be up 20 in the fourth quarter of Game 7. Staples Center will be dead silent. Luka Doncic will be on the bench. Austin Reaves will not be 100%. LeBron James will look old and defeated by Father Time.
And then Luke Kennard will hit a 3. Then Marcus Smart and Rui Hachimura will hit a couple. Jaxson Hayes will throw down a dunk and the lead will be single digits and the building will be rocking. LeBron will return, having gotten plenty of rest after JJ Reddick had originally thrown in the towel. And Houston will lose in overtime.
MINNEAPOLIS — Ayo Dosunmu scored a career-high 43 points, stepping up after leg injuries to Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo with the highest-scoring playoff performance by a reserve in 50 years, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets 112-96 on Saturday night.
The Timberwolves took a 3-1 lead in the series in a game that ended with ejections of Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Minnesota’s Julius Randle after Jokic became angry when Jaden McDaniels made a meaningless layup with 2.1 seconds remaining and confronted the Wolves’ swingman near his bench.
The story before that was Dosunmu, who had the best performance by a sub since Fred Brown scored 45 off the bench for Seattle in a 116-111 loss to Phoenix on April 15, 1976.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane each scored 25 points, and the Orlando Magic blew a 17-point fourth-quarter lead before rallying to beat the Detroit Pistons 113-105 on Saturday for a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Banchero had 12 rebounds and nine assists. Franz Wagner scored 17 points for Orlando, which got 15 from Jalen Suggs and a 14-point, 17-rebound game from Wendell Carter Jr.
Cade Cunningham scored 27 for Detroit, which trailed 96-79 with 8:34 left — then outscored the Magic 26-8 over the next six minutes to grab the lead. But the Pistons, who got 23 points from Tobias Harris, couldn’t hold on.
Game 4 is Monday night in Orlando.
It’s the 13th time since 1984, when the NBA went to the 16-team format, that a No. 8 seed has taken a 2-1 lead in a first-round series over a No. 1 seed.
Of the previous 12, five finished off the upset. Those teams: Miami in 2023, Philadelphia in 2012, Memphis in 2011, Golden State in 2007 and New York in 1999. And that doesn’t include Denver’s upset of Seattle in 1994, the first 8-over-1 series win in NBA history.
The Magic — who had to win an elimination game at home just over a week ago to escape the play-in tournament — are trying to be the next name on that list.
THUNDER 121, SUNS 109
PHOENIX (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 42 points in a brilliant shooting performance, Ajay Mitchell added 15 in place of the injured Jalen Williams and Oklahoma City beat Phoenix to take a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference first-round series.
Gilgeous-Alexander — the league’s reigning MVP — hit 15 of 18 shots on a variety of tough looks, frustrating a Suns defense that actually played decently for much of the game. Alex Caruso added 13 points off the bench while Chet Holmgren had 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
The defending champion Thunder will go for the sweep in Game 4 on Monday in Phoenix.
Dillon Brooks led the Suns with 33 points on 11-of-21 shooting while Jalen Green added 26.
Oklahoma City took an 87-79 lead after three quarters and never trailed in the fourth. Gilegous-Alexander hit a difficult fallaway 19-foot jumper to put the Thunder up 102-87 with about five minutes left, deflating the Suns crowd and pretty much ending any hope for a comeback.
KNICKS 114, HAWKS 98
ATLANTA (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns had his first postseason triple-double, OG Anunoby scored 22 points and New York recovered after back-to-back losses to beat Atlanta, tying the Eastern Conference playoff series at 2-2.
Towns had 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. The 11th-year All-Star became the fourth Knicks player to record a triple-double in a playoff game, joining Walt Frazier, Dick McGuire and Josh Hart.
The Knicks host Game 5 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night, and the series is now guaranteed to return to Atlanta for Game 6 on Thursday.
New York took control of the game midway through the first quarter and maintained the lead for the rest of the game. The Knicks held a 68-44 advantage at halftime and extended that lead to 20 points by the end of the third quarter.
New York, who had one-point losses in the previous two games, returned to form behind its core of Towns, Anunoby and Jalen Brunson, who scored 19 points.
TIMBERWOLVES 112, NUGGETS 96
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Ayo Dosunmu scored a career-high 43 points, stepping up after leg injuries to Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo with the highest-scoring playoff performance by a reserve in 50 years, and Minnesota beat Denver.
The Timberwolves took a 3-1 lead in the series in a game that ended with ejections of Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Minnesota’s Julius Randle after Jokic became angry when Jaden McDaniels made a meaningless layup with 2.1 seconds remaining and confronted the Wolves’ swingman near his bench.
The story before that was Dosunmu, who had the best performance by a sub since Fred Brown scored 45 off the bench for Seattle in a 116-111 loss to Phoenix on April 15, 1976.
It started with just 1.3 seconds left in Game 4, when the outcome was already decided. But the Timberwolves, looking to burn the clock, tossed the ball up to forward Jaden McDaniels. Rather than dribble it out for the end of the game, McDaniels put up an uncontested layup to push Minnesota’s lead to 16 points.
Denver Nuggets All-Star center and NBA Most Valuable Player finalist Nikola Jokić took exception to the layup and rushed over from half court to confront McDaniels, eventually getting in McDaniels’ face.
McDaniels grabbed Jokić by the jersey as the two got tangled up, leading to teammates and assistants getting in between the pair to break it up. The incident took place right in front of the Timberwolves’ bench.
Eventually, both players were separated, and both Jokic and McDaniels were ejected.
“Because he scored when everybody stopped playing,” Jokić said after the game. “Come on, guys, you saw it, what happened.”
Asked later if he regretted running up to confront McDaniels, Jokić shook his head and stressed that he didn’t.
The Timberwolves won the game, 112-96, taking a 3-1 lead over Denver in the first-round playoff series.
“I’m proud of the guys stepping up and fighting for each other, literally and figuratively,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch told reporters after the game. “These teams don’t like each other — it’s no secret. I mean, you play each other this many times when things are at stake … it’s just how it goes.
“When you play each other this many times, you’re gonna get these things. You just are.”
The NBA has strict rules about players who are not actively playing in a game leaving the bench area during altercations. Players who do leave the bench are subject to an automatic suspension of at least one game. Fines are also factored into the discipline for leaving the bench.
Initial video of the incident Saturday night showed that Nuggets star forward Aaron Gordon left the bench in an attempt to break it up.
“Obviously, I didn’t like what McDaniels did,” Nuggets coach David Adelman told reporters after the game. “The game was over. The game was conceded both ways. In 2026 that stuff just doesn’t happen anymore. That stuff happened in the ‘80s, where teams would continue to score. But that’s who he is. And so if that’s what they want to do, that’s what they want to do. It has nothing to do with the win or the loss.”
“More importantly, no suspensions for us,” Adelman said. “I didn’t see anything out of line. Obviously, they’ll have the Hawkeye view of the whole thing, but from what I saw, from my standpoint, I saw Jok get into it with (McDaniels) toward the middle of the scrum, and then both guys were ejected.”
The Los Angeles Lakers will have the opportunity to complete a sweep of the Houston Rockets after taking a 3-0 lead in the NBA playoff first-round series.
The Lakers have found success in the postseason without Luka Doncic, who has missed time due to a hamstring injury.
He suffered the injury on April 2 in a blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He has not played in a game since.
Doncic led the NBA in points per game with 33.5 this season. He was also third with 8.3 assists per game.
The Lakers have not swept a playoff series since beating the Utah Jazz 4-0 in the 2009-10 Western Conference semifinals.
Will Luka Doncic play Game 4 for Lakers?
Doncic was ruled out for Game 4 on Sunday, April 24, by the Lakers. He was with the team in Houston on Friday.
When do Lakers play next?
The Lakers will play the Houston Rockets on Sunday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m. PT (9:30 p.m. ET). The game will be streamed on Peacock.
Having lost the previous two games to the Atlanta Hawks to go down 2-1 in the series, the Knicks were in must-win territory on Saturday night.
If not, New York would’ve been on the precipice of ending its season prematurely and in danger of wholesale changes rocking the organization after a fourth consecutive postseason that didn’t lead to the NBA Finals.
Instead, the Knicks, with the same starting five head coach Mike Brown has used all season, came out ready and took care of business from beginning to end with a compelling 114-98 win to even up the series and take things back to Madison Square Garden all knotted up.
“I thought we did a great job of coming out with more tenacity, more desperation I think is the proper word and our team did a great job of just weathering the storm and being the ones to initiate physicality today,” said Karl-Anthony Towns.
Towns was right at the center of New York’s Game 4 win, recording his fifth career triple-double (first in the playoffs) and leading the team with a playoff career-high 10 assists.
Towns is the fourth player in franchise history to record a triple-double in a playoff game, joining Walt Frazier, Dick McGuire and Josh Hart, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
“That’s a great team over there, a very well-coached team so we understood in a pivotal game like tonight we needed to be our best,” Towns said. “I thought we not only met the challenge, but we exceeded the expectation and the moment and that’s what you expect a team that has experience like us do.”
It’s true, the Knicks played one of their better games of the season in Game 4. They limited the Hawks to 65 points through three quarters, had a lead as large as 24 points, held Atlanta to 24.4 percent from deep and kept CJ McCollum in check.
The start of the game was also completely different than Game 3 where the Hawks led by 12 in the first quarter which forced New York to play from behind all night. It was also different from Game 2 where the Knicks saw a big lead disappear in the fourth quarter resulting in a stunning loss.
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) works against Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) during the first half at State Farm Arena. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Hart said after the win that New York gave away both of those games (both one-point losses) and so the urgency on Saturday had to be there from the start. Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson thought the way they battled back in Game 3 set the table for the team’s performance in Game 4.
“I think the way we fought back in Game 3 helped us in this game,” Brunson said. “Obviously we didn’t win Game 3 but the way we played in that second half as a team propelled us to play the way we did tonight and we just gotta continue to push that forward.”
Then, of course, comes the topic of the Knicks’ starting five which was ultimately untouched after Brown said it would be a game-time decision.
Mikal Bridges, who had struggled mightily over the last two games, got things going back in the right direction on Saturday but he still only scored eight points on 3-of-4 from the floor and logged just 19 minutes, barely seeing the court in the second half and giving way to Miles McBride.
Brown discussed what went into those decisions after the game.
“We’ve won a lot of games with the starting group and so I didn’t want to panic and just change anything,” he said. “Obviously we changed some stuff strategy-wise, but I didn’t want to change anything with the starting group because I didn’t feel the need to.
“And then at the end of the day I just felt that Deuce had it rolling and they were gonna double Jalen and when they did Deuce hit some big threes so if a guy has it rolling he may have a chance to stay out on the floor, that’s all that was.”
As for Bridges’ impact on the game, Towns credits him for setting the tone early.
“I think everybody was special and honestly shout out to Mikal too, he did a great job of getting us going early and bringing that energy and that spark that was needed,” Towns said. “Who knows where our team would be tonight if it wasn’t for him bringing that kind of spark early in the game.”
This is potentially devastating news for the Timberwolves.
Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo each had to leave Game 4 in Minnesota with first-half leg injuries, and neither will return to the game.
DiVincenzo has suffered a torn Achilles, reports Shams Charania of ESPN, which is what it appeared to be when it happened. That injury not only ends this season for him but also sidelines him for most, if not all, of next season. DiVincenzo averaged 14.3 points per game in the playoffs and was 11-of-22 from 3-point range through the first three games.
Edwards is still undergoing tests on his left knee injury, and no diagnosis has been made. He appeared to hyperextend his left knee after he went up to challenge a Cameron Johnson shot at the rim.
Edwards had been playing through a case of what the team described as runner's knee in his right leg, the opposite of the one injured on this play.
Edwards had played in 61 games this season — and did not qualify for postseason awards — due to a variety of injuries. He'd been healthy in the playoffs so far and was averaging 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists a game through the first three games of the series against Denver, leading Minnesota to a 2-1 series lead entering Saturday.
A potentially bad injury day for the Minnesota Timberwolves might have just gotten a lot worse.
All-Star guard Anthony Edwards appeared to suffer a left knee injury Saturday, April 25 late in the second quarter during Game 4 of Minnesota’s first-round series against the Denver Nuggets. At the start of the second half, Edwards was not on the floor or on the bench. Later in the third quarter, the Timberwolves ruled him out for the remainder of the game.
The play came with 2:45 left in the first half, when Edwards jumped vertically to defend a Cameron Johnson layup during a fastbreak drive. When Edwards landed, his left knee appeared to hyperextend as his weight came down, and he immediately grabbed at the area, writhing in apparent discomfort. Edwards slapped the court a few times in obvious frustration.
Trainers rushed over as Edwards popped up to his feet. The trainers helped Edwards hobble off the floor, as he did not put any weight on the injured leg.
Edwards had been struggling from the floor, shooting 1-of-8 for just 5 points, adding 3 rebounds. At halftime, the Nuggets held a 54-50 lead, as Minnesota’s bench outscored Denver’s by a margin of 36-10.
Throughout his career, Edwards has been fairly fortunate in avoiding major injuries and has usually been available for Minnesota. In his first five seasons in the NBA, Edwards played in 381 of a possible 400 regular season games. Over that span, he had appeared in at least 72 games each season.
This year, however, Edwards battled a few nagging injuries, namely, knee and elbow issues that limited him to just 61 games played. That prevented him from being eligible for individual awards, and Edwards lost an appeal to receive an exemption.
In 61 games this season, Edwards averaged a career-high 28.8 points (which ranked third in the NBA behind only Luka Dončić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander), 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. His field goal percentage (48.9%) and 3-point percentage (39.9%) were also career bests.
In February, he was selected to his fourth consecutive All-Star team.
Anthony Edwards hobbled off the court with a left leg injury in the second quarter of Game 4 of the first-round series between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets in the 2026 NBA Playoffs. Edwards had been playing through a right knee injury, but injured his other knee after an awkward landing trying to challenge a shot from Nuggets forward Cameron Johnson.
The Wolves entered Game 4 with a 2-1 series lead. Minnesota guard Donte DiVincenzo was also injured 90 seconds into the game with a season-ending Achilles injury that has now been confirmed. Minnesota has now lost its two best guards during a golden opportunity at home to put the Nuggets on the brink of elimination.
Update: Edwards has been ruled out for Game 4. He won’t return.
Donte DiVincenzo injury: Wolves guard tears Achilles vs. Nuggets in NBA Playoffs
DiVincenzo has been diagnosed with a torn Achilles tendon. He’s out for the series and will miss most or all of next season as he recovers.
Minnesota's Donte DiVincenzo has been diagnosed with a torn right Achilles tendon, sources tell ESPN. His season is over with a lengthy recovery. Devastating blow for the Timberwolves starting guard. pic.twitter.com/fx06g2WXDN
From the opening tip, the Knicks brought a physicality and intensity to Game 4 that they had been lacking all series — and the Hawks could not match it. New York played its best defense of the series, improved its player movement and, more importantly, showed much better intentionality in how it wanted to attack the Atlanta defense. On the other end of the court, Hawks players could not get to the rim, could not finish in transition, while the Knicks were in their element and found their groove.
It all started with the guy the Knicks most needed to have a big game, Karl-Anthony Towns, who posted a 20-point triple-double.
Karl-Anthony Towns' triple-double leads New York to a game 4 victory!
The result was a blowout win for New York, with the game never in doubt from the middle of the third quarter on. A few minutes of garbage time made the final score 114-98, New York.
The series is now tied 2-2, with Game 5 back at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. Expect these Knicks to show up again at MSG. These were the Knicks we all remember from last year's run to the Eastern Conference Finals. The question becomes, can the Hawks match it?
"Let's go Knicks! Let's go, Knicks!" chants rang out in the State Farm Arena as the Knicks took the lead in the first quarter and never surrendered it. It wasn't just their stars carrying the team, the Knicks got fantastic play from OG Anunoby and Josh Hart, they combined for 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting in the first half. Anunoby went on to finish with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Everything seemed to go right for New York, there was even a Grand Theft Alvarado moment from Jose Alvarado.
Jalen Brunson left the game in the third quarter after tweaking his ankle, went back to the locker room and got it re-taped, then returned to the court. Late in the game, he banged knees with a Hawks player as well. He was a little slowed by all this and had just 12 points on 5-of-15 shooting.
CJ McCollum was the Hawk who handled the pressure best, and he finished the game with 17 points but was 0-of-4 from 3-point range.
Hawks not named McCollum shot just 37% through the first three quarters, and as a team Atlanta was just 7-of-31 (22.6%) with 17 turnovers in those three quarters. Plus, they had zero fast break points.
Quin Snyder and the Hawks can chalk this up to it being "one of those games" and point out that it's now a best-of-three series. They are not wrong.
But when the Knicks bring this intensity again, will the Hawks be able to match it?
Apr 25, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) tries to reach the basket against Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
And the tri-state area expelled a sigh of relief. The New York Knicks (2-2) took control early tonight and never let go, rolling past the Atlanta Hawks, 114–98, in Game Four of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series. Behind a dominant, wire-to-wire effort, Karl-Anthony Towns recorded the first triple-double of his postseason career (20-10-10), while OG Anunoby added a 22-point, 10-board double-double. Jalen Brunson dropped 19 points to steady the offense and secure the comfortable, and reassuring, victory.
Showing a marked improvement from Game Three, the Knicks shot well early, converting six of their first nine field goals. Atlanta matched that efficiency at the start, but New York’s wings applied frantic defense that helped the Knicks secure a 15-14 lead at the midway point of the first quarter.
Defying our cries to always play either Brunson or Towns at all times, head coach Mike Brown inserted Jose Alvarado (6 PTS, 3 STL), Miles McBride (11 PTS, 3-6 3PT), Jordan Clarkson (7 PTS), and Mitchell Robinson (6 PTS, 8 RBS, 15 MIN) to play alongside Josh Hart (10 PTS, 9 RBS, 2 STL) at the 4:20 mark. Luckily for him, his stubbornness paid off. Determined to reclaim their glory, our heroes played at a blistering pace and outrebounded the Hawks more than 2-to-1. Credit Brown for wisely deploying Robinson early, and the big fella brought immediate energy and dominance around the rim.
As New York hit the accelerator, Atlanta wilted under the defensive intensity. The Hawks shot just 7-of-20 in the first quarter and missed nine of their 12 three-point attempts. Thanks to a 14-5 run over the final four-and-a-half minutes, the Knicks closed the period ahead 27-20.
To start the second quarter, Brown rolled out a unit featuring Alvarado, Mikal Bridges (8 PTS, 3-4 FG, 19 MIN), Clarkson, Anunoby, and Towns. The Knicks kept the game in high gear, and Alvarado provided instant energy with a three-pointer and then stripping CJ McCollum (17 PTS, 8-15 FG), leading to an easy bucket.
Towns burst with newfound vigor, repeatedly attacking the cup and dominating the Hawks’ frontcourt. Even more impressive, New York’s defensive pressure stayed elevated while their offense hummed. Brunson rested comfortably until the 7:30 mark, with the Knicks ahead 38-29.
After Hart grabbed a defensive rebound off a Jalen Johnson (14 PTS, 3 RBS, 5 ATS) miss, the ball swung around through five or six Knicks before finding Brunson, who swished a triple. It was arguably the best offensive cohesion the Knicks have shown all series, and one of the first times they looked like the championship contenders we were promised by owner James “Eye in the Sky” Dolan (who took in the game at State Farm Arena).
Following a timeout from Hawks coach Quin Snyder, Atlanta’s defense tightened, forcing Brunson, Anunoby, and Hart to lose their handles on consecutive possessions. Both teams committed at least six turnovers in the period and missed several open shots. However, Anunoby answered with back-to-back perimeter triples, and Hart picked Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s (15 PTS, 5-10 3PT, 6 TO) pocket for a fast-break score, pushing their lead to 16 points.
The Knicks fans in attendance shook the building, and they went even crazier when Hart drilled a three with a minute-and-a-half left that put New York up by 16 again. By halftime, the Knicks held a commanding 58-44 lead.
Through the first half, New York outshot Atlanta 51% to 47% from the field and 43% to 26% from three-point range. The Knicks also dominated the boards 24-13, forced a whopping 10 turnovers in the second quarter alone with steals by Hart, Alvarado, Brunson, and Anunoby, and owned the paint 32-24. Atlanta’s defense was solid in forcing 10 giveaways, too, but they managed zero fast-break points in the half. McCollum led all scorers with 14 points, while Anunoby paced the Knicks with 12.
Out of intermission, the feathers were flying. The Birds scored five unanswered points to open the third quarter. Worse, Brunson rolled his ankle and headed to the locker room for examination within the first two minutes. Alvarado replaced him and did admirably, driving the Knicks at a blistering pace, knocking down a three-pointer, and recording his third steal of the game. Rumors of an Atlanta rally were greatly exaggerated!
"Look how he's just lurking."
Another look at Alvarado's sneaky steal that led to OG's tough bucket 🔥
When Towns hit a cutting Clarkson for an assisted bucket, the lead touched 17. Clarkson then knocked down two free throws, and the Knicks tied their largest lead of the playoffs at 19 points. Brunson returned to the bench and then re-entered the game at the 5:38 mark. The ankle appearing just fine, hallelujah, amen.
Atlanta got brief bursts from Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu (12 PTS, 6 RBS), but their shooting remained trash overall. Through three quarters, the Hawks had made just 7-of-31 from three-point range. McCollum, Okongwu, Dyson Daniels (6 PTS, 9 RBS, 6 ASTS, 2 STL), Johnson, and Jonathan Kuminga (10 PTS, 2 RBS) combined to shoot 1-for-18 from beyond the arc. Due to Atlanta’s ineptitude and New York’s sizzling play, the Knicks took a 86-65 lead into the fourth.
Anunoby scored the first four points of the final period with a free throw and a triple, pushing the advantage to 22. Assisting on Anunoby’s three gave Towns his tenth dime of the game, sealing a triple-double, the first of his career in the playoffs.
The lead ballooned to 24, but a Kuminga jumper and a Alexander-Walker three trimmed it back to 18 with eight minutes remaining. Given how freely the Knicks have surrendered leads this series, that margin still felt a little too close for comfort. From there, though, Brunson hit two free throws and McBride drained his second triple of the night, restoring the lead to 23 points. With those points, Brunson passed John Starks to take fourth place on the Knicks’ all-time playoff scoring list with 1,354 points and counting.
There had to be a blemish somewhere. At the seven-minute mark, Towns exited after tweaking his knee. He remained on the bench, which looked like a positive sign. Then, with 4:20 left, Brunson knocked knees wit somebody (Rowan had distracted me, showing off a drum fill he’s working on), and Jalen was still wincing when Brown called timeout shortly after.
From there, with a 22-point lead, Brown emptied the bench, giving time to Alvarado, Tyler Kolek, Landry Shamet, Mohamed Diawara, and Ariel Hukporti. The reserves did a good clean-up job, and when the buzzer buzzed, the better team won, 114-98.
Up Next
Matthew Miranda’s cooking up your recap hot and fresh. Meanwhile, the series swings back to Madison Square Garden for a tilt on Tuesday. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.
Early in Game 4 of Minnesota’s first-round series against the Denver Nuggets, shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo appeared to suffer an Achilles injury when he fell to the court on a non-contact play. The Timberwolves ruled DiVincenzo out of the game with a lower leg injury. ESPN is reporting that DiVincenzo suffered a torn right Achilles tendon.
The Injury happened with 10:43 to play in the first quarter, right after DiVincenzo took a deep 3 on the left wing. When the ball bounced off the rim, DiVincenzo lunged to track the ball down, but he fell to the floor and immediately grabbed his right calf area.
DiVincenzo sat on the floor and immediately motioned for Minnesota’s training staff to come to his aid. Once the trainers arrived, DiVincenzo writhed on the floor as the staffers tended to him.
Slow-motion replays later appeared to show his Achilles bounce or snap, which is also a common indicator of ruptures.
DiVincenzo was immediately removed from the game, and the Timberwolves ruled him out shortly afterward. During halftime, ESPN cameras showed DiVincenzo being led in a wheelchair down a hallway in the Target Center, with a large brace around his right leg and foot.
DiVincenzo played all 82 games this season and averaged 12.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. Prior to Game 4, DiVincenzo had been shooting 51.6% in the series.
